Amongst
the followers of UFOs and related phenomena can be found the fairly rare
person who was lucky and successful enough to capture a picture of what is
accepted as an Unidentified Flying Object. An even smaller number managed to
achieve this feat on movie film. All these people covet and proudly display
what is for them a once in a lifetime accomplishment.
However, for Dorothy Izatt of Vancouver this
performance can be duplicated at very regular intervals, and at the time of
writing she has taken 8,250 feet of color film, which represents 105 Super 8
films. This has been acquired during the last three years. At present further
filming seems rather futile as apparently, with a few exceptions, duplication
is the net result.
It is the film images, the circumstances
that surround them, and principally the movie maker, where obviously a closely
woven mystery lies, that I propose to discuss.
If you met Dorothy on the street or in her
home, you would detect little that would provide clues to the fact that she
possesses many unusual qualities. She is a neat, courteous, contained person,
who speaks quietly and convincingly about what she knows. She displays the
conviction of one who has "been there," and if you don't wish to believe what
she tells you, well that's your tough luck because you Missed out, brother. It
quickly becomes apparent that she does not have all the answers to the many
unanswered questions that surround her, and Dorothy constantly seeks the
opinions of others to match and weigh against her own .
Her earliest unusual recollection was when
she was seven years old, was confined with mumps, and saw pictures on the wall
of her room.
In 1952 - at that time she was living in
Hong Kong - she and her husband saw a gold colored object very briefly in the
sky. The very next night the servants came down from the roof in a great state
of agitation, describing the viewing of the same, or a similar object.
Ever since her youth she has experienced
vivid dreams where she was apparently an observer of a vehicle type, that we
refer to as a saucer. Other craft of various sizes were also at this
"airport." The occupants she does not recall as being unusual, by earthly
standards. Other dream sequences she locates as being in Egypt. They were
equally "real." The people she met were dressed in gold, with a leopard on a
leash.
The present sequence of events commenced in
July, 1975, and have continued without interruption ever since. At that time
Dorothy, who is a deeply religious member of the Catholic faith, went to her
room at 4 p.m. to light a candle and meditate, as was her custom. She had an
urge to go to the window as she felt that something was watching. In the sky
was an object that she describes as a "gorgeous diamond." It appeared to be
spinning and began to move in and out of the clouds.
That
same evening she had an urge to go to the window again around 7:30, and this
time saw what she calls the mother ship. She remained watching one hour.
During this time she tried some simple experiments. Taking a flashlight she
waved it up and down, then sideways, then zigzag. The craft responded with
identical movements. This same craft appeared the following two nights. Very
concerned about what she was seeing, Dorothy confided in her son when he came
to visit. This time they both watched the object. He returned the fourth night
with binoculars.
Shortly after this she discovered that whenever "they" were in the vicinity a
beam of light shone into her eyes. She describes it as feeling warm. It also
became apparent that some sort of communication system had been established,
as Dorothy could ask questions and either receive replies or see movement from
the craft she was watching.
One morning at 4:30 she saw 30 small objects
leave the mother ship. Although she phoned the airport and the Vancouver
Province news paper , no other reports were available. The ship she saw on a
regular basis displayed a monitoring device that enabled the operator to see
and hear what was taking place at any particular spot. Dorothy was horrified
by the implications of this device. She was shown various shaped craft that
were used for different purposes.
Some time later when visiting friends and
relating these events to a skeptic who was present, she was successful in
commanding a vehicle to execute certain maneuvers in the sky. Later on in her
home she achieved again, for the same person, a matching display of "command
performance" in the sky.
By this time she was beginning to question
how sound in mind she might actually be. So she phoned a well known radio
personality whose talk shows had dealt with this sort of topic on a number of
previous occasions. She had a lengthy conversation with the producer who
decided to visit her home. As a result of what transpired that night, the
producer stated that the only way anyone was going to believe Dorothy was
seeing what she claimed, was through being able to produce evidence. In the
opinion of the producer, a movie camera might achieve very satisfactory
results.
Sometime previously Dorothy had bought a
movie camera for her husband - a relatively simple instrument, with a load,
aim, shoot principle. It was a Keystone X1 200 and initially the film used was
Ektachrome. Later, for a variety of reasons a change was made to Kodachrome
film.
Success from the word go inspired continued
attempts. Of these many hours of patient nearly all were spent looking south
from a bedroom window that provides an elevation of perhaps 20 feet. This view
will nearly always include in the foreground three or four street lights,
sometimes the neighbor's house lights opposite, and occasionally the moon, or
head lights from cars. When showing any film, Dorothy is always quick to
identify to the viewer these extra lights as they appear.
