De una época a otra

Julian Fellowes adapted the screenplay from Lucy M. Boston's novel 'The Chimneys of Green Knowe' and as expected, especially when he directs his own films the story though slight is filled with elegance, grace and rich atmosphere. With a splendid cast it truly comes to life.

Set in 1940s England, 13-year-old Tolly (Alex Etel) is sent to stay with his grandmother (Maggie Smith) at her country home, which she fears she will have to sell due to money problems. Tolly's father is fighting in WWII, and is missing in action. As his grandmother tells him about the history of the house, and Tolly's ancestors, he finds that he is able to travel back in time to 1805 and discover secrets about his family's past, which still resonate today. The idea of time lapse is present in the story from 1805 - which centers around Tolly's ancestors, the kindly Captain Oldknow (Hugh Bonneville) and his selfish wife Maria (Carice van Houten) and their children Sefton, a spoiled, selfish young man (Douglas Booth) and a kindly, blind girl Susan (Eliza Bennett). Into their lives comes Jacob (Kwayedza Kureya), a former slave who escapes from captivity with the help of Captain Oldknow and joins the household as a companion for Susan, much to the chagrin of Sefton. The primary storyline is set in the 1940s, with Tolly and his grandmother worrying about what has become of Tolly's father, while at the same time getting to know and understand each other. The cast is augmented with character roles played by Timothy Spall, Dominic West, Douglas Booth, Rachel Bell and Pauline Collins.

This is a spirited adventure ghost story played two centuries apart and for those who enjoy the artistry of Julian Fellowes, this is a fine evening's diversion.

Grady Harp

Quite a different type of movie I normally watch, but it kept me occupied and once the story started to unfold was pleasantly interesting.

The production was good and well acted, which made this fable a quality fairy tale of sorts. Anyone who loves ghostly dramas will enjoy this delightful film.

I hadn't heard a thing about this movie when it came out, but seeing Maggie Smith and Dominic West and Hugh Bonneville in the cast, I had to give it a try. I loved time travel books a lot when I was young and I wish I'd known about the book series this comes from, because it would've been perfect for me. I loved the look and the tone of the movie, with just enough adventure and mysteries to solve to keep me riveted. Yes, the tone is a bit somber at times, and I wasn't crazy about Alex Etel's performance as Tolly (he's fairly wooden), but it really moves well and there are enough other characters to focus on, so overall, I quite enjoyed it. Maggie Smith isn't as fun as she is on Downton Abbey, but few things are that amusing, after all. Dominic West, Pauline Collins, Hugh Bonneville, Timothy Spall and Harriet Walter are wonderful in smaller roles, while Eliza Bennett and Kwayedza Kureya, both new to me, are charming as the children in the Regency era. I also have to say that I loved the fashion in the past, with both Carice van Houten and Douglas Booth looking especially dishy in those clothes. I would say this is definitely a children's movie, but also good for adults who are children at heart (like me).

I put off watching this show for a long time also. Not because of the rating but because it seemed like something "nice" but without zing, so something else always became the first choice. I shouldn't have waited. This was delightful!

Such a sweet story jumping in time between two generations of family and showing the developing relationship in family separated time and then also the relationships developed between people in a family separated by disagreement and social expectations as well.

An ending that is a little too pat and also not at the same time. Expected but good anyway. These British time period pieces always tempt me and this one was perfect, so well done, did not disappoint.

Such a lovely show, perfect actors, wonderful.

This film is about a young boy who goes to stay with his grandmother's stately home during the Second World War. He finds the house's secret ability to transport him back in time.

"From Time to Time" successfully weaves together past and present events in a logical manner. Many time travel stories have major plot loopholes, but "From Time to Time" has a logical plot that even when people from present interacts with people in the past and alter events from the past. I particularly like the fact that bits of stories weave together, such as the "miracle light" and the jewels, so everything in the film happens for a reason. I enjoyed watching "From Time to Time" a lot.