The Day After Tomorrow

This was actually for a pilot for a series by Gerry Anderson, around the same time he was making Space 1999. However, the idea was never taken up.

The premise is simple - a family (two men, a woman, a boy and a girl) are sent in the Earth's first faster than light ship to try and establish colonies in other parts of the galaxy. But "Lost in Space" this is not. They never leave the craft as such, but get to witness various scientific wonders, such as collapsing stars etc. There's a lot of exposition, especially from the boy, who seems to be some kind of child prodigy - which helps keep some scientific accuracy.

The characters are not well drawn (Although oddly Brian Blessed's one doesn't bellow or roar once), but this is more about spectacle than plot or characterisation etc. The music though is great, and really adds to the sense of excitement.

There are a few quirks. They never leave the craft as such. And though the craft has a cockpit, it seems to have no "leisure" space, or general living facilities for such a long journey.

There are some memorable scenes such as when "dad" has to fix the drive for the ship, and the finale, and this is well worth looking up. It's difficult to get hold of, but I believe that there are some badly synched copies around the net. I saw it as part of Brian Cox's night on BBC4. This was the first time it was shown on British television since the seventies...

The term 'classic' is often problematic. For some months one television channels used to run a series called CLASSIC EASTENDERS, which basically consisted of a rerun of all the old episodes of the British soap opera. In that case, the term was simply a euphemism for 'old.'

The same could also be said for Gerry Anderson's Seventies sci-fi adventure, that in truth is much less well-known than SPACE 1999 (1975-7). Centering on a space-ship traveling beyond all known boundaries of earth, this series features an Anglo-British cast including Nick Tate, Joanna Dunham, and Martin Lev and Katherine Levy as a pair of rather precocious children with cut-glass British accents. Also involved in the mission is Brian Blessed, giving (for him) an understated performance as the chief engineer/ general factotum. The entire episode is narrated by Ed Bishop, who found radio fame at the same time in the BBC's cycle of Philip Marlowe adaptations.

The story follows a familiar sci-fi path; the family blast off into space, face an impossible danger as they move inexorably towards incineration, escape in the nick of time, and hopefully return to Earth. The only snag is that they do not return ... rather than going to Earth, they are faced with a new peril that they have to deal with in the next episode.

The designs (by Reg Hill) are very Seventies in tone - all white suits, white laminate and computers that need to be fed all the time with information (shades of Audrey in Roger Corman's LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960)). The script - with an uncredited writer - is workmanlike, showing the virtues of the nuclear family and the need for it to stay together as protection against adversity. True to the spirit of the times - especially in Britain - the crew are all white: multiculturalism was not an issue at that time.

It is interesting to note that the director was Charles Crichton, the author of such seminal Ealing comedies as THE LAVENDER HILL MOB (1951). He directs in a competent manner, with a feeling for drama, but the episode as a whole seems rather anonymous, shorn of those little directorial touches - for example, the telling close-up, or the feeling for narrative pace - that distinguished his earlier work. THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW is not exactly bad, but it is hardly distinguished either.

As a fan of Anderson's other live action AND some puppet TV work, this one really stood out as kinda weird! I gather that it was either a pilot for a series or some kind of educational film for children to learn about Einstein (?). Either way, it never went past one episode.

It's kinda like Lost in Space, but also not at all. It centers around a family launched to the farthest points in space with a new fast than light ship.

The family is tied very closely to their technical responsibilities on the ship and never engage in any leisure activity alone or with their family. In fact, no one leaves the bridge except a few brief scenes in the engine room or outside the ship. The effects are decent enough considering the age, but still cheaper than Space: 1999. Clearly Sylvia Anderson was busy working on '99 to help out here. Her costume designs would have helped!

The guy from Space: 1999 (Alan Tate) is the captain. I think he's the father too, but I'm not sure. The other guy is Brian Blessed who seems REAL close to the kids AND the woman. One minute he's calling her "darling" and leaning in close and the next, she's close to Tate! Maybe I missed a brief line explaining things?

The kids are, frankly, annoying. The girl complains a lot and doesn't do much until they need an ace pilot (which she is!). Her brother looks like a dwarf David Hedison with really bad hemorrhoids, and seems wholly unable to act in any other pose besides "painfully serious". He's quite distracting to say the least!

No one gets to battle monsters, aliens or leave the ship. Brian Blessed has never done so little! They come upon facing real death a few times and only the daughter seems upset by this. Everyone else is serious and focusing on their jobs; which, I guess, is what you want people to do in their situation. Still, makes for dull viewing.

Overall, it was interesting AND entertaining, but not for the reasons intended. It is a very interesting artifact from bygone TV days. Despite the director's ability, it felt like they were directing one of Anderson's puppet shows: very stiff and dry.