SYNOPSICS
Idaho Transfer (1973) is a English movie. Peter Fonda has directed this movie. Kelly Bohanon,Kevin Hearst,Caroline Hildebrand,Keith Carradine are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1973. Idaho Transfer (1973) is considered one of the best Sci-Fi movie in India and around the world.
During a time of waning global resources, a crew of young researchers travel into the future to escape an apocalypse before the shutdown of their time transfer project. They find that some type of disaster has de-populated the Idaho region and, by implication, the nation or perhaps the world. Facing an unknown, barren future of abandoned towns and deserted vehicles; void of radio signals or any signs of air or land traffic, they encounter an abandoned freight train filled with bagged bodies. Their further discoveries of humanity's future fate is somewhat less than rosy. They also learn their time travel was not without significant costs to their own health. After one of the group travels further into the future, she encounters a family in a futuristic automobile; implying humankind has recovered from the disaster (or have they?)
Same Director
Idaho Transfer (1973) Reviews
Traveling through time in an air conditioning unit.
Creepy. Different. And rarely viewed in public. In fact, most Peter Fonda buffs won't even know it exists. I have many books on the genre with no mention of this film anywhere. Mr. Fonda constructs a distinct bird's nest view on the end-of-the-world branch of "hippy" cinema. Don't look for impressive acting work--you will not find it here. Keith Carradine has a small taste of screen time but shows nothing. The unusual setting (Idaho?) fairs better. We are shown jagged terrain, colorful rainbows, barren wastelands and frozen mountains. You half expect the gods to explode a volcano and rain down all types of debris. Otherworldly. This dark zone--from a world of tomorrow--is shifty. And the exact time is never etched in granite. The transfer station is a time portal to the far-off future. Bare bones special effects (the time-travel device looks like a cooling unit flipped over on to its belly) work well in conveying the long trek through time. The ending is so bleak and perverted in its resolution that you may need to rub your eyes and seek out counseling. There is one sequence involving a futuristic teenager that I found shocking. She is planted in the backseat of a modern sedan, parents in front, twirling a screwdriver, unaware of its practical use. It has the name "Great Neck" floating in its gold plastic handle. Her verbal cadence is detached and spooky. You will not be able to erase this image and her words from your mind. I promise.
Like a haunting dream
I saw this movie many years ago completely by mistake (the video store had got it mixed up with another film called Deranged) and it has haunted me ever since. After years of searching for a copy I finally located it on Ebay. On watching it again I was surprised to find it had lost none of its hypnotic power. I was also surprised to find it was directed by Peter Fonda. The story concerns a group of youngsters who go into the future to study the earth, post apocalypse. A number of incidents result in them getting stuck in the future, left with the notion of restarting civilisation. The film itself is unbelievably stark in its presentation, this is mainly due to the restrictions of a clearly minuscule budget (the sets in their entirety include a road, a corridor, a room and a desert plain). There is very little warmth from the story, sets or characters, the script is fairly cheesy and the special effects are pretty poor. Despite of this the film someone creates a hold over you. Despite its flaws I never once considered turning it off, I sat, hypnotised as the scenes unfolded. Ever had a dream from which you've woken up slightly troubled, though you're not sure why? This is the film version of one of those dreams. It's hard to explain in writing. If you ever come across a copy of this film I urge you to see it. You may not like it but I guarantee you'll not forget it too soon. and I've not even mentioned the ending...!
A cross between a mess and a masterpiece!
"Idaho Transfer" takes an extraordinary premise and places it in a nonchalant story line. Almost everything seems pedestrian and laid-back, as if time travel could be as common and ordinary as hopping on the log flume at Six Flags. The dialogue is so "wild" and "far out" that one can feel one's self transported back to 1973 (the year Peter Fonda directed this cult classic) -- I could sense my hair follicles growing longer as I watched the film. Yet, this is a movie about people traveling into the future. "Idaho Transfer" is riveting because it is filled with unpredictable and unexpected moments. It is a cross between an idiotic mess and a brilliant masterpiece (a veritable vision). Personally, I thought it was one of the most realistic time travel flicks I have seen. I give it high praise for bringing believability to the time travel concept. The time machine itself was designed by scientists and created in a realistic-looking laboratory environment. Traveling through time in said machine was not "smooth sailing" -- there were bugs in the machinery (it was the '73 Chevy Nova of time machines), but bugs there SHOULD be in such a complex machine! Fascinating is the quick transformation from advanced civilization to the primal lava/desert future. Intense was the ending, with a final few minutes so much more exciting and interesting than the ending to a low budget flick has a right to be. The final scene brings the whole idiotic mess/brilliant vision together in a way that nobody could possibly expect. Then, just when you wonder if the ending is one of the stupidest you've ever seen to a film, you give it a second thought and realize -- "Hey, what a 'wild' and 'far out' ending! We've not come too far since caveman days, and we've not too far to go to get to the point where we will think that 1973 was prehistoric times." Maybe we are already at that point? When I sat myself down to watch "Idaho Transfer" my expectations were very low -- I expected to be left with an empty feeling. This film far exceeded my expectations and was literally fueled with dynamism right up to the bitter end.
