The Final Programme

The only cinematic outing for Michael Moorcock's 'James Bond of the Counter Culture', Jerry Cornelius, The Final Programme (known as The Last Days of Man on Earth for its US release), is an adaptation of Moorcock's first Cornelius novel, published in 1969, (although having previously been serialised in New Worlds science fiction magazine c1965-66).  Sadly, by the time it appeared in 1973, the counter culture party was effectively over.  That said, the visions of an apocalyptic world, slowly grinding to a halt presented in this trailer, must have struck a chord in 1973 Britain, with its power cuts, fuel rationing and industrial unrest.  Nevertheless, the film was a commercial failure and remains extremely difficult to see - as far as I am aware, there is currently no official DVD release and the only TV showing I can recall was late one Sunday night on BBC2 in the late seventies.  Consequently, my memories of the movie itself are extremely hazy.  However, if you want an in-depth analysis and critique of it, a pretty good one can be found here at Breakfast in The Ruins (an excellent blog you should read regardless).

Director Robert Fuest is probably best remembered for the Dr Phibes films with Vincent Price and various episodes of The Avengers, although he also directed an odd early 1970s film adaptation of Wuthering Heights for AIP, as part of the drive-in specialists attempts to seem more 'legit'. His bold visual style undoubtedly made him seem like an ideal choice for this project, but, judging by this trailer, it never seems to get to grips with Moorcock's literary ideas.  The film's lead, Jon Finch, died earlier this year and should, arguably, have been a much bigger star, but, by his own admission, just couldn't be arsed.  A man after my own heart.  So there you have it, another obscure random movie trailer.

[I've subsequently discovered that there is to be a UK DVD release in October this year].