Back home

Somewhere in Time

633 votes

Producing House

Young writer Richard Collier is met on the opening night of his first play by an old lady who begs him to "Come back to me". Mystified, he tries to find out about her, and learns that she is a famous stage actress from the early twentieth century. Becoming more and more obsessed with her, by self-hypnosis he manages to travel back in time—where he meets her.

movie

Status: Released

Released Date: 1980-10-02

Runtime: 103 mins

Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Spoken language: English

Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Original title: Somewhere in Time

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Rastar Productions, Stephen Deutsch Productions

Production Countries: United States of America

Reviews

F

FilipeManuelNeto
**A forgotten film that deserves to be revisited, even with all its flaws.** Personally, I liked this film. It's one of those films that fell into oblivion very quickly, which doesn't seem fair to me: the film is much better than many more expensive and publicized productions, even though it has serious problems, which I'll talk about. Perhaps very few, besides the producers and cast, really believed in it: it didn't receive much attention from studios and theaters, it was a huge success in Asia but was ridiculed in the USA, while Europe seems to have ignored it. The film has a very good, but small, cast: Christopher Reeve was still reaping the rewards of the success of “Superman”, but that didn't stop him from putting in a lot of effort into this smaller work. The actor is a solid protagonist, and his work is one of the levers that moves the film forward and gives it quality. Next to him, we see the elegant Jane Seymour, still quite young, in a performance full of dignity and where she establishes excellent chemistry with Reeve. Christopher Plummer was less fortunate: the actor, whose credits and talent are beyond doubt, received a cliché and quite artificial character because the villain was necessary to the plot anyway, and had to be someone sufficiently worthy of our disdain. This leads us to talk about the script, which has its merits and also many demerits: the story is based on a somewhat mystical passion between Richard Collier, a modern-day playwright, and Elise McKenna, a young and successful actress from the past. Right at the beginning of the film they meet when she, already elderly, gives him a watch and says a few short and mysterious words to him. Eight years later, he becomes fascinated by a young woman, portrayed in 1912 in a room in an old hotel, discovering her identity. He then decides to try self-hypnosis to go back in time and find her. The script thus creates a kind of love at first sight, in which the object of passion is a photograph of someone who has long since passed away and who you have never met. Just the idea itself seems bizarre, and things don't get better when we introduce time travel and the notions of regression and self-hypnosis, which only the “new age” crowd will really value in some way. Perhaps it would have been preferable to travel through “traditional” time through some machine, portal or “wormhole”. Technically, the film shines due to the choice of filming location (the hotel still exists and can be visited) and the design of the sets and costumes, full of details and well made, worthy of the Oscar nomination in 1981. The editing is quite regular, and the film unfolds without haste, but also without dull moments. The cinematography comes in joyful warm colors and the soundtrack is dominated by two distinct, but by no means incompatible, tonics: the excellent Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op. 43, by Rachmaninoff, and a hypnotic and striking melody composed by John Barry.
2023-10-22

Recommendations

Un Wacho Amor
5

Un Wacho Amor

2023-11-23

Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal
2.6

Zhongkui: Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal

2015-02-19

The story of Chinese legendary anti-hero Zhong Kui, a young man endowed with mysterious powers who i

Munimji
1.3

Munimji

1955-01-01

Roopa lives a wealthy lifestyle with her widowed dad, Captain Suresh, and brother, Shekhar. After sh

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
3.4

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

1970-06-17

Daisy Gamble, an unusual woman who hears phones before they ring, and does wonders with her flowers,

Strike Night
3.1

Strike Night

2017-12-20

This atmospheric French independent film tells the story of a man who has traveled nearly 10,000 mil

The Red Snowball Tree
3.5

The Red Snowball Tree

1974-03-25

A thief named Egor, having served a term in prison, goes to the country to meet his pen-friend Lyuba

Saor
0

Saor

2024-05-24

Adam
4

Adam

1976-10-15

Adam is a factory worker. He falls in love with Chris, a slightly older man. Instead of strengthenin

Beastly
3.2

Beastly

2011-01-21

A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hid

Eat Pray Love
3.1

Eat Pray Love

2010-08-12

Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having – a husband, a house and a

Alien Girl
2.9

Alien Girl

2010-06-17

1990s. Gangster Kyiv. A team of four men is assigned to deliver a girl from Prague, nicknamed "Alien

How to Survive a Marriage?
3.4

How to Survive a Marriage?

2024-07-18

In her efforts to maintain a successful marriage, a woman faces a challenge she didn't expect: her i

The Welts
3.4

The Welts

2004-10-08

Following the death of his mother in '80s Poland, 12-year-old Wojciech has taken the brunt of his st

Time Bandits
3.3

Time Bandits

1981-07-13

Young history buff Kevin can scarcely believe it when six dwarfs emerge from his closet one night. F

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
3.1

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

1949-04-18

A bump on the head sends Hank Martin, 1905 auto mechanic, to Arthurian England, 528 A.D., where he i

Always Will
2.9

Always Will

2006-03-22

A high school senior whose life has become a constant stream of disappointment discovers he can magi

A Kid in King Arthur's Court
2.5

A Kid in King Arthur's Court

1995-08-11

A Southern California kid named Calvin Fuller is magically transported to the medieval kingdom of Ca

Only Old Men Are Going to Battle
3.9

Only Old Men Are Going to Battle

1973-10-14

Alexey Titarenko is very talented pilot and brave leader of "Singing group". He also must look after

Doraemon: Nobita's New Dinosaur
3.7

Doraemon: Nobita's New Dinosaur

2020-08-07

Nobita accidentally finds a fossil dinosaur egg mixed with rocks in the dinosaur fossil exhibition s

So Different
2.3

So Different

2009-11-06

Single mother Lotta and her younger sister Sanna are both successful in their different jobs, and ar