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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Saturday, August 10, 2013

Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun (1969)

Starring Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Patrick Wymark, Lynn Loring, Loni von Friedl
Directed by Robert Parrish
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After discovering a new planet hidden behind the sun, a European space agency seeks funding to send a manned spaceship there to investigate.

In this sci-fi drama from producer Gerry Anderson, better known for his TV series featuring marionettes, like Thunderbirds and Fireball XL-5, the marionettes are left behind, and a capable cast of actors and fine special effects are put to good use.  However, when the screenplay's major plot twist takes place in the film's second half, the filmmakers don't go quite far enough with it, and the story is marred by a somewhat confusing climax and ending.  Also disappointingly there are a number of plot threads that are never resolved or acted on, including a brewing romance between an astronaut and the space agency's beautiful security director.

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