| | | | Somewhere In Time
(1980) |
ne of the most brilliant romantic/fantasy epics to ever come out of the motion-picture industry, "Somewhere In Time" -- a 'go-between' movie for Christopher Reeve that he boldly decided to star in, right after his rise to fame in Richard Donner's "Superman" (1978) and his 'even-BIGGER' rise to fame in the much appreciated and sometimes reffered to as 'even better than the first one' -- "Superman II" (1980) -- this enchanting tale about 'pre-destined destiny' truly has STOOD the test of time!
I once heard Christopher Reeve say right around the time he made this ... that he turned down two very important films of the early 1980s; "American Gigolo" & "Body Heat" and opted for THIS one instead. And what a smart move THAT was! (Granted, "Gigolo" and "Body Heat" are both great movies ... but it's hard to imagine "Gigolo" without Richard Gere, much less "Body Heat" without William Hurt.)
Little did Christopher Reeve know however, that he wouldn't just be making a very fascinating and 'moving' film with a cleverly-crafted 'famous ending' along the same lines as "The Sixth Sense", he would be making a 'CLASSIC' "Gone-With-The-Wind"/"Titanic"-style masterpiece that would pretty much outshadow even his legendary SUPERMAN role due to its 'timeless' theme! -- A novelty that few films have which prevents them from ever becoming 'dated'.
And to think during its initial release in 1980, "Somewhere In Time", budgeted at a mere 5.1 million, was a bit of a bomb? WOW!
But then again, the great ones usually are. (BLADE RUNNER followed the same footsteps 2 years later in 1982 with a disappointing intake at the box-office ... yet over 'time', it became one of the greatest sci-fi thrillers ever made.)
"SOMEWHERE IN TIME" has had this same effect on critics and audiences all over the planet. If you don't own THIS one (or even its MILLION-seller SOUNDTRACK),
your life just isn't complete!)
Trust me; This movie heavily inspired me to not only become an actor and composer of music, but to write an entire BOOK about the 1st 'latch-key' generation (MY generation) that grew up in the 1980s watching... what else? "SOMEWHERE IN TIME" -as well as just about every movie on this website.
Oh, and one other thing about this movie. After watching it, you'll never look at a 'penny' the same way, ever again!
Listen up, 'cause here's the review:
Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is a fresh new Chicago playwrite in the 1970s who's just wrapped up his 1st-ever premiere, when lo and behold? A mysterious old woman who has been watching the play from afar the entire time, pops into the scene as all the fans are congradulating Mr. Collier on the sucess of his play, and she places her hands on Richard, saying only one thing: "Come back to me!" -- then she mysteriously leaves! But Richard, quite perplexed at this strange woman's actions, discovers that she left something behind for him to hold onto in his hands; a beautiful turn-of-the century pocket-watch! Thus begins the first and foremost metaphor of this film; TIME.
Flash forward a few years. Richard has now made it big ... but the pressure has gotten to him, and to take a break from playwriting, he scurries off in his sports-car (after listening to his favorite song "Rhapsody On A Theme From Paganini" on his record player), driving and driving, then suddenly taking a left turn at a beautiful antique hotel near the coast; THE GRAND HOTEL on Mackinac Island, Michigan. (This hotel is now quite famous of course, boasting thousands of tourists a year, due to this movie!)
After Richard checks in, he decides to dine alone in the hotel lounge, only to find they're not open yet, so to 'kill time', he wanders through the hotel's historic mini-museum ... where after glancing here and there at interesting turn-of-the-century artifacts and photographs, he arrives at a big beautiful portrait of one of the best 'BOND-girls' to ever make it BIG; the lovely Jane Seymour in her breakout performance! (Her 'Bond' film was "Live And Let Die".)
