Ovunque nel tempo

Somewhere In Time is not only a fantasy story. It is romance, science fiction, and fantasy rolled into one, based on Richard Matheson's novel, Bid Time Return, (Matheson also wrote the screenplay and has a cameo appearance in the film). Shot in 1980 and released by Universal Studios, it is a wonderful and, I feel, classic film that has stood the test of time. I am often surprised at how many persons of adult age have seen it. I cannot understand why Somewhere In Time has been panned by the critics since its release. Filmed on location in Chicago and Mackinac Island, Michigan, Somewhere In Time is a little long at 104 minutes. However, the story never drags so this is not a big liability. Directed by Jean Szarc, the cast is first rate, starring Christopher Reeve, (what a standard of personal courage he has set for us in recent years!) as the playwright Richard Collier, Jane Seymour, one of the loveliest ladies to ever grace either the large or small screens, as the actress Elise McKenna, and the fine character actor Christopher Plummer as the mean-spirited W.S. Robinson, McKenna's agent. The story begins in May, 1972. Playwright Collier is visited by a very old woman at a party he is attending at Millfield College, close to the Grand Island Hotel on Mackinac Island, which will be so important to the story later. She approaches and hands him a pocket watch. Cryptically, she says, "Come back to me.' We now fast forward eight years to Chicago, 1980. The restless Collier, who has recently broken up with his lady friend, is drawn to The Grand Hotel. Collier drives up to Mackinac Island and checks into the hotel. The kind-hearted Arthur, who has lived and worked at the hotel for 70 years, asks him if "they had met before." Collier assures him they have not. Collier chances upon an old photo of the turn of the century actress Elise McKenna in the hotel museum and is mesmerized by her. Arthur tells him that she appeared in a play at the hotel in 1912. Collier's obsession quickly grows and he begins research on her life. He comes across a photo of McKenna as an old woman and remembers her as the mysterious lady he met at the party. He discovers from her housekeeper that McKenna died eight years previous, on the very night she made herself known to him, and that something happened during her hotel appearance in 1912. After that, according to the housekeeper, she was never the same. During his visit to McKenna's home, he discovers a book on time travel that Elise read "again and again." After visiting with the book's author and, finding his own name in an old Grand Hotel register from 1912, Collier makes an intense effort to slip into the past, and succeeds. Soon, he meets Elise in the hotel, (he has transported himself to the time when Elise McKenna is staying in the hotel, preparing for her performance), and the scene where he and she meet is quite moving. At this point, the story becomes even better because Reeve does not have to carry it by himself. Seymour and Plummer step in and, what had been a good picture, becomes an excellent one for the duration. Richard and Elise quickly become drawn to each other, much to Robinson's unease. Robinson, who loves her but will not admit it, has a genuine concern when the playwright Richard Collier cannot name any of his work that he is familiar with. There is an unhealthy tension between these two strong-willed men until film's end. There are many interesting segments through this portion of the story. Entering the hotel restaurant, Collier seems to walk forever. The shot of the beautiful Elise, sitting at her makeup table with hair down and thrown over one shoulder, daydreaming of Richard, is enough to take the breath out of any man, (certainly this one!). The kiss first between Richard and Elise is very gentle and tender, and another lump forms in the throat when Elise again unpins her hair as Richard closes the door to room 117. But, perhaps the best scene in the entire film is when Elise, caught up with emotion, seems to ad-lib directly to an equally emotional Richard, sitting in the audience, during the hotel performance. Now is a good time to note that Jane Seymour possesses an interesting combination of hesitation and come-hither in look and demeanor. Ms. Seymour is something you do not come across often: an extremely alluring woman but very much a lady. The wholesome Reeve played off of her extremely well. The furious Robinson loses control of himself and has Richard beaten by thugs, causing him to lose credibility with his star forever. However, fate deals a cruel hand to the star-crossed lovers as, just when they have admitted their love for one another, Richard is abruptly returned to 1980, waking up in the same bed he was originally transported from. I won't give the story's very touching finale away, I will just say that the emotionally devastated Richard spends the final few minutes of the story attempting to return to 1912 and Elise. A few final comments. For fans of romance, fantasy and science fiction, Somewhere In Time will indeed be a special treat. (That the music is hauntingly beautiful only enhances the mood). It was pleasing to see Richard Matheson, author of such hard-edged tales as The Omega Man and The Shrinking Man, (to name but two), and who is seen as an astonished viewer during Elise McKenna's Grand Hotel performance, turn out such a powerful love story. I noticed only one glaring editing mistake, and that is an excellent accomplishment for a period story of this length. Near film's end, the heartbroken Richard lies listless and semi-comatose in a Grand Hotel guest room, pining for Elise, for a full week. When Arthur, (The gentleness of the lifelong hotel servant impressed me. I wish I could meet a few Arthur types at hotels I stay in!), finds him, the fact that he has had little food or water for days and is dangerously close to death is impressed upon us. However, when we see his face, he is clean-shaven and way too bright-eyed for a man under such a self-imposed ordeal! I hope that perhaps someday Christopher Reeve's health is such that he can once again co-star with the ever beautiful Jane Seymour. Mr. Reeve's physical limitations notwithstanding, I believe they would still make a terrific screen team.