Altogether,
I personally have viewed eight different films on two occasions. They are
rewarding, but hard to watch for an extended period. The films I saw had been
selected by Dorothy as she felt they contained something of particular visual
value. After seeing them all, I had to agree she was correct. Some of the
images captured are not only impressive but, to put it mildly, rather
extraordinary.
Principally, the projected light sequences
that have been filmed show a dark blue pulsating object, filmed at an unknown
distance but whose elevation could no doubt be estimated from known heights of
familiar objects in the centre foreground.
A similarly shaped red dot executes flight
patterns and pulsations that come close to that of its blue partner.
The star of the show is what the film-maker
refers to as her "golden ball." For sheer spectacle this UFO (if that is what
it is) takes some beating. Not only does it come in close, or so it would
appear, but it radiates energy to such a remarkable extent that I felt
convinced that if I approached the screen I could surely feel the heat that
was being emitted. The energy output is seen as waving hair-like lines that
stand out from this shimmering sphere.
These lights proceed across the screen
generally at a fairly slow pace, pulsating on and off as they go. Sometimes
the red and blue might be seen on the screen together. At other times a light
will appear to elongate as if its intention was to spawn another craft (amoeba
fashion) then change and revert to its original sphere. Another short scene
captures a third object as it passes close to the camera on a horizontal or
vertical plane .
Suddenly the viewer is dazzled by a flash of
light and he/she mentally dismisses this as overexposure for some reason.
Dorothy chuckles and patiently rewinds the film, frame by frame, until on the
screen is the outlined path of the object you were watching proceed at what
seemed to be a snail's pace, a second before. Only on this single frame of
film is captured what can best be described as a lighting-type maneuver, with
each stop, and next movement, then stop again, shown as a necklace of beads
made from light. Always the pattern outlined is complete on the screen. It
never runs off. The majority of the film sequences that I viewed were shot at
night. Those taken by day were in my opinion nowhere near as impressive as the
evening shots.
Other films contain similar "overexposure"
frames, here and there. But incredibly the single frame projected sometimes
contains completely irrelevant material. One such amazing scene appears to be
of a bay or lake, filmed from behind some bushes in the foreground, with a
road of sand and then some buildings leading to a shoreline.
Another scene shows a body of water upon
what appears to be a bridge, dock, wharf or some construction in white. A
finger of land reaches across the background, with the sky above it. All this
is viewed slightly out of focus. It is more impressive on the screen than seen
on a 4x5 still "blow up."
Two separate films show "exposure" frames
that in one case identifies as a domed craft moving past the camera lens in
the right foreground. This solid-looking saucer is outlined in lights of
various colors in the manner of a neon sign.
Then another frame shows what can be best
described as a long row of large boots marching towards the viewer. I am
tempted to compare this image to that of an animated Disney cartoon, or
alternatively to the familiar bumper sticker, where a large pair of upturned
boot soles dominate the sticker, with the distorted owner leaning backwards,
and a message that says, "Keep on Truckin'." Only in this instance, no written
message is discernible.
Yet another movie "still" shows very clearly
the lower extremities of what might be the landing gear of the classic Adamski-type
saucer. Certainly the lower bulges are evident. This shot was taken by someone
from ground level and creates an impression of shining, solid, metallic
immensity. The visual height appears to be at least 20 feet from the ground to
the base of the craft. Conversely, this picture when reproduced as still
blow-ups; shows greater clarity than on the screen.
One other striking peculiarity in this
particular shot is that the UFO depicted is quite obviously rotating slowly,
as the vehicle is seen from four separate angles. The dominant color in this
four-angle shot is gold.
Dorothy quite some time ago asked, "What are
you like?" The answer comes to her in a series of three-dimensional faces that
float in head and shoulder parade through her open bedroom door and across the
ceiling as she attempts to go to sleep. So "real" are they that when above her
bed, she can see up their nostrils. These people are in some cases
Michelangelo ''types''. Others have pointed ears, domed heads, sunken or
bulging eyes. Some are black. She has also witnessed monkeys and platypus in
the parade. Figures crowded in to such an alarming extent that Dorothy asked
that they be removed or reduced in number and proximity. This request was
promptly complied with. But even now the hall light is left on to reduce the
vividness of the faces that appear in the night.
Another impressive phenomenon is the
appearance of the classic saucer-shaped craft (two pie plates on top of each
other) this being viewed '' through'' the bedroom ceiling! A friend interested
in the paranormal suggested that under certain conditions the witness may be
looking into another dimension. He felt that an attempt with a flash camera
might be worthwhile. It was. An image was recorded of a recognizable and
fairly extensive section of a saucer craft.
