Journey to the Far Side of the Sun / Doppelgänger (1969)

A stylish and thought-provoking but quite dark sci-fi film with some great sequences and special effects. The film raises some interesting questions about the conflict between science and politics

Well, dear reader, it wasn’t all that long ago when we fare-welled our look at the sc-fi films of the 1950s. Now, a few years later with the following post we’ll be taking our leave of the sci-fi films of the 1960s and what a journey that has been. For this post I have decided to take a fair bit of license by constructing a ‘What if?’ scenario while maintaining the essential plot elements of the film. In fact, if you watch the film again after reading this post, it seems to acquire quite a sinister feel to it. Anyway, hope you enjoy it.


Directed by Robert Parrish
Screenplay by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, Donald James
Story by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson
Produced by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson
Cinematography John Read
Edited by Len Walter
Music by Barry Gray
Production company: Century 21 Cinema Productions
Distributed by The Rank Organisation (UK), Universal Pictures (International)
Running time: 101 minutes

Cast

Roy Thinnes as Colonel Glenn Ross
Ian Hendry as Dr John Kane
Patrick Wymark as Jason Webb
Lynn Loring as Sharon Ross
Loni von Friedl as Lise Hartman
Franco De Rosa as Paulo Landi
George Sewell as Mark Neuman
Ed Bishop as David Poulson
Philip Madoc as Dr Pontini
Vladek Sheybal as Dr Beauville
George Mikell as Dr Bernhardt Brisson
Herbert Lom as Dr Kurt Hassler

Uncredited:

Keith Alexander as Launch Controller
Edward Cast as Security Vaults Sergeant
Peter Burton as Medical Technician
Anthony Chinn as Air-Sea Rescue Crew Member
Nicholas Courtney as Medical Technician
Arnold Diamond as Clavel (Paris delegate)
Cy Grant as Dr Gordon
Constantine Gregory as Launch Control Technician
Annette Kerr as Nurse
Martin King as Dove Service Technician
Basil Moss as Assistant Doctor
Norma Ronald as Pam Kirby
John Stone as London Delegate
Jeremy Wilkin as Launch Control Technician

Trailer

In The year 2069, one hundred years after mankind’s first manned moon landing, the European Space Exploration Council sends two astronauts on a joint European-NASA mission to investigate a mysterious planet located on the opposite side of the sun.

After only 3 weeks, followed by a disastrous crash-landing, one of the two-man crew awakes to to find himself immersed in a mysterious and unsettling set of circumstances.

Eventually he begins putting the pieces of a puzzle together only to discover that things are not as they seem……..

Read on for more.....