Has anyone seen this? I just watched it for the first time (with a special nod to someone - you know who you are too). :-*

Pretty much what happens is this young playwright named Richard Collier gets an antique watch from an old woman, who pleads with him to go back in time with her. Several years later in the then-present of 1980, he realizes she was an older version of a beautiful actress in the past (Elise McKinney), whom he becomes infatuated with and finds a way to time travel through hypnosis back to 1912 and meet her. It actually played out a little different than I imagined. Like, I assumed they would instantly fall in love and it didn't turn out that way. Which made it even more romantic I suppose, since Richard had to grow on Elise. She resisted him at first, and her overprotective manager William Robinson did all he could to keep him away from her.

Even though it's by no means a comedy, I think there's a few very vaguely humorous scenes, like Richard having to keep reminding himself to speak in "olde English" when he first gets into the past. It's quite sad in places, but the little bits of time they do get to spend together is really nice. Especially after she starts to realize she has feelings for him and tells Robinson to back off.



Since I love time travel, I'd also like to analyze that aspect of it, at least from my perspective (these geeky things always enter my mind when I'm watching movies anyway!). ;D

Unlike Back to the Future, which seems to have a single universe timeline that adapts and rewrites history whenever you travel back in time and change something....this movie seems to be a "single universe time loop". The Bill and Ted movies also work this way, meaning that everything someone did was always a part of history. In other words, there was never an "original" first timeline when they weren't there,. Like, I think Richard was in 1912 and met Elise all the time. Even when he was a baby it was a part of the past, he just didn't know or suspect anything because it was his older self from 1980 that was there (who was probably in his late twenties). Maybe Arthur just didn't remember briefly encountering him as a young kid, since so much time had passed, etc.



To look at it start to finish, here's what I think happened consecutively:

Elise is born and lives up to age 25 as a stage actress, spending nine years up to that point in a business/semi mentoring relationship with Robinson, etc. Then, just as the movie plays out, 1980 Richard arrives through hypnosis, eventually they fall in love and the late '70s penny he accidentally left in his coat pocket falls into his hand. Reminding him of when he's from, this slowly makes him vanish and he flashes back to his present. From Elise's point of view, he probably became a blur and faded out.

Maybe from finding the penny, the watch or some other article of clothing he left behind, somehow deduces that Richard must've been from the future. Resigned to the fact that she'll never see him again, this marks a noticeable change in her behavior and she pines for him all those years. Over half a century later, and after reading that time travel book, her suspicions are confirmed when she hears about a young college playwright named Richard Collier in 1972. He's similar enough for her to realize this must be the same guy she fell in love with when she was a young woman. Still hanging onto the watch that he left sixty years before at the Grand Hotel, she begs him to "come back with" her. Although he doesn't have any idea what she's talking about, since this version of him is slightly younger than the 1980 Richard who was in 1912.

After 8 years, he becomes infatuated and, after putting two and two together, travels back there. After being accidentally brought back to the future when he sees the penny, he's so distraught that he collapses and dies in the same hotel room that he was in with young Elise. Then they meet in heaven at the end since their love transcends time. Which I think was the whole message of the movie. :)

Not having seen this film but I wish to, for this film uses Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op. 43, Variation 18, to a superb haunting effect.

Wow...what an excellent review and analysis of the movie...I'm totally impressed Jesse. ;)

This has always been one of my ultimate favorite movies. It contains several aspects that I love anyways (a wonderful romance, the idea of time travel, the period of the early 1900's, and the suspense of what is going to happen)...all of those combined makes for a wonderful movie, IMO.

I also think, IMO, that they couldn't have chosen 2 better actors to play the lead parts. Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour had such a beautiful chemistry in this movie, it was so moving. Also, I have never seen Jane Seymour look lovelier than in this movie....she almost had a beautiful ghostly/angelic appearance throughout the film.

The music from the movie is so beautiful, and goes so well with the theme of the movie itself. While watching it, it draws you into the plot, and makes you almost feel the love that they have between one another, as well as the anguish during other scenes.

I think this movie is so intense, I've always felt that way. The love that they have for each other is so passionate, yet so painful. To love someone from another time, and know that inevitably you can never really "be" with them, is a feeling of despair....yet always contains a feeling of hope, that things might or could someday work out.

All in all, this is a beautiful love story, perhaps one of the best I have seen. To see someone be that infatuated and in love with someone else, that they simply cannot bear to live without them...portrays the highest level of loving someone.

For those of you who have never seen this movie...I recommend that you do. :)

Yeah I've seen this a few times, mom loves it. It's good.  ;)

I love this movie-and own it on VHS.



