User Reviews

I hadn't quite realized when I watched this how much of the original Isaac Asimov novel of The End of Eternity I'd forgotten since I read it as a child. I enjoyed it then, but I wasn't sure how it would hold up for an adult audience. This Soviet adaptation proves that if nothing else it at least films very well indeed. It actually made me wonder why this is the only filmed version as The End of Eternity seems perfectly suited for the screen, with an excellent and original science fiction idea behind the plot, and integral romance, and a theme of rebellion from the main character.

All three of these things are brought across very well, and the other reviewer on this site is right when he uses the word "moody" to describe it. The central setting of "Eternity" is excellently realized -- at the same time as it is futuristic, huge, and imposingly impressive, it is also dank, unsettling, and off-putting. Which is just the right vibe for this place to give off, having as it does exciting power which it is frightening and suffocating in the use of. Even the use of old-fashioned business suits in the futuristic set gives just the right slightly-off feeling.

The character of Harlan is build well through actions rather than words, which is right as he is established not to be an effusive person -- and this makes it the more effective when he rebels. And his falling for Noys is believable despite its quickness for the fact he has been established as having been so reserved an inexperienced.

The the resolution of the theme of Harlan's opposition to corrupt authority -- in which he runs off and decides on uncompromising individuality, is a surprising and powerful one.

Good writing and acting are easy to find here, but it's really most worthwhile as an occasionally out-there but always effective science- fiction mood piece. The musical underscoring is a big part of that, as well as darkened but futuristic sets, unusual camera angles, and more. Credit all round!

First of all- this rare to find Soviet film stands apart from the many others sci fi movies of that time in the USSR. It deals with the idea, that some real people could get immoratlity by means of controlling the time periods inside the special lab-city called "Vechnost". They look like people but they are trained to work for Vechnost forever, as a part of its mechanism. They correct time holes,help people from other time to solve their problems by means of special mind- operating system.

Everyone from Vechnost is immortal and they live in a very futuristic looking like place in the center of time , but some periods of time blocked from them, so two engineers are sent to solve the problem.

As soon as The main character falls in love the operation goes wrong-this causes the destruction of the lab by people from some other time.

The woman turns out to be fake-love, a spy, who was sent to disorganize Vechnost .

Very moody and hypnotic film. I liked it more than "Solaris"

I first read Asimov's The End of Eternity over fifty years ago and have judged it to be the best science fiction story I have ever read. So it was with some trepidation that I watched Konets Vechnosti today. I knew the film was made in 1987, so I anticipated several problems: 1) The characters in the film would fall short of the expectation I had built up over fifty years from the book, which I have read many times; 2) The storyline in the film would be very different to that in the book; 3) The sets would fall short in visual and technical aspects (I mean, I expected relatively crude sets and dated computers, etc, common in seventies films).

As I watched the film, I began to realize that it is a SUPERB realization of the book. The actor playing Harlan fits the bill spot on: not too old, not too young. Superb casting. As for the character of Noys Lambent, which simply has to be a powerfully seductive woman according to the book, the actress playing her is iconic and is exactly as I have ever imagined she would be like. If you read the book, you will know that there has to be somewhat of a mismatch between Harlan and Lambent: he is not overly handsome and is totally inexperienced with women, she is devastatingly attractive and something of a society playgirl. Yet together, in the film, they are exactly matched in some mysterious way, as in the book.

The other actors in the film are very well cast, particularly the Finge character. The Twissell character seems to be less sympathetic in the film as in the book, but I suppose that's because Twissel's own crimes are confessed to in the book, whereas there was none of that in the film.

As for the sets, they were convincing, with a lot of good special effects.I did not think this was a cheap production, but a film with excellent standards alround.

All in all, the film makers have done a superb job here. highly enjoyable and to be recommended.

Spoiler Alert! The only slight quibble I have is with the ending of the film. In the book, Harlan ends up with Noys in the Twentieth century. In the film, he rejects her and walks off down a busy street. This left me wondering whether Noys ever really cared for him or whether she was just playing her part in the great conspiracy of the Hidden Centuries to destroy Eternity.