Intrigued by the captivation in Jane's smile, Reeve goes to bed that night, not being able to sleep. For he can't get the portrait out of his mind! Back and forth, back and forth, he goes to the portrait. Not understanding why it holds such interest to him? So he decides to do some investigating, and he asks the old hotel bell-man who this woman was? "Elise McKenna," the bell-man answers. "An actress who used to do plays here at the hotel during the turn of the century. But right around 1912, just as she was getting ready to hit it big, she vanished in the public eye, never to be heard from again." (paraquote)
As one can gather, Richard (Christopher Reeve in his best performance of all time) heads to the local library downtown, and after obtaining some old (and were talking OLD!) back-issues of stage-and-screen magazines, he finds pictures of this 'Elise McKenna' at her time of fame in 1912 ... but then Richard turns the page of another magazine, and gwalah! He turns white. For right before his very eyes, he sees a photograph of Elise, taken in her old age, right near the time of her death. And guess who it is? None other than the woman who gave Richard that beautiful brass pocket-watch, way back when!
Convinced this woman has something to do with his life, he tracks down her old assistant (played with grace by the always-beautiful Teresa Wright) and he pops in for a visit. At first, the assistant refuses him at the door, until Richard holds up the pocket-watch. Suddenly, the woman FREAKS OUT and lets him in, showing him some of Elise's old things, and telling him how much that watch "NEVER LEFT HER SITE. WHERE DID YOU GET IT?" she begs.
"She gave it to me mam, on the opening night of a play several years ago." But suddenly Richard sees a book that he recognizes and he picks it up to brag a little. Telling the old woman that the book's author was one of his professors in college.
"She read that book over and over" the assistant tells him. And Richard turns the book over to its front side, to reaveal its title "TRAVELS THROUGH TIME"! - a study of time travel! Again, he turns white. But he turns even whiter after he sees a miniature replica model of The Grand Hotel right beside him, only to discover that when its roof is lifted, it's a music-box... And guess what it just happens to play? Richard's favorite humming-song of all time; "Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini"! (You'll know the one, trust me. Bill Murray made it famous once more in the movie "Goundhog Day")
Back to The Grand Hotel it is, where Richard decides to beg the bellman for old 'guest registries'. Sure enough, after some darkness and dust in an old atic on the Grand Hotel property, Richard finds the guest registry book devoted to the year 1912 and he flips it open... and yes, there it is in authentic ink; his own signature; "RICHARD COLLIER"!
THUS begins the legacy of how truly 'thought out' "SOMEWHERE IN TIME" is! (You can thank its author Richard Mathison of 'The Incredible Shrinking Man', 'Stir Of Echoes', and 'Twilight Zone' fame for one great screenplay based off one great novel that wasn't much of a hit during ITS initial time either; "Bid Time Return" - in which he published in 1975. It's now a best-seller, thanks to this movie! Controversy surrounded it at time however because it was led to believe Mathison borrowed the story from one of his icon's books that had similiar content and was printed in the early 70s. See IMDB.com for more info.)
To continue on with the story, soon, Richard's off to his college professor, where he pumps the professor for info on 'time travel' and questions whether the professor really believes it can happen! "I was only there for a second," the professor says. "But you WERE THERE!" Christopher claims in question. "Yes," the professor replies. "I think I was. But I will never do it again, it left me exhausted, DRAINED. I'm not sure if I could handle that again." -- (paraquote).
But this is enough evidence for Richard, who picks up some turn-of-century clothes and 'pennies' at the local pawn and antique shops, where he then lies in his hotel bedroom, chanting over and over: "1912. You are now in 1912" -- a heavy dose of 'self-hypnosis' indeed that SOUNDS a little surreal... Yet, somehow, we (the audience) are so CAPTIVATED by this point, that, well? We'll believe ANYTHING! -- Just like RICHARD!
Soon, Richard wakes up from exhaustive dreams, only to open his bedroom door and find the Grand Hotel... As it was in 1912! (Look for a Richard Mathison cameo as Christopher bumps into him in the hallway).
After then searching the hotel grounds, Richard sees her; "Jane Seymour" standing with a look of 'deju vu' underneath a "Gone-With-The-Wind' tree near the coast.
"Is it you?" she says...
 Don't forget that Somewhere In Time is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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"Somewhere In Time", with its lush cinematography and exceptional directing by Jeannot Szwarc (the slow-mo ending MAKES the movie Jeannot!) is indeed a 5-STAR motion picture that no one saw coming except those who saw it and loved it. 20 years later however, it is now a legend because there's really nothing else you can compare it to. And its story-concept and captivating ending leaves you thinking about it, long after the credits have rolled.