Similar success has been achieved with
faces. In one, the face of a King Tut-type pharaoh is visible. Dorothy added
that when taking these pictures in her bedroom with flash the whole room is
left, covered with a "frosting" effect that lasts for upwards of two minutes.
This frosting covers everything - walls, ceiling, furniture, etc.
Bedroom images usually appear when the
witness is either dropping off to sleep or waking up from her nightly rest.
She is often able to hear the noise of the craft she sees, describing it as a
high pitched hum or radio noise.
Apparently attempts have been made to
communicate through written messages. Some nights on waking she has viewed
lines of writing that were, to her, indecipherable. First there were
hieroglyphics, then something that resembled Hebrew; then Roman Latin, and
finally English. The print was illuminated by surrounding light and could not
be totally read before it faded away.
This talented and composed lady has spent
several thousand dollars of her own money on recording what she is still
continuing to see. A number of recognized research authorities in the western
world have had access to her carefully recorded films and notes. Theories are
innumerable, answers are few.
Dorothy displays irritation when requests
are forthcoming for further samples of this or that. Her confidence in the
experts' ability to extract a solution is quite obviously shaken. Her religion
is her pillar of strength and her confidence in what is happening to her is
strengthened by the continuing discovery that other people elsewhere have, and
are undergoing wholly or in part, identical experiences. Friends who have seen
what has transpired over the years state that it seems as if some sort of an
educational program is involved.
The recorded images are becoming clearer and
stronger. Only time will tell how far the "instructor" intends to take his
pupil along this unusual path.
COMMENTARY
Dorothy demonstrates talents that fall
within the boundaries of what the investigator would describe as psychic. Of
her own family, for example, her father and all seven girls possess this
ability to varying degrees.
She can demonstrate success in psychometry
and palm reading, is able to see human and plant auras and predict by touch
alone what is on the underside surface of a marked card. She recently
discovered, through casual experiments with her granddaughter's assistance,
that she can detect colors by the warmth that is released from their surface.
The paper used in this was of the cheapest variety.
Astral travel is also a fairly common event
for her. But as with many of these experiences, they are not always
cultivated, nor appreciated when they occur. For instance, a few years ago her
fame for accuracy at palm reading spread at her place of work to such an
extent that associates, including management, were lined up at her desk for
readings. The results were pain, discomfort and depression for her.
One night when in the kitchen making hot
chocolate for her husband, she commented to him upon the beauty and intricacy
of the patterns that circulated within the radio waves when the microwave oven
is turned on. That was the first time she was aware that no one else could see
them but her! In seeking further confirmation of what has been described so
far I am drawn to CUFOR vol. 4, no. 6, where in the Letters section Paul
Montague describes a cylindrical object seen by his mother and aunt while
driving in Richmond, BC on Sept. 24, 1975, at 7:45 p.m. The craft traveled
along just over the tree tops. This sighting occurred only a stone's throw
from where Mrs. Izatt lived at that time. Coincidence?
Opposite to where Mrs. Izatt now lives is a
Dutch couple. The lady of the house arose one morning at 2:30 AM and witnessed
an object hovering over Dorothy's house. She called her husband who also saw
it. The object appeared two nights in a row. A month later a mauve-colored
light (machine?) was again seen hovering. over Dorothy's home, again two
nights in a row. Coincidence?
Postscript July 1996
To date, Dorothy Izzat has taken 350 movies
on 8mm colour film. She has frequently been asked to use other peoples cameras
in an attempt to establish if she can achieve the same results. The answer is
YES.
She recalls using her son's camera, a
polaroid, a cam corder and last but not least, a T.V. camera, belonging to the
film crew of "Unsolved Mysteries". In each of these cases, with other peoples
equipment, Dorothy produced her usual mystifying results.
In 1989, a group of interested technical
people were gathered together to produce a documentary. As a result of their
combined efforts a 48 minute video was created, describing her background and
achievements. Regrettably, due to legal problems, this interesting footage
can not be made available to the public.
At present time a book is is being written
that will present to the public what they clearly wish to know about Dorothy
and her accomplishments. This fact is evidenced by the 600 phone calls and
equal number of letters that arrived after the North American airing of her
interview on the T.V. show "That's Incredible".
Although Dorothy is no longer as active in
her film pursuits, she is however as determined to pass on the message that
she perceives is being made available. To those researchers in all fields of
enquiry, she hopes they will bring the same zeal to bear, that she has
demonstrated in the past 25 years.
Graham Conway, July 1996
UFO*BC HOMEPAGE