Brucey D
I watched this film having stumbled upon it quite by accident in a late night TV broadcast. I was somewhat captivated. It is that rare thing, a Sci-Fi film which is based on a well-written short story, where the changes to the plot arguably improve the story in the film, and (tacky) special effects are largely absent.One can only wonder if the 1970 film 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' spurred the makers of this film; parts of the plot have similar aspects; one can only imagine the discussions in script meetings as to whether the audience 'will get it' or not, with both films.Good sci-fi (and indeed good film-making in general) requires a suspension of disbelief; special effects are not required for this to happen, and indeed things that are suggested but not seen on-screen overtly can be just as powerful in the mind of the viewer. In extremis, as one child reputedly put it; 'I love the radio, because the pictures are better'.I think the makers of this film knew that and perhaps didn't have the budget to do otherwise. Anyway, the result is intriguing and rather good.The 'alternate plane' is portrayed as a coherent and believable place, in which war has not forced the pace of technological development, and (in a note that must have chimed with those suffering raging inflation in the early 1970s), prices have not risen at high speed and we were still using pounds shillings and pence instead of decimal coinage.Those with an interest in that period will note the things that were chosen to draw contrast to the 'modern now' of our plane as opposed to the alternate plane; Tom Bell drives a Jag XJ6, and Joan Collins drives a mini Clubman; both recently launched models. Bell's flat is decorated in bright orange circular motifs (ah, the '70s !!!) and is littered with electrical gadgets; Joan Collin's house is all new in the 1970s style too! Joan Collins rated this film as one of the three best performances she ever gave and I think she was right; she is rather wonderful in this film, and elevates it above the mundane with her performance. However she counted 'Dynasty' in her top three, so I'd put this in her top two.
Bogmeister
I first saw this over twenty years ago and it stayed in my mind ever since; they never seemed to play this film on TV in my area and a VHS tape was difficult to find. I finally got one on E-Bay a year ago. I've always been a science fiction fan and my favorite sub-genre was parallel worlds. The original writer (Wyndham) and screenwriters got all the basics correct - certain events in the past transpired differently on this parallel Earth, resulting in a very similar, yet strikingly different world. But what caught me off guard was the romance attached to the story; I don't know, maybe the British storytellers just know how to do this sort of stuff better, but the tale taps into the soul of anyone with just a bit of the romantic in them. I never got that sense of romance, in such a strong dose, in any other film; the similar "Somewhere in Time" with Chris Reeve comes to mind, but it's not even a contest. When Joan Collins first walks into the room, I don't think you even need to be a heterosexual male - you are just swept away on the spot. Tom Bell is also very good as the hero; he sort of stumbles along on this fantastic journey he's been flung into and he soon embraces the entire cosmic appeal of what fate has given to him - a rare gift, as it turns out.
fletch5
I caught this on a local movie channel thinking it would be pretty hokey, but I found myself completely captivated to this fascinating science fiction romance. Joan Collins gives an unexpectedly delicate performance devoid of her usually campy mannerisms, and competent actors like Denholm Elliott appear in supporting roles. Although the ending does seem a bit abrupt, it's not bad enough to leave a negative impression.
mirwin8779
This was a good story line with a lot of potential. I was sorry to see that this potential was not fully exploited. I thought that the ending to the film was weak and disappointing, it gave the impression that the budget for the film was rapidly running out and a quick ending was set. However, an excellent performance by Joan Collins as always.