Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (1969)
Actually released here, it's country of origin as Doppelganger but now better known with the title above. This is a superior slice of science fiction.
The story about the discovery of a planet on the other side of the sun opposite Earth and the manned mission to check it out is beautifully clever if occasionally confusing but still riveting stuff.
It has a strong cast including Roy Thinnes, Patrick Wymark and Ian Hendry, but what makes this stand out for me are the ultra realistic FX and model work from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson in their debut live action production making the film look like a major Hollywood blockbuster rather than what it was - a cheapish British sci-fi thriller.
Archive tv fans might find it fun that Norma Ronald who played Joh Wilder's (Patrick Wymark) secretary throughout classic dramas The Plane Makers and The Power Game also plays his secretary in this.
I've had this on dvd unwatched for a few years and decided to see what it was like last night as a new Blu-ray has recently been released but it doesn't matter as the Universal dvd looks superb anyway.
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