Doppleganger (1969) | a.k.a. Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun – Stills : Gallery
Doppelgänger is a 1969 British science-fiction film directed by Robert Parrish and starring Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry,Lynn Loring and Patrick Wymark. Outside Europe, it is known as Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, which is now the more popular title.[1][2] In the film, a joint European-NASA mission to investigate a planet in a position parallel to Earth behind the Sun ends in disaster with the death of one of the astronauts (Hendry). His colleague (Thinnes) discovers that the planet is a mirror image of Earth.
The first major live-action film of Century 21 writers-producers Gerry and Sylvia Anderson,[3] noted for Thunderbirds and other 1960s “Supermarionation” puppet television series, shooting for Doppelgänger ran from July to October 1968. WithPinewood Studios as the principal production base, Parrish filmed on location in both England and Portugal. The professional relationship between the Andersons and their director became strained as the shooting progressed,[4] while creative disagreements with cinematographer John Read resulted in his resignation from Century 21.[2]
The film premiered in August 1969 in the United States and October 1969 in the United Kingdom. Criticism has been directed at the parallel Earth premise, which has been considered clichéd and uninspired in comparison to standing precedent in science fiction. Doppelgänger has been interpreted as a partial pastiche of major science-fiction films of the 1960s, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, plot devices and images perceived as emulating such films have been considered poor adaptations of their originals. It has been viewed as a cult film.[5]
Actors and props from Doppelgänger re-appear in another Anderson television series, UFO.[1][6] Although the Andersons added adult themes to the script in an attempt to distinguish Doppelgänger from their earlier child-orientated productions, cuts removed some adult content to permit an A and, later, PG certificate from the British Board of Film Classification(BBFC). The film has had a limited run on DVD.