The Flipside of Dominick Hide
The Flipside of Dominick Hide
| 09 December 1980 (USA)
The Flipside of Dominick Hide Trailers

Dominick Hide, a time traveller from the year 2130, is studying the London transport system of 1980. Time travellers are supposed to be observers, and are strictly forbidden to land their flying saucers. One time traveller who broke this rule accidentally killed a dog, changing history and causing many future people to disappear. Inspired by his Great Aunt Mavis, Dominick decides to find his great great grandfather. He begins to land in 1980, where his strange clothes and speech make him seem an eccentric oddball. His quest brings him into contact with beautiful boutique owner Jane, and they fall in love. As Dominick's visits become more frequent and more prolonged, he increasingly risks his indiscretion being discovered by his boss, Caleb Line, and every moment he spends in the past increases the danger that he will catastrophically change the future

Reviews
ColinBaker

This was a delightful time travel play from 1980, beautifully played by the main actors, and including clever references, and even a sly note about attitudes to homosexuality.One person mentioned about making this a film with Jim Carrey. I think that would be a dreadful mistake. For one thing, Peter Firth's Dominick is a bit odd in 1980, rather than the madcap zany character in many of Carrey's roles. Secondly, the whole production is understated, the only music being Beatles music played by a futuristic hologrammatic trio, and an undistinguished theme song.Appropriately, this, together with its less successful follow up, Another Flip for Dominick, is definitely "of its time", and should be left alone, but the BBC should repeat both, and on a mainstream channel rather than BBC4, on which they were recently shown.

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Loose-Cannon

Like some of the other 2006 comments I just watched this on BBC4. I had seen it when it was first shown, and again when it was shown with "Another Flip" (which will be on in a few days as I write this), but as far as I know I haven't seen it since. However, it made enough of an impression that I remembered most of the plot. I watched it with some trepidation; I was 18 in 1980 and I'm a lot more critical now than I was then.However, I found myself still drawn in. It's hard to say why exactly; the plot is not that original and is anyway fairly simple. Also it was obviously made on a shoestring, anyone expecting a Hollywood scifi blockbuster will be sadly disappointed. In the end it's just very well-written and well-acted, at least by the principles, some of the minor characters are a bit less believable. And there are lots of small touches, if you listen carefully to the dialogue and watch the background.I'm not ticking the spoiler box so I won't give the plot away, although this isn't really something for which spoilers are relevant, the pleasure is in the details. Suffice to say that it's basically a somewhat unusual love story, with a lot of humour and some science-fiction elements. As a film it would probably attract the "chick flick" label, but I'm a man and I still like it :)I've given it 8/10 only because, in the end, there isn't that much depth to it, but on its own terms it would rate 10/10.

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Terry-303

I've waited 20 years to watch this again. I couldn't remember the title, or details of the plot.. Something about a time-traveller, an enchanting setting and an important philosophical story. I was about 10 at the time and I only remembered that it (and it's sequel shown a couple of years later) had a great effect on me as a child. I dreamed about it for years and would smile in fond remembrance.Fast forward 20 years and watching it again on BBC4, I was at first disappointed because it had aged so badly, I thought. But eventually this charming story of a man chasing his goals, fighting authority and finding love reminded me exactly why I fell in love with this play for today. It's charm lies not in the sci-fi effects,(blue peter anyone?) but in a very effective, and beautiful acted story. Thank you BBC...

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podin

Just waiting for a release on DVD! Maybe with the sequel?! Let all Sci-Fi fans out there get the possibility to watch this good movie and us who seen it, the possibility to place it on a pedestal or in the bookshelf!

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