Penny Farthing Episode-HUH?

I'll admit the ending was a bit of a let-down and murky, but here's a quick synopsis of the segment as I understood it.

Timothy inherits many antiques from old relative, among them a penny-farthing and a sepia portrait of "Uncle Albert" (I'm unsure if it's HIS uncle, or someone else's for various reasons -- as in time incongruity). The portrait is somewhat alive, and compels him to ride the penny-farthing which transports him physically and psychically to the turn of the century where he's apparently in some kind of romance with a girl who is the doppelganger of his current girlfriend and partner at the antique shop.

While in the past, Timothy (who is now Uncle Albert despite Albert also being there as a silent, vigilant, living statue) learns from the girl that she dreads he will commit some act that will prevent them from ever being together.

Exhausted, and now in the present, Timothy and his present-time girlfriend try to destroy the penny-farthing. Via telekinesis, Uncle Albert's portrait blocks the girl (Suzy Kendall) from helping Timothy (Peter McEnery) who has thrown an oil lantern at the portrait in an effort to "KILL!" Uncle Albert. The penny-farthing catches fire and Timothy is coerced to ride it one last time, aflame, into the past where he is also on fire. Meanwhile the portrait has killed the current girlfriend with a flying dagger and has itself been incinerated. Timothy returns to the present, burned as the police and firemen barge in. Back in time, Uncle Albert is similarly burned and possibly dead and looking like a charred stone statue while his then-girlfriend screams away.

Timothy insists he killed Uncle Albert but he is institutionalized for having killed his girlfriend, which he did not.

It didn't make a lot of sense, but it was mildly entertaining based on the strength of personality and acting by McEnery and Kendall. The portrait's moving eyes and exaggerated facial expressions were laughable... hopefully intentionally so.

I also had trouble with this one. It was my guess that the disaster his "past girlfriend" foretold was when the man destroys the portrait which destroys his avatar in the past ending their relationship. Perhaps it was supposed to be something cyclic, like when Uncle Albert was burned in the past he used psychic powers in the future to send another back to re live his love, only to be burned by the one he possessed and destroyed in the very same way.

Yes, that was my least favorite story of the movie. The Hawaiian sacrifice story was my favorite, followed by the tree, and the Mr. Tiger one was my third favorite. Penny Farthing was the only one I didn't care for as a matter of fact.

I've been waiting for you, Ben.

I've got a theory about this segment.

As it was originally written, it makes sense.

Uncle Albert made some terrible mistake in the past. He did something to lose his fiancée. So, the ghost of Albert in the picture sends Timothy back to change the past. Timothy succeeds, the mistake is undone, and Albert and his wife live happily ever after.

But the makers of the film decided it was running too long. They needed to cut about 10-15 minutes. They cut off a chunk of the Uncle Albert story, and so they had to insert a hastily rewritten ending.

Sadly, the ending they used makes no sense, for reasons already mentioned.

I'm part way through watching this movie (I'm in the middle of the Joan Collins/tree one) and think it's absolutely dreadful. The Tiger story was predictable, and a damp squib. The tree one, despite the presence of the beautiful 1973 Ms Collins, is almost a satire it's so bad. But the Penny Farthing one, well...

Imagine pitching it: "It's about a guy who rides a stationary penny-farthing bicycle that takes him back in time! Meanwhile a portrait/photo of his Uncle Albert looks alternately angry, malevolent, bemused or self-satisfied. Sometimes Uncle Albert travels back in time too, leaving behind his suit, shirt and tie in the picture!" (1973 executive: "We've got Suzy Kendall? OK, let's make a movie!")

(If it goes to form, the "asylum" will turn out to be Hell and all the patients serving their punishments)