Beyond and Back

I saw "Beyond and Back" only once -- in May 1978 during its initial theatrical run. But the film proved to be a lifesaver -- literally.

It saved my life. I went to see it at a time when I was very lonely and despondent and was contemplating suicide. I was 25 years old at the time and was depressed over what at that time had been an inability to find love in my life -- that is, the love of a companion, having fallen in love with someone fir the first time in my life, only for that love to go unrequited.

I won't spoil it for those who have never seen "Beyond and Back," but suffice it to say, it convinced me that suicide is not a viable option.

Ironically, I recently saw a clip of "Beyond and Back" on YouTube exactly 30 years to the day after I saw it in the theater. It's really cheeky by today's production standards, but it's still worth watching, even if only as a vintage 1970s period film.

Beyond and Back is one of the few movies that impacted me for years to come. I saw it with my mother back in 1978 or 1979 at a local theater. Since that time I have had an enormous desire to see it again. Unfortunately the producer of the film, Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. became defunct shortly after several of its top managers left to the expanding Tri-Star Pictures. Recently however, several of the original management members reacquired Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. and are in the process of redeveloping the company so there is a possibility that this movie will return on VHS or DVD. I recently contacted Sunn Classic Pictures Inc. to try and find out if the possibility is a real one.

It was only 14 years old the last time I saw this movie almost 25 years ago, but as I mentioned it made a bigger impact on my than any other movie I have ever seen, even to the point of encouraging me to try and obtain a copy now as an adult.

The movie as others have mentioned in their reviews was somewhat of a documentary with interviews of people who claimed to have died and then come back from the dead. The movie took the stories and then reproduced them into visual representations of what occurred and how the experience would have been observed from a first hand perspective.

One scene I can still recall is of a younger man who had died in the hospital and then while dead left his body thinking he was alive and o.k. only to look back and see his body dead on his hospital bed. After walking around the hospital out of his body he eventually ends up returning to his body at which point life returns to his body.

Some reviewers have said the movie is to long. Personally I don't recall the overall length of the film, I only that in many ways this movie helped reaffirm my beliefs in life after death regardless of whether one ultimately ends up in heaven or hell.

This movie primarily tries to take you on a journey with the question of whether life ultimately ends when the physical body dies. Those who have seen this movie or may see this movie in the future and who enjoy it may also be interested in the books by Mary K. Baxter called an "A Divine Revelation of Hell", "A Divine Revelation of Heaven", or "A Divine Revelation of the Spirit Realm".

I remember Sunn Classic Films quite well. Actually I was in Beyond and Back, and would like to know if there is any way to get a copy of it. Sunn Classic Films' documentaries were quite good for their time (the 70s). The Lincoln Conspiracy was my favorite.

Brad Crandall returns as presenter/host once again, (most suitable he is too, great booming voice!) this time making his entrance in an eerie cemetery, before telling us about the near-death experiences of several people, shown here in re-enactments.

A Schick Sunn Films docudrama, one of many made in the 1970's, is surprisingly eerie and even moving in places, though exactly how much research was done to verify these people's claims is debatable. Some of this is undeniably hokey, even amateurish, but it has a sincerity about it that won me over, not to mention it creates a nice eerie mood.

Some reviewers even claim it prevented them from killing themselves, thus inspiring them to not give up on life, which is wonderful.

Only available on a rare VHS, and based on a book by Ralph Wilkerson, it deserves an HD release, but for now can be found on YouTube.

I was only a 4 year old when the movie came out. I was curious about a few things. Death is a scary thing. It has a choice to be pleasant or painful. Hearing reports of people who have seen Jesus is one thing that it's pleasant. A painful death is painful caused by the person's act of selfishness. When a person commits suicide, they would see their lives flashed before their eyes. The woman who ran off the road got a second chance. Don't throw your life away over unfaithfulness. Move on, find a faithful companion. And the ones who had died naturally or unnaturally, got the experience of it and found it was pleasant. Before the show "1000 Ways to Die", this movie was a bit of a reminder to respect your life and don't be foolish. Too many people are obsessed with death, and they are the ones who will get the painful results. This movie is a major keeper for me. I'm fortunate to see it and learn how to understand life, and respect it. 5 stars!