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Very disappointing...

Just perfect...

best movie i've ever seen.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I watched this film having stumbled upon it quite by accident in a late night TV broadcast. I was somewhat captivated. It is that rare thing, a Sci-Fi film which is based on a well-written short story, where the changes to the plot arguably improve the story in the film, and (tacky) special effects are largely absent.One can only wonder if the 1970 film 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' spurred the makers of this film; parts of the plot have similar aspects; one can only imagine the discussions in script meetings as to whether the audience 'will get it' or not, with both films.Good sci-fi (and indeed good film-making in general) requires a suspension of disbelief; special effects are not required for this to happen, and indeed things that are suggested but not seen on-screen overtly can be just as powerful in the mind of the viewer. In extremis, as one child reputedly put it; 'I love the radio, because the pictures are better'.I think the makers of this film knew that and perhaps didn't have the budget to do otherwise. Anyway, the result is intriguing and rather good.The 'alternate plane' is portrayed as a coherent and believable place, in which war has not forced the pace of technological development, and (in a note that must have chimed with those suffering raging inflation in the early 1970s), prices have not risen at high speed and we were still using pounds shillings and pence instead of decimal coinage.Those with an interest in that period will note the things that were chosen to draw contrast to the 'modern now' of our plane as opposed to the alternate plane; Tom Bell drives a Jag XJ6, and Joan Collins drives a mini Clubman; both recently launched models. Bell's flat is decorated in bright orange circular motifs (ah, the '70s !!!) and is littered with electrical gadgets; Joan Collin's house is all new in the 1970s style too! Joan Collins rated this film as one of the three best performances she ever gave and I think she was right; she is rather wonderful in this film, and elevates it above the mundane with her performance. However she counted 'Dynasty' in her top three, so I'd put this in her top two.

Based on the 1954 short story "Random Quest" by John Wyndham, this is one of the few screen adaptations which I thought was better than the original work. The short story and the film follow the same basic storyline: due to a failed experiment, a physicist named Colin Trafford is sent to a parallel universe where World War II never happened and his counterpart is a successful author and complete bastard with a beautiful wife named Ottilie Harsham, with whom he falls in love almost immediately. "Random Quest" is a good story and has some fascinating ideas but, at 43 pages, it was too short to fully explore the potential of the material. Wyndham could have easily gotten a full novel out of the idea. Ottilie only makes a brief appearance in the story, meaning that it is hard to get involved with Colin's search for her once he returns to his own universe. The film, however, rectifies these problems.The lead roles are played by Tom Bell and Joan Collins. As the initially mystified Colin, Bell gives an excellent, understated performance. He is occasionally prone to angry outbursts but he is a good and decent man whom you care about more and more as the film progresses. Joan Collins is simply marvellous as Ottilie, playing the role of a neglected, emotionally abused woman to perfection. When she realises that Colin is not her husband, Ottilie experiences true happiness for the first time since her marriage and Collins is wonderful in these scenes as well. I have never seen her give a better performance. The film has two extremely strong supporting cast members in Denholm Elliott and Laurence Naismith and it also features nice but fairly small appearances from Ray McAnally, Juliet Harmer, Simon Ward, Sam Kydd and Bernard Horsfall.The screenplay is written by Terence Feely, who is probably best known for his work on numerous cult TV series of the 1960s and 1970s. As he wrote two of my favourite episodes of "The Prisoner" ("The Schizoid Man" and "The Girl Who Was Death"), my hopes were high and the film did not disappoint. He was able to flesh out Wyndham's characters considerably. Colin and Ottilie feel like real people throughout. Colin's characterisation is particularly good as the differences and similarities between him and his unseen counterpart are well illustrated. Giving Ottilie a fatal heart condition was a brilliant idea on Feely's part as it gave Colin's search for her counterpart in his own universe a greater sense of urgency and a greater moral dimension than existed in the short story. It also served to make her even more unattainable and eliminated the problem of her once again being the victim of her husband's emotional abuse once the two Colins switched back, something which undermined the short story's happy ending. All of these changes are to the benefit of the film.On the sci-fi side, Feely not only incorporated some of Wyndham's ideas about the differences between the two universes such as nuclear fission being still only theoretical and the League of Nations still existing but included some of his own such as JFK being alive and the new Secretary-General of the League of Nations, heart transplants being unknown to medical science, abortion still being illegal throughout the UK, televisions being more primitive, Mount Everest still being unconquered and - my personal favourite - Leslie Howard still being alive and still acting into his old age. These are fascinating little touches, many of which are Feely's subtle way of acknowledging the technological and social progress which followed World War II in reality. Furthermore, the film is extremely well directed by Ralph Thomas, the elder brother of "Carry On" director Gerald Thomas.Overall, this is a wonderful, understated sci-fi love story which reminded me of "Somewhere in Time", my tenth favourite film of all time.

Considering the budget, Quest for Love is a remarkable accomplishment. Based on the SF short story "Random Quest" the story follows nuclear physicist Colin Trafford, who is thrust into an alternate reality during a scientific experiment. Trafford finds he has stepped into a world where his counterpart has taken a different path in life and is a respected playwright with a myriad of problems including drinking and womanizing. The scientist, who has led a solitary life is shocked to discover he now has a wife, Ottilie, played by a very effective Joan Collins (who made a very wise decision to accept this role). Their rocky relationship is at the heart of this film. Does Trafford really want to return to his world...or must he? One of the interesting things is there appears to be some sort of edit done about two thirds through that makes a certain transition event confusing, but in no way effects the story. It's just, I would love to see the screenwriter's full intentions for this scene. Quest for Love benefits from fine performances by Colins and Tom Bell as Colin Trafford with good support from Denholm Elliott. Several well known performers, early in their careers, turn up in party scenes. Also of note is the wonderful musical score by Eric Rogers and especially the haunting 'Ottilie' theme by Peter Rogers. If it's on, don't miss it. You won't be sorry! 10/10

An English Physicist (Tom Bell), testing an experimental nuclear accelerator, is transported across a parallel universe into a more peaceful but less technically advanced world. The staid physicist discovers that, in this world, he is a morally decadent playwright; and, more importantly, the physicist meets the woman of his dreams: his wife! (Joan Collins) The physicist immediately sets out to win back the affections of his wife; and, when he returns to our universe, to locate her again.The performances are uniformly excellent. Joan Collins is one of the few actresses who plays "saints" and "vixens" with equal aplomb. Special kudos to Tom Bell for being convincingly "smitten" without being sappy.Ironically, the film is least convincing in "our universe." The initial exposition is hurried, as are the closing sequences of the film. Considering the largely excellent writing (story credited to John Wyndham), the most likely explanation is a rushed shooting schedule, due to budget constraints. This is also apparent with the music, which seems to belong in a different movie.The lack of special effects actually embellishes the story, until the physicist's "return." This occurs with no forshadowing, and seems more a plot device than an integral part of the tale. Effects would have gone a long way toward covering the holes in the story. (i.e., Why is a scientist so convinced what happened to him was real? Since HE was so different in the parallel world, why doesn't he fear SHE will be different?)Still, with the imaginative writing and excellent performances make this worthy viewing, IF you can find it.