It's hard to find any bad in this film, so I won't.
A great wedding-present for the Bride-and-Groom to be.
Somehow this one stays with you. As does it's music.
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1975's "The Reincarnation Of Peter Proud" has a similar theme, but "Somewhere In Time" does it so much better, taking it way beyound anywhere NEAR reincarnation. "Somewhere In Time" is more of a capsule-of-the-moment on how 'timeless' and 'rare' TRUE LOVE can BE and how quickly it can be taken from us... 
The theatrical 1-sheet poster of "Somewhere In Time" is also a high-mark for collectors. The poster is most notable because of its breathtaking artwork that features one solid color of peach-colored flesh with Seymour's captivating Mona-Lisa smile and facial features -But no facial outline, as the color of the poster IS her face(!) similar to Polanski's "Chinatown" artwork, with Christopher Reeve walking beside Elise's famous image. Be warned not to get ripped off however by buying a 'reprint', as there are many out there. (The difference between the reprint and the original is that the original is 27x41 and its white borders are a more cream-color. The reprint is 27x40 with its white borders BRIGHT WHITE. Neither has, nor EVER had, the usual NSS# at the bottom right.
Jane Seymour named one of her sons Christopher ... after her leading-man. Both Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour remained good friends up until he died.
The only Academy Award the film was nominated for, was "BEST COSTUME DESIGN" for Jean-Pierre Dorleac.
Look for a brief appearance by a young William H. Macy of "Fargo" and "Boogie Nights" fame who plays a 'critic' in the film.
Another now-famous person to look for in the opening college party scene is George Wendt (Norm from "Cheers").
Note that when Christopher Reeve wakes up in the barn, a horse is staring down at him, He screams in fear, a scary precurser. -Thanks to Sam Johnson
In the 20th anniversary edition DVD, Christopher Reeve is interviewed sometime in the year 2000 (with respirator and all) and mentions a near death experience that occured two months after his accident where he had an out of body view from above, very similar to ending scene of the movie. -Thanks to Yves Leprohon
The novel the movie was based on was written by Richard Matheson, who also wrote "What Dreams May Come." -Thanks to Amy
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Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Somewhere In Time DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Somewhere In Time or 80's Sci-Fi / Fantasy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Empire Strikes Back ..... Night of the Comet ..... Aliens ..... Back To The Future ..... Last Starfighter ..... Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ..... Circuitry Man ..... Brazil ..... Blade Runner ..... Thing ..... Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan ..... Return to Oz ..... Starman ..... Strange Invaders ..... Short Circuit .....[More]
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In another quirk of fate, actress Susan French (Elderly Elise) was born in 1912 (same year as the film) after her parents honeymooned at the Hotel del Coronado, which is where Richard Matheson originally intended the movie to be filmed. He wrote the original book, "Bid Time Return", while staying at the Del. Unfortunately, the Del is surrounded by modern condos, which special effects of the time weren't sophisticated enough to remove, so someone suggested the Grand, built the same year as the Del, and the rest is history. -Thanks to Lynn Anderson, INSITE
The concept of the novel was led to be inspired by the author, Richard Matheson, coming across a photo of actress Maude Adams ... and being a bit captivated.
At the time "Somewhere In Time" was filmed, no motor-vehicles were allowed on Mackinac Island, so the entire cast and crew made good use of bicycles. The island still has this policy, even today ... which makes it all the more a perfect 'get-away' resort to visit.
Christopher Reeve put his flying abilities to use when he would take his plane out when there were breaks in shooting to take co-star Seymour to a restaurant elsewhere for dinner. -Thanks to Robert Baum
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|  |  |  | | Somewhere In Time
Locations |
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 Featured Movie Location: The Hotel
Wanna see the real life filming location used for The Hotel in the movie? These scenes were actually shot at The Grand Hotel, located in Mackinac Island, Michigan. [New! Show Google Map]
The Grand Hotel has been the world's largest summer hotel since 1887. The management of hotel offered the use of the Grand to Universal for free on the proviso that the hotel was depicted in a positive way. They could not have hoped for more, as the hotel clearly became one of the stars of the movie.
