kevin olzak
Based on the John Wyndham story "Random Quest," and being the third and last Wyndham adaptation, following 1960's "Village of the Damned" and 1962's "The Day of the Triffids," this feature apparently tries to downplay its sci-fi origins, as its new title is a more fitting description considering how it plays out. A parallel universe where World War 2 never happened, Leslie Howard still lived in 1971, and John F. Kennedy went from the Presidency to heading up the UN. My initial disappointment in Tom Bell was quashed by repeat viewings, definitely far superior to Christopher Reeve's curiously unmoving "Somewhere in Time" (1980), whose time travel hook was poorly executed and never credible. While I certainly adored Jane Seymour in that film, she never had a real character to portray, unlike Joan Collins, who here gets to play a soft, romantic woman, as she was quite busy doing horror films then that cast her in typical bitchy roles that predated DYNASTY. This proved to be a nice change of pace, a kind of Gene Tierney as Laura that one man becomes obsessed with, but in a much simpler, more acceptable way. Joan was also seen to great advantage in "Revenge" (1971), which saw release under several other titles, including "Behind the Cellar Door" and "Inn of the Frightened People" (this one aired twice on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater).
ybeer
Sweet movie involving love and time travel (or a parallel universe created by time travel. Joan Collins sort of reprises her Edith Keeler role (Star Trek's acclaimed The City on Edge of Forever episode), and once again must die (though not to save history - it's just her sad lot). In this story, however, there is a consolation prize for the hero (and vicariously for the viewers) in that her other-world (our world) version is just as sweet and, thanks to our hero, does not have to suffer the same fate.The movie runtime is under 1.5 hours, so why my summary Longest Movie ever? I saw this movie on TV I believe around 1989 or 1990. I liked it and wanted to show it to my wife and both our parents, so I set the VCR to record another showing of it which was set for 1:30am. When the opportunity arose, I sat them all to watch it when, about an hour into the movie it abruptly stopped - the recording had failed for some reason! I felt awful to subject them to that, leaving them in suspense / cliffhanger, so I promised to rerecord it and resume the showing ASAP.Well, I was not able to find it on TV, movie rental stores, or (later) the internet - until this week. And so, yesterday, after 20 years, I sat down my wife and the surviving 3 parents to (watch it from the start and) finally conclude the movie.What a relief!!
Infofreak
'Quest For Love' is an interesting oddity - a romance set in a parallel world. I haven't read the Wyndham story it's based on so I don't know how faithful it is, but it's an entertaining little movie with some nice performances. Tom Bell plays a physicist who suddenly finds himself in an alternate England after a scientific experiment. He learns that WW2 never happened, man never landed on the moon,etc. but the differences in this other England are never explored and mean little to plot. The focus is on Bell's relationship with Joan Collins. In his own world Bell is single and a scientist, in this other world he is a successful writer and married to Collins who despises him. Bell immediately falls in love with his "wife" and tries to convince her that he isn't who she thinks he is. Both Bell and Collins give good performances, and Collins looks absolutely lovely. Denholm Elliott appears in both worlds, one as his friend, in the other he loathes him. I assume the budget of this movie was modest. There are no special effects and it's almost like an episode of TV fantasy anthology. Even so I enjoyed it for what it was. If you want to watch a slightly earlier British movie with a similar premise try and see 'Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun' a.k.a. 'Doppelganger'. It however isn't a romance and is much bleaker. It's the stronger of the two movies but 'Quest For Love' is still worth watching, especially if you're a romantic.
fletch5
I caught this on a local movie channel thinking it would be pretty hokey, but I found myself completely captivated to this fascinating science fiction romance. Joan Collins gives an unexpectedly delicate performance devoid of her usually campy mannerisms, and competent actors like Denholm Elliott appear in supporting roles. Although the ending does seem a bit abrupt, it's not bad enough to leave a negative impression.
AD