Not having seen this film but I wish to, for this film uses Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op. 43, Variation 18, to a superb haunting effect.



I love that piece and yeah, I think of the movie every time I hear it.



There is another movie fairly similar but I can't remember the name (maybe someone can help me). It was about this guy who goes back in time (even though he wasn't quite aware that he was back in time). He met this woman and they fell in love. He describes to her that his necklace was from his grandmother-who stole it from his grandfather after their one night together. At the end, he gets on a helicopter (which came from the future and was bringing him back to his time) and as he is getting on, the woman steals the necklace-giving new meaning to the term "I'm my own grandpa".  ;) :D ;D ;D


Cat

I love this movie-and own it on VHS.



I love that piece and yeah, I think of the movie every time I hear it.



There is another movie fairly similar but I can't remember the name (maybe someone can help me). It was about this guy who goes back in time (even though he wasn't quite aware that he was back in time). He met this woman and they fell in love. He describes to her that his necklace was from his grandmother-who stole it from his grandfather after their one night together. At the end, he gets on a helicopter (which came from the future and was bringing him back to his time) and as he is getting on, the woman steals the necklace-giving new meaning to the term "I'm my own grandpa".  ;) :D ;D ;D


Cat



wow, I TOTALLY found it! It is called, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann.

Here's the link to it...it sounds rather interesting..I'll have to try to find it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086443/

wow, I TOTALLY found it! It is called, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann.

Here's the link to it...it sounds rather interesting..I'll have to try to find it.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086443/



Way cool (and karma to you). I have looked for the title and I know I posted about it somewhere here but no one could give me the name of it. And yes, I have looked, too.


Cat

Way cool (and karma to you). I have looked for the title and I know I posted about it somewhere here but no one could give me the name of it. And yes, I have looked, too.


Cat



I'm glad I could help. :) And, I found out that they have it on Blockbuster online...so I just added it to my list. :)

I'm glad I could help. :) And, I found out that they have it on Blockbuster online...so I just added it to my list. :)



I will have to see if Netflix has it.



Cat

I seen the movie shortly after it came out and enjoyed it much.  Did you happen to see the date of the penny in his pocket?

^ I think it was 1979, so they must've used a brand new penny when they were shooting the movie (since it was probably filmed the year before it came out).

You know, speaking of this...I wonder if it would've mattered when the penny was from, in relation to Richard being susceptable to it? He had pretty much an absolutely brand new item he was looking at with that penny, but I wonder if it had been from, say 1950 if it wouldn't have had quite as much of a drastic impact on him, or it would've taken him longer to fade out as a result.

Kind of like in Back To The Future, how the picture Marty had of his siblings...his older brother faded out in 1955 before his sister then he began to (until his parents kissed and fell in love)...since his brother Dave was the oldest, and his birth was closest to that date, and therefore most affected.

^ I think it was 1979, so they must've used a brand new penny when they were shooting the movie (since it was probably filmed the year before it came out).

You know, speaking of this...I wonder if it would've mattered when the penny was from, in relation to Richard being susceptable to it? He had pretty much an absolutely brand new item he was looking at with that penny, but I wonder if it had been from, say 1950 if it wouldn't have had quite as much of a drastic impact on him, or it would've taken him longer to fade out as a result.

Kind of like in Back To The Future, how the picture Marty had of his siblings...his older brother faded out in 1955 before his sister then he began to (until his parents kissed and fell in love)...since his brother Dave was the oldest, and his birth was closest to that date, and therefore most affected.


Funny thing was, in 1912 we still had Lincoln pennies. He would have had to seen the date when he took it out of his pocket for it to bring him back so quickly...

^ Yeah, I guess change circulates longer than paper money, since it's sturdier. I guess it could be around for as long as 50 years. I wonder what would've happened if Richard found any really old pennies from, say 1909 and took that back with him in his coat pocket. It would be from that time, although it would be really ratty and worn out. I wonder if that would've warped him out of that time too? Probably not.

^ Yeah, I guess change circulates longer than paper money, since it's sturdier. I guess it could be around for as long as 50 years. I wonder what would've happened if Richard found any really old pennies from, say 1909 and took that back with him in his coat pocket. It would be from that time, although it would be really ratty and worn out. I wonder if that would've warped him out of that time too? Probably not.



If he brought a bunch of bright shiny 1909 S and 1909 S VDB pennies back to the future and sold them, he could retire.  :D ;D ;D ;D  Or maybe any of the coins of the day.



Cat