Each year at the annual "Somewhere In Time" Weekend on Mackinac Island, I conduct a walking tour of the film's locations. Here are the stops on my tour:
Grand Hotel - the inside Parlor floor was used for the check-in scenes (even though the real check-in area was moved years ago to the lower level). The china cabinet seen in the film is still there in the Parlor. They also used the Salle Manger (dining room) for the dining room scene (filmed at night so as not to inconvenience the Grand's regular guests at the time). And they also redressed the private dining room (on the left, before entering the Salle Manger) for the Hall of History. They also used the hallway off the Parlor for the hallway scenes, and the Grand's famous front porch for the morning scene with Richard Collier. The center staircase off the porch was also the site of Richard and Elise's joyful reunion.
Arthur's Cottage - the tennis pro shop located down the hill from the Grand next to the tennis courts.
The Tree - located at the end of the boardwalk along the water's edge, straight down from the Grand Hotel, past the poolhouse and through the trees. INSITE erected a memorial plaque on a boulder at the site.
The Theatre - the island schoolhouse was the exterior of the theatre where Elise performed "Wisdom of the Heart". The grounds outside the school are also where the gazebo stood (a new school gymnasium takes up part of these grounds).
Windemere Park - site of Richard and Elise's day together in the park, and also where Richard ends up staring at Round Island Lighthouse after his stark return to the present. Regretably, Round Island Lighthouse is inaccessible to the public, but it is clearly visible from this park.
Baxter's Coin Shop - located on Main Street in town, next to Murdock's Fudge, the words "Baxter's" still appear on the glass to remind everyone of where Richard purchased his 1910-era coins. The shop now carries souvenirs.
Laura Roberts House - located outside of town on Main Street, just past St. Anne's Church. This is where Richard finds out more information about Elise McKenna from her caretaker, played by Teresa Wright.
Mission Point Resort - this resort is located at the east end of the island, and was the real unsung (and uncredited) hero of the film. This is where the cast and crew stayed during the 7-week shoot, it was where the film was wardrobed and edited, and most importantly, where most of it was filmed. The theatre where Elise delivered her soliloquoy to Richard is here, as is a gigantic soundstage, where all the interior room scenes were shot, including the infamous final scene (which was a one-take shot, done on the last day of filming).
The Gazebo - the gazebo was given by the film company to the people of Michigan and now resides on the lawn of the Governor's Mansion, high on the East Bluff.
The Grand Hotel Stables - the final stop on my tour, this is where Richard wakes up under a horse after being detained by William F. Robinson.
Another location fans might be interested in is Richard Collier's Chicago apartment, which is still at 932 N. Halsted. When I was there last, I saw an abandoned 1979 Fiat, rusting away in front - really! [Thanks to Lynn Anderson, INSITE]
Featured Link: Visit the Grand Hotel
Can you help? Do you know any of the Mackinac Island, Michigan (or any other) filming locations used for Somewhere In Time? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[5.1 CH SURROUND]](dd5.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette, Notes |
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Comments: 20th Anniversay edition DVD! |
| | | | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette, Notes |
| Our
Comments: 20th Anniversay edition DVD! |
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Legendary 'James Bond' composer John Barry (which is how Jane Seymour KNEW the famous musican that Universal Pictures obtained for this film at a BARGAIN PRICE thanks to Jane's connection with him!) has claimed that, among his many MANY brilliant compostions for many MANY wonderful films, this is his favorite.
Barry wrote the now FAMOUS music to "Somewhere In Time" shortly after the death of his parents. Isn't it amazing how inspiration to write masterpieces can come from the most trying times? (As a songwriter myself, I know this to be true.)
As an interesting tidbit, Barry's soundtrack for Somewhere in Time is his all-time best selling score, outselling all his other soundtracks put together.
Absolutely a MUST for every LIVING-ROOM! GREAT for impressing the date, setting-the-mood for the 'bedroom', getting inspired to write that next novel or song (LOL), or just plain old good meditation while driving. Track listing:
1. Somewhere in Time
2. Old Woman
3. Journey Back in Time
4. Day Together
5. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
6. Is He the One?
7. Man of My Dreams
8. Return to the Present
9. Theme from Somewhere in Time
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Soundtrack Available:
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