Clearing up confusion
Don't read this if you don't want to know the ending punch line of the film. You shouldn't read public reviews if you are touchy about spoilers. This review endeavors to answer a few questions about the movie details & ending. All of the following details were included in the dialogue, so this is not conjecture. This movie requires close attention to the dialogue to catch the explanations & back stories. You can't play on the internet, text or have noise distractions during the movie without missing subtle details. Although it has bland scenery and a slow pace, I found the ending quite haunting. It has one of the most unusual endings I've ever seen. Some reviewers seem to be confused by the ending. Apparently, a few didn't catch on. There was no "lack of food" or "cannibalism" theme in this movie as a few stated. It was a lack of "FUEL" for their vehicles (which had been modified to use "people" for fuel). If you remember the earlier dialogue, the time travelers described finding groups of mentally challenged, deaf and otherwise handicapped survivors in the future who mostly lived wild, grubbing for potatoes, roots and anything else they could find. They were simple-minded and childlike but friendly. In fact, the group had brought along one of these simple-minded girls they found during their trek. These future simple-minded survivors were the sources of fuel being used by the elite future humans who tucked them inside the modified trunk (boot) of their car which converted them into fuel. Hence the scream when the car started. The child expressed concerned about what would they use for fuel when they ran out of the simpleminded or if they would then use each other (the elite) for fuel. The parents assured their child that since they had "just put one in, it would be quite a while until they would need another." (referring to the person they had just placed into the vehicle fuel compartment located in the trunk.) Other areas of confusion in reviews were: How far in the future: It was stated as 56 years (from 1973 when it was filmed or 2029). However, at the end, Karen adjusted the machine date settings prior to escaping her pursuers. When she emerged the last time, Arthur's body had completely decomposed; campsite gone; flagpole broken & the metal drink containers seriously eroded. Probably around the year 2100 at the end. Government knowledge: They repeatedly mentioned the government was not informed of the time differential achieved by their project and only knew about the point to point material transference (without time travel.) However, having witnessed Karen's transference, they would have investigated further. Removal of pants: They could not have any metal or heavy clothing on during transfer. Pants contain zippers, buttons, snaps, etc. No metal dental work. All metal items were stored in the material transfer compartment. Thin shirts and underwear were OK to wear during transfer. No nudity or revealing scenes. No older time travelers: Over the age of 20, suffered from bleeding kidneys and died a few days later. This was the fate of Louis. The screwdriver: When Karen escaped her pursuers, she had taken the screwdriver into the future with her (as a tool & weapon). It was in her possession when the family found her. The child looking at the screwdriver expressed concerns whether the girl was actually one of the simple-minded used for fuel. Reproduction: The group learned that they were all sterile from the time transfer and informed Karen she could not be pregnant. In disbelief, she returned to the transfer point to inform Arthur of her perceived pregnancy by him. Train: Ronald told Karen it was full of body bags presumably from the coastal region. Apocalypse: When Isa drove Karen to see the lava beds, Isa mentioned they had traveled to other Idaho towns and found them abandoned. Also, no radio signals or air traffic and the project building torn down in the future. Lava field: The lava field existed in both timelines but a physical displacement of 11 miles into the lava fields between timelines. Only the location varied. Karen's sister drove her to see the lava field in the present just before they gave the hitchhikers a ride. (the only hippies or hippie talk. Less than 1 minute of film.) Ecology: No reference during the movie. There was only a vague mention of a calamity which decimated the population. Nuclear was a possible theory. The only real reference to shortages was the final scene where humans became the source of fuel for vehicles. Deteriorating mentality: One reviewer suggested possible contaminants caused the simpleminded future inhabitants & may have afflicted Leslie & Karen. Leslie was also panicked at being trapped when she flipped. A lava bed is no place to find sustenance when supplies ran out. Karen also spent time in a clinic where she was raped. Plus her concussion and no food or water. Multiple time transfers could also be a factor. Trapped: Many reviewers referenced the group trapped in the future. Yet, they were planning to stay in the future from the onset to escape the apocalypse. They were stocking & planning to bring more people. They rushed back in to escape as the Feds were shutting them down. They were escaping a holocaust & planning to restore the future. They did not know about their sterility until the very end. Leslie was the only one who changed her mind. Regarding bad DVD copies: You can obtain a very clean DVD copy of this movie in one of those 100 sci-fi classic DVD movie packs on Amazon for very cheap. Be sure to check the list of movies on the movie pack to ensure you chose the correct set. There are several similar movie pack collections.
Swiftean Satire, a cautionary, if wildly speculative tale
I haven't seen this film since it was first released, but can remember being particularly impressed by what a fine example it was of low budget, higher than average concept sci-fi. Not unlike an extend above the norm Twilight Zone episode, there were no stunning sets, or even matte paintings as I can recall, but very effective use of location at the Mountains of the Moon National Monument in Idaho---why hasn't anybody shot anything else there since? Briefly the story revolves around a group of student scientists who have developed a time travel portal which delivers them to the same locale some few decades in the future. Discoveries are made, things happen, etc.; of necessity I can tell you little more without spoiling, what other reviewers rightfully refer to as the "punch line". I'd say it was positively Swiftean in its social satire as the best science fiction often is. Idaho Transfer is a wry, tragic, amusing, horrific, cautionary little tale somewhere between the much-upon-us worthiness of "Silent Running", and the full-blown apocalyptic satire of "A Boy and His Dog", and certainly deserving of the same cult status. It is also, I believe, Peter Fonda's directorial debut, and would be of interest to his fans for that reason alone.