21 year-old Olivia Newton-John stars in this utterly bonkers Mod-Pop / Sci-Fi musical, newly restored by the BFI and Deaf Crocodile

TOOMORROW, 1970, Screenbound Int'l, 94 min. 21 year-old Olivia Newton-John stars, pre-GREASE fame, in this utterly bonkers Mod-Pop / Sci-Fi musical about a multi-racial group of London art college musicians whose songs are the cure to the computer sterility suffered by the alien Alphoids, circling Earth in their crystal spacecraft. 'It's the only thing Planet Earth can teach us: the vibrations of Youth,' as the androgynous Alphoids, led by veteran British actor Roy Dotrice, tell Olivia & band. A jaw dropping, must-be-seen-to-be-believed combination of 'Josie & The Pussy Cats' and THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, the film is filled with super-groovy Sunshine Pop tunes, student protests and carefree sexual hijinks -- plus aliens. (The Alphoids' glimmering ship is like Superman's Fortress of Solitude on ecstasy, one of the film's highlights.) Directed & written by the great British filmmaker Val Guest (the first two QUATERMASS films, THE DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE) in his most Pop-friendly, CASINO ROYALE-style, TOOMORROW was produced by James Bond 007 co-producer Harry Saltzman and veteran American music impresario Don Kirshner, who were intent on creating another The Archies/The Monkees style sensation. The other band members include guitarist/vocalist Benny Thomas, fringe-jacket wearing drummer Karl Chambers (who played with Philly-area groups like MFSB and Archie Bell & The Drells), and keyboardist Vic Cooper - but it's clearly Newton-John with her irresistible smile, blonde locks and dollybird clothes that's the superstar of the group. (Her slang dialogue of 'Not you, you drongo!' is a great throwaway nod to her Aussie roots.) Released for barely a week on its original 1970 run and unseen for decades, TOOMORROW has been restored by the British Film Institute and Deaf Crocodile from the original 35mm negative for the first time. 'Sure, I dig it. We're too much. We're Toomorrow.'

Bonus Materials

• First ever U.S. release.
• Archival video interview with director/writer Val Guest, conducted by The Guardian newspaper (1998, 60 min.)
• “The Nose Has It” (1942, 8 min.) – delightful WWII propaganda short about the danger of spreading germs, directed by a young Val Guest and starring comedian Arthur Askey.
• “If I Could Turn You On” (1969, 13 mins, dir. Bernard Coyne) – stark experimental film documenting an avant-garde performance at the Camden Roundhouse, one of the locations used in TOOMORROW.
• New audio commentary by author & music historian Andrew Sandoval.
• -“Toomorrow: Musical Humanism Through the Stars” – new visual essay by film critic Celeste de la Cabra (12 min.)
• New visual essay by Someone’s Favorite Productions featuring a 1988 audio interview for the British Entertainment History Project with director Val Guest discussing his work on TOOMORROW, moderated by Roy Fowler (10 min.)

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       Olivia Newton-John
•       Roy Dotrice
•       Benny Thomas
•       Karl Chambers
•       Vic Cooper

Director: Val Guest

Producer: Harry Saltzman

Producer: Don Kirshner

Additional Details

Label: Deaf Crocodile

Genre: Sci Fi/Fantasy

Language: English

Run Time: 94 mins

Region: 1

Release Date: 09/22/26

UPC: 850066568750