Journey to the Far Side of the Sun

Directed by Robert Parrish. Starring Roy Thinnes, Ian Hendry, Patrick Wymark, Lynn Loring, Herbert Lom PG cert

****

Few people have given children - and sensible adults - more pleasure than the great producer, writer and puppeteer Gerry Anderson. Over three decades, series such as Thunderbirds, Stingrayand Joe 90demonstrated that it is possible to produce big stories using the smallest objects.

It would, therefore, be pleasing to relate that Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, Anderson's 1969 venture into live-action, is an unalloyed classic. As it happens, the film is not quite that extraordinary, but viewers of this first Region Two DVD release will experience an agreeably spooky story, disconcertingly groovy costumes, and a genuinely heartbreaking denouement.

Directed by Robert Parrish, a veteran of The Twilight Zone, the picture follows a crew of astronauts as they travel round the sun and encounter a planet that appears to be the mirror image of our own.

Sadly, the film, heavily influenced by 2001, did not register with critics or audiences, and Gerry was sent back to TV. It's a shame that he didn't get to follow up on this promising gem, but kids were treated to further small-screen extravaganzas such as UFO. So that's all right then.