h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'Fragile' - the Opening Credits and Film - A88049884
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

A film I saw.

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Wow - that is fascinating indeed... Very strange to pick the Isle of Wight as the location when they weren't going to go there for filming (apart from that fantastical ferry trip!) so it was the opposite of a selling point, as you say... The problem could have been solved by choosing a fictional island for the location of their fictional hospital...

"a sad backstory which involves the heavy use of sad music while she stares at lonely coathangers" -

"As the hospital is closing all the phones have been disconnected (apart from in the scene in which this detail has been forgotten)" -

"At least the film doesn't feature the Koan." -

That lift reminds me of a lift I encountered recently - whenever I wanted to go up from ground level to floor 1 or 2, it took me down to the basement first - spooky indeed

Great analysis of the ferry sequence at 2022 prices Even at 2005 prices it would have cost a bob or two... How do you reckon it was actually filmed? Stock footage of the Wightlink Portsmouth to Fishbourne? I guess they could have done filming on Red Osprey, then filming the meeting with Roy, then they had a nice drive around between ferry terminals, then filming the return journey as if it were the outward journey!

It could well be stock footage, or they might have thought to themselves,
'We've spent a lot of money on hiring this here helicopter for an hour or two, so we're gonna get our money's worth and film every ferry we can see crossing the Solent and bung as much of the footage into the opening credits scene as possible'.

I don't even know if the actors were in the car that is filmed driving along the pier and along the Military Road - they could have just filmed some generic looking car for a bit and said, 'we'll add voice-over dialogue later to imply that they're in there'.
There are scenes set in the car but when they are driving down the pier so surrounded by water, the scenes out the window show countryside. I rewatched the opening credits and spotted Fawley Oil Refinery for a second set just before Cowes and the lighting levels is all over the place (sometimes vehicles have their headlights on, the next second they don't).

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Ah Good point that the actors were probably not in the car for the exterior driving scenes. Well spotted about the countryside being seen through the car window when they're supposedly on the pier That also makes sense about the helicopter filming every ferry