Somewhere in Time (film)
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| Somewhere in Time | |
|---|---|
| Image:Somewhere sheetr.jpg original movie poster | |
| Directed by | Jeannot Szwarc |
| Written by | Richard Matheson |
| Starring | Christopher Reeve Jane Seymour Christopher Plummer |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Isidore Mankofsky |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 1980 |
| Running time | 103 min |
| IMDb profile | |
- This article is about the 1980 film. For the Iron Maiden album, see Somewhere in Time (album).
Somewhere in Time is a 1980 time travel romance film directed by Jeannot Szwarc, written by Richard Matheson and starring Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, Christopher Plummer, and Teresa Wright. Although this movie was well received during its previews, it was ruthlessly trashed by the critics upon release and was unsuccessful at the box office. It has earned a large and loyal following since its release to cable television and video, and the movie is now regarded by many to be a cult classic.
Reeve plays Richard Collier, a playwright who falls in love with a photograph of a young woman at The Grand Hotel. Through self-hypnosis he travels back in time to the year 1912 to find love with actress Elise McKenna (portrayed by Seymour).
The film is adapted from the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by science fiction writer Richard Matheson, which was subsequently re-released under the film's title. The film is known for its beautiful musical score, composed by John Barry. In addition to Barry's score, the eighteenth variation of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini runs throughout the film.
[edit] Awards
Somewhere in Time has received several awards, including:
The film was also nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.
[edit] Trivia
- The film was shot at the Grand Hotel, on Michigan's Mackinac Island. The hotel hosts an annual convention for fans of the film.
- Richard Matheson, who wrote the original novel and screenplay, appears in a cameo role as an astonished 1912 hotel guest. The cause of his astonishment is apparently Richard's face after cutting himself shaving with a straight-razor.
- In 1990, Somewhere in Time fan Bill Shepard founded International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts (INSITE), to "Honor the film, and those responsible for its creation, to Inform members about all aspects of it and enhance their appreciation of it, as well as to Influence public and media perception of the film, to assure its recognition as the classic we know it to be." INSITE has erected a plaque near the hotel to commemorate the first encounter of the film's lovers. In 1997, the fan club also paid for Reeve's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Annual membership costs $24.12 or $26.12 online. According to INSITE newsletter editor Jo Addie in the Quarter 3 October 2006 issue, the club may disband in 2007 due to consecutive years of sharp drops in membership.
- Director Jeannot Szwarc had a slight problem directing the scenes between Christopher Plummer and Christopher Reeve in that whenever he said "Chris" both men would respond with "Yes?" Szwarc resolved this by deciding to address Christopher Plummer as "Mr. Plummer" and addressing Christopher Reeve as "Bigfoot".
- The final scene between Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour before Reeve's character is thrown back into his own time was difficult for Reeve to shoot because he had just learned that his then girlfriend and companion, Gae Exton, was pregnant with his first son, Matthew, so for much of that day his attention was understandably elsewhere.
- In the film, Reeve's character refers to a Dr. Finney as an expert on time travel. This is very probably a reference to author Jack Finney, whose novel Time and Again features a very similar approach to traveling through time.
- There is a "time paradox" in the film. The watch given to Richard when he was a young man by the older Elise has no origin in the timeline. Richard takes this watch with him back to 1912. Elise is admiring this watch when Richard finds the modern era penny, and is thrust back to the future, leaving the watch behind. Where did the watch come from? In addition, it is likely that the age of the watch would continually deteriorate through iterations of the time loop.
- The car that Reeve drove in the film was the only motorized vehicle ever allowed on Mackinac Island. Motorized vehicles, other than emergency vehicles and snowmobiles in the winter, are prohibited on Mackinac Island. Transportation is limited to horse and buggy or bicycle.
