Somewhere in Time (film)
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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 unsuccessful at the box office and ruthlessly trashed by the critics upon release. 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 his own 1975 novel Bid Time Return by science fiction writer Richard Matheson. Since then, the book has been 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.
Awards
Somewhere in Time received several awards, including Saturn Award for Best Costume, Saturn Award for Best Music, Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design.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 INSITE, the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts. Membership costs $19.12, in honor of the year in which most of the film takes place. 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.
- Director Jeannot Szwarc had a slight problem directing the scenes between Christopher Plummer and the late 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.
- 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 continuously deteriorate through iterations of the time loop.
External links
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