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Somewhere in Time

Somewhere in Time

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Deeply moving, but something's missing. . .
Review: This movie is about true love that transcends time. Richard Collier (Reeve) is a playwright from the late 1970s who is approached by a strange old woman. Lovingly and reverently, she places a gold pocketwatch into Richard's hand and utters four cryptic words: "Come back to me," before she disappears into the shadows.


Eight years after that strange meeting, Richard drives to a luxurious old hotel in the countryside. There, he sees a picture of the lovely young Elise McKenna (Seymour), a talented actress who reached her prime around 1910 and 1912. In a flash of recognition, Richard realizes that this is the same woman, now deceased, who gave him the gold watch eight years ago. Spurred by love and obsession, Richard struggles to conquer mind-induced time travel to reach Elise back in 1912, thereby recapturing the love that has eluded him, yet has been powerful enough to transcend decades.


The plotline is definitely beautiful and mesmerizing to envision, yet the movie itself was surprisingly disappointing. However, there were some definite positive points of the film. The lush scenery of the New England coast and the beautiful Grand Hotel are great testaments to the cinematography of early 80s movies. Reeve's character, Richard, is handsome and likeable because of his awkward yet dashing personality. The chemistry between Richard and Elise is amazing. Each look they cast upon each other sets the sparks flying, and their love for one another is so powerful that it infused every moment of the movie.


However, despite the beauty of the film, the plotline is severely lacking. The story has numerous holes in it that do not explain how the elderly Elise had the watch in the first place, or how Richard knew her in the past and then magically appeared in the 1970s with no recollection of her. Plus, the conclusion of the film is dismaying and heartbreaking. When I saw what happened to Richard, I felt like the whole ordeal he went through to reach Elise in the past was for nothing. It is difficult to watch a human being break down and waste away into nothing.


I agree with other reviews that if you watch this movie with an open mind, oblivious to the constraints of epochs and rationality, but with the hope of romantic enlightenment in mind, then you would be enraptured by this movie. Unfortunately, I cannot stand a movie that does not have a solid conclusion, or at least a conclusion where you can figure out what happened and mentally tie up loose ends. The ending of this movie left me completely lost. And it is definitely debatable whether or not this movie had a happy ending.

And another thing to keep in mind: Although I've never read it, this movie was based on a novel called BID TIME RETURN by Richard Matheson. Therefore, you can be almost certain that there is a crucial element in the book that the movie doesn't cover that would fill the holes in the plot. That is why I am being generous with 3 stars. Otherwise, I'd just give it 2.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Nice classic but...
Review: I think this is a good classical movie with a plot that smashed new dimensions back then. If you accept it as a classic you'll love it. But if you take it in a 21st century vision, you'll find weak points. 1. The travel in time from 1980 to 1912 missed at certain points which year's events came first?!! And missed the influence of time and sequence in the plot. 2. Personally speaking I think Jane Seymour did a GREAT acting job but I'd prefer Robert Redford to play Richard Collier instead of Christopher Reeve! At the end, it is a good classic movie... rent it if you like such movies!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: An empty romance
Review: This romance movie has a pretty face but a complete halo inside. There are so many holes in the story that it is comically ridiculous even within its own domain of reasoning. The story itself is full of loops and inconsistence. First, where did the watch come from? Then, did Richard Collier really travel back in time? If so, where did the old (original) Richard Collier come from? If time travel worked the first time, what prevent him of doing it again and again and better (say, at least get ride of the 1979 penny the second time around). Anyway, the book is far better-- that it all happened in his mind alone. As for the DVD, my recommedation is--don't waste your time on it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Somewhere in Hollywood they used to make movies like this...
Review: Somewhere in Time is one of those films that has never achieved critical popularity, yet it lives on because it is loved by so many people.

This DVD is the best the film has ever looked. Picture quality is at times disappointing, and the audio never was very well mixed to begin with, but there has always been something beautiful about this film's imperfections. The score by John Barry is of course exceptional and incredibly moving, and the performances are top-notch all round, as I'm sure most of you reading this will already know.

