FAQ

Likely because, after Herbert and Amy return to his original time in the machine, he disabled it so that no one else would be able to use it.

Yes, although from different viewpoints (his from the late 19th century and hers from some 90 years later, in the 1970s) and, therefore, with different sensibilities.

Most likely bribed by John Stephenson. He walked around with large sums of money and no doubt easily persuaded compromised health care workers to pronounce him dead

When budding 1893 London author Herbert George "H.G." Wells (Malcolm McDowell) shows his colleagues a time machine he has recently developed, his surgeon friend Dr John Leslie Stevenson (David Warner) uses it to escape to 1979 San Francisco. When Herbert learns that Stevenson is actually the serial killer known to the public as Jack the Ripper, he feels that it is his duty to track down Stevenson and bring him back to face justice.

Time After Time is 1979 novel written by American author Karl Alexander, who completed the novel at the time time that his friend, American screenwriter Nicholas Meyer (who also directed the film), was writing the screenplay based on the unfinished novel. Of course, one of his inspirational sources is The Time Machine, an 1895 novel by British science fiction writer Herbert George Wells [1866-1946].

There are actually two keys to the time machine. H.G. calls one key, which he keeps in his pocket, the "reversal rotation". Without this key, the time machine will return to its original location after a completed voyage. He calls the other key, which is housed on the outside of the time machine, the "vaporizing equalizer" and explains that, should a passenger journey through time without it, he would go without the machine and with no way of coming back. Having no time to take the reversal rotation key from H.G.'s pocket, Stephenson makes the journey to 1979 without the reversal rotation key. Consequently, the time machine returns to 1893 and allows H.G. to go looking for him in 1979.

After being released from police custody, Herbert walks the streets mourning Amy's (Mary Steenburgen) death at the hands Jack the Ripper. Suddenly, he is surprised to hear the melody from his pocket watch followed by Amy calling to him. Amy explains that the newspaper got it wrong...Stevenson murdered her friend Carol, whom she had invited that evening for dinner. Holding a knife to Amy's throat, Stevenson demands that Herbert toss him the key to the time machine and promises to release Amy, on his honor as a gentleman. Herbert complies, but Stephenson claims to be no gentleman, abducts Amy again, and forces her to drive to the museum where the time machine is on display. Herbert follows in another car, driving somewhat erratically. They all meet up inside the museum and in front of the time machine. Herbert begs for Amy's release. Stephenson attempts to pull Amy into the time machine with him, but she gets away and rushes into Herbert's arms. Stephenson climbs into the time machine, inserts the key, and begins to take off. At the last minute, Herbert pulls out the vaporizing equalizer, and Jack the Ripper is sent off to infinity. Herbert announces that he must return to his own time, because he does not belong in 1979, and climbs into the time machine. In the final scene, Amy runs to Herbert, telling him that she wants to go back with him. He pulls her into the time machine with him, and they return to 1893 together. Thereafter follows a postscript stating: H.G. Wells married Amy Catherine Robbins, who died in 1927. As a writer, he anticipated Socialism, global war, space travel, and Women's Liberation. He died in 1946.