'A FOR ANDROMEDA is an example of what could be called conceptual science fiction', says producer Alison Willett in the 'extras' of the DVD of this film. She hoped the BBC would commission more of that, but it did not. They declined for instance to remake the sequel. This film was made in ten days on a low budget, but the result overcame those limitations. The casting was inspired. Jane Asher was superb as the woman professor, perfectly underplaying the role to make it more effective. And the irresistible Kelly Reilly plays both the young mathematician and her double, the space girl Andromeda. She has a way of mesmerising viewers, which was just what was needed. I have read some of the other reviews of this film and was shocked that some of them seem to have been so disappointed to see a thinker's rather than a thrill-seeker's sci fi movie. There are no exploding cars, machine guns, colliding stars, grey aliens, or terrifying ogres in this film, not even a single spaceship. When the initial TV series of this story was broadcast in 1961 (see my review), it caused a nationwide sensation in the UK. The astronomer and astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle's concept of a radio signal from another galaxy transmitting a code for the creation of an alien being blew the collective minds of the public. The usual BBC idiots wiped most of that series and only one whole episode, part of the final episode, and a few scattered fragments survived; a book of the story followed. The next year the sequel story was transmitted as ANDROMEDA BEAKTHROUGH (1962, see my review, as this series does survive in its entirety), and the book of that followed in 1965. The first series introduced the beautiful Julie Christie as the alien girl Andromeda; she did not yet know how to act, but everyone was dazzled by her looks. She was unavailable for the sequel, so the girl alien was played by Susan Hampshire. (I got to know her in the following year but she never once mentioned her recent adventure as a space creature.) To return to the newer film, another key ingredient was the well-measured and low key performance by Tom Hardy as the brilliant young scientist, who is the only one who can work the computer built according to the specifications of the signal. The film was excellently directed by John Strickland. The film is also a love story. And of course there is also some spying, an irate general, and an underground bunker. It all works, whatever some soreheads may claim. I knew Fred Hoyle pretty well. He shook the world up with his first science fiction novel, THE BLACK CLOUD (1957), which has suddenly become more relevant again in a surprising way. It needs to be pointed out that many of the aspects of A FOR ANDROMEDA have also become surprisingly relevant at the moment. I have no space to elaborate on this. But it all goes to show that Fred was decades ahead of his time in just about everything. And, by the way, there was no Big Bang. Fred was right about that too. The time is coming when everyone will be forced to admit it, no matter how much of a blow to their pride it may be to do so. Geniuses like Fred do not come along often enough.