Particularly interesting on the 20th anniversary DVD is the documentary 'Back to Somewhere in Time'. Over an hour long (no half-baked featurette this), it features retrospective interviews with ALL principles (including the usually elusive Christopher Plummer) with the exception of Susan French (who played the older Elise). Filmed during 2000, it is refreshing and reassuring to see a cast and crew expressing their love for a film as much as its fans, and also their appreciation of everyone who has kept it alive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Beautiful
Review: This movie is definatly on everyones top 10 movie list. Even though I was not old enough to first see the movie in a theater, I've heard about it my whole life b/c I live about 2 hours away from Mackinaw Island. I've always heard from my parents, oh Somewhere in Time is on TV, blah blah blah. Even though up till this year I'd only been to the island once(when i was like, 1 or 2 years old) I was never really interested. Then this previous summer, I had a football game I had to cheer at downstate and on the way back, I rode w/my parents and we went to Mackinaw Island. We took the fairy over and it is the most beautiful place you could ever imagine. I dream about living there when I get older w/a family of my own(Even though the only way there is by boat and there are no cars on the island, just horse and buggys and bikes, and during the winter, I think they take snow mobiles across the straights to get to the main land) On the way back home, my dad mentioned Somewhere in Time(The island has a ton of suvineors of the movie!) so, when we got back, I rented the movie, and I fell in love with it! Surely a classic in everyones book!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A Love throughout Time
Review: Somewhere in Time is an excellent film that combines Time Travel with romance, using an interesting and unique idea involving hypnotizing your mind to believe you are actually in that moment in history. If you can avoid analyzing the rationality of time travel and suspend your disbelief, this film will be very enjoyable for you. The idea of travelling back through time to find your soulmate is something both men and women can believe in. It is to the credit of the performances of the leads, Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour, that the viewer believes that such a thing is possible. Reeve and Seymour also look well together and have obvious chemistry, making their love affair entirely believable. Especially with their first kiss, there is a deep and passionate love that seems entirely real. The third element is the acting of Christopher Plummer, who is always excellent and quite effective here as the overprotective manager of Seymour's character. But, there are two more elements that contributes greatly to the atmposhere of the film - the moving music composed by John Barry, and the Grand Hotel where most of the movie is set. The handsome and expressive Reeve, the calm beauty of Seymour, the brooding and calculating Plummer, the romantic and moving music and the timeless presence of the Grand Hotel combine into a magical film for the hopeless romantic.

DVD Comments: Compared to reference DVDs the video and audio quality are average, with slight graininess at times. However, this can be forgiven because of the excellent quality of the film. Those who have only seen Pan Scan versions on Cable and VHS will enjoy the widescreen presentation. The extras include a Behind the Scenes Special, Trailer, Fan Club Information, Bios and Production Photos. All are excellent and welcome additons. Of note, I found the Behind the Scenes Special added to the film experience. You will learn interesting tidbits about the making of the movie, with comments by the director, Reeve, Seymour and other players. It becomes readily apparent that the actors and crew loved making this film and hold it in a special place in their hearts. To see Reeve, who suffered a horseback-riding accident that left him paralyzed years after making the film, lends to the heartbreaking experience of seeing the film again. His comments about the final scenes of the film are very interesting and insightful to his own tragic life experience. The production photos are excellent, especially the stills of Seymour with her incredibly beautiful face and long, flowing hair. It is easy to relate and believe that Reeve's character would fall so hopelessly in love with her picture alone. The events that occur in the film, the time travel and events that happen at the end of the film are believable because of Seymour's beauty and acting ability. All of the actors, the setting, and the music are important aspects of the film, but Seymour makes the movie. Therefore, if you are a hopeless romantic, or a fan of Reeve or Seymour, I highly recommend this DVD to you.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Romance is not dead ...
Review: They just don't make movies like this anymore. What a fantastic movie. This movie stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour who prove that even death can't keep these two apart. Love, romance, beautiful locations, a great story and yes, time travel. What more could you want in a movie? I'm a guy and I totally love this movie.

I remember watching this movie in the theater when I was about 11 years old. My mother dragged me to it. I was soooooooo bored. But many relationships and a few heartbreaks later, now I get what this movie is all about. Love can conquer all. Even if it's Hollywood, this movie gives hope to us all.

This is a great romantic movie with a little something for everyone. Rent it and see what everyone else has known for years ... this one is a classic

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BRILLANT FILM AND DOCUMENTARY
Review: WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME. THIS IS THE LONG AWAITED EXTRA VERSION AND WELL WORTH THE WAIT. ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FILMS OF ALL TIME THAT ALMOST DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE STARTING GATE. WHAT A LOSE THAT WOULD OF HAVE BEEN. IN THE AGE OF ACTION, SCI FI AND SPECIAL EFFECTS THE ONLY SPECIAL EFFECT THIS FILM POSSESSES IS THE ONE IT LEAVES TO THE HEART AND MIND. ANYONE INTERESTED IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING A FILM TO SCREEN WILL LEARN IT IS NO PIECE OF CAKE. BRAVO TO THE FILM MAKERS, CAST AND CREW. AS THEY ALL SAID IT WAS A LABOR OF LOVE AND IT SHOWS. ONE SAD NOTE IS WATCHING THE INTERVIEWS WITH CHRISTOPHER REEVE AS YOU WATCH THE FILM A VIBRANT ACTIVE MAN NOT A "SUPERMAN" BUT A FINE ACTOR.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Lost in love
Review: I have loved this movie since it first came out.I own a copy on Video. I loved the movie not only for it,s beautiful love story but the music was soul stirring. I also own the cassette tapes , I bought four of them so I can play that lovely music anytime I want to. They should have more movies like this instead of so much stupid violence that they show now a days.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A History Lover Wrote This, But It Didn't Need Filming.
Review: When Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) falls in love with a woman from the past (Jane Seymour), he's able to somehow wish himself right back into her time. And considering the real life tragic accident which later paralyzed Christopher Reeves, it certainly would be neat if he actually could return to a happier time. Time traveling by using the wishing method, as employed in this film, is a familiar fantasy among historians like myself; so when Collier began wishing with intensity I identified with him. Despite that, I felt the film moved too slow and didn't have much of a plot; so it will only reinforce that unfortunate youthful stereotype that history is dull. This film would make a good choice, however, if you just want to make out with your partner and not be interrupted too much.


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