I feel as though many Michiganders, like myself, have a unique relationship with Somewhere in Time. It is one of the few movies where I am completely familiar with the location it was shot, and the entire movie just makes me think of the tourist attraction that is Mackinac Island (which I have visited many times.) This film is extremely popular up there and you can find copies for sale, along with memorabilia from the shooting, all around the island. It is a place that is a throwback to another time, and at least the exterior of the Grand Hotel still looks strikingly similar today to how it looked when they filmed this 40+ years ago. In fact, the part of the movie that is most jarring are the shots where they actually show a car driving up to the Grand Hotel, since motorized vehicles are prohibited on Mackinac Island. I wonder if this is how people who live in cities like New York, L.A., and San Francisco feel when their hometowns show up in so many movies.

Anyways, let's get to the actual content of Somewhere in Time, aside from its location. There is a power to the romance in this film. It has a truly magical quality as it seems to embrace the idea of two people being made for each other and destined to be together. The premise of them meeting across time is kind of crazy, and I'm not even sure what motivates the main character so strongly, but I think you have to let go of the critical part of your brain to appreciate the magic of this story. There is virtually no time spent exploring the mechanism that is at play, because that isn't the important part of the plot. Personally, I kind of wish the movie involved more time travel, and actually had our main character bouncing back and forth many times. I think that's simply because I'm more intrigued by the genre of time-travel, than I am by romantic dramas. The way it is presented in the film feels somewhat rushed and it never takes full advantage of an interesting premise.

Christopher Reeve isn't bad in the lead role. He has good range and seems to fit in reasonably well in both time periods. I found his performance at the end of the movie to be particularly powerful. He also has some nice chemistry with Jane Seymour. She is a great actress to play a love interest in this type of movie, because she does possess a timeless beauty. Her big speech on stage is delivered so brilliantly that I felt even someone who was struggling to enjoy this movie would have to buy in to some degree, because of her performance. I did struggle a bit with Christopher Plummer's character, as he seems to exist merely as a plot construction to create conflict. The film teases that there might be more to this character, but nothing ever comes of that. I will say that the ending of Somewhere in Time was a struggle for me. It is well done, but not exactly how I hoped it would resolve. I am certainly engaged by the plot, though, and I will gladly watch it again in the future.

I am a young man who grew up loving horror, action, and kung-fu movies. I hated the Victorian books we were forced to read in school. However, the one exception to the rule has been this movie. I LOVED this movie. The story line was solid. The direction was superb. And the acting was so good, that I have always wondered why Reeves & Seymour's career didn't catapult after this film. I have watched it many times since it came out, and ever time I am captivated. If you can't relate to this movie, I think you must have a heart of cold stone. This gets a strong KBONE rating of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Pay special attention to Seymour's soliloquy during the play and Reeve's facial expressions during that time as well Reeve during the last 10 minutes of the movie. I really can't say enough about this masterpiece.

It's a pleasant love story with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour; it is recommended.

I don't understand why the critics received it so badly.

It doesn't deserve a 29 rating on Metacritic.

For us hopeless romantics, this kind of love story gives us the feeling that our own soulmate might have lived in another time instead of our own. It is a pleasant little fantasy to get lost in for a couple of hours anyway. For someone who analyzes the small details in movies like myself, the story has many hidden twists and turns to figure out. For example, when you consider that Elise Mckenna was 85 years old when she died in 1972, why was Richard Collier a young man in college? Was he the reincarnation of the Richard she had loved 60 years earlier in 1912? Did Richard's time-traveling professor have some connection to Elise? Why did Elise's manager warn Elise of Richard's coming? If you get too concerned with these details then you miss the overall message of the film...true love never dies and true love is worth dying for.