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Anyone remember the film "Somwhere in Time"? Released back in 1980, it kinda bombed, but became a cult classic via a devoted fan base.
It's an over-the-top romantic story about impossible love. Sound familiar?
Turns out, there is an organization called INSITE (International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts) who started a group, a quarterly publication, eventually a website, and an annual meeting at the location where their film was shot, Mackinac Island, Michigan.
I see numerous parallels to our own experience. Perhaps it's worth exploring.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_teiOH4TA4Y0/Shm1q5BQSfI/AAAAAAAAAXo/FFHDp1uIYdE/s400/somewhere-in-time.jpg)
***Warning: spoilers below***
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I guess I was a moderate fan: I actually saw the film in its initial release in 1980, bought the soundtrack on LP (gorgeous music by John Barry), even had the piano sheet music for the theme.
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198031.jpg)
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Starring Christoper Reeve and Jane Seymour, "Somewhere in Time" tells the story of a man who falls in love with a portrait of a woman, and wills himself to travel back in time from 1979 to 1912 in order to meet her.
(http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:Ioa1v71XWzBwXM:http://www.starz.com/titles/SomewhereInTime/PublishingImages/somewhere_in_time_1980_685x385.jpg&t=1)
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Sounds preposterous, of course. But, I think it there are parallels to our own beloved story, both in the story, the film-making, and the fans' reaction.
(http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:hieGSDOLXspsLM:http://jackasscritics.com/images/movies/somewhere_in_time_01.jpg&t=1)
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IMDb storyline: 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 1900s, Elise McKenna. Becoming more and more obsessed with her, he manages, by self hypnosis, to travel back in time where he meets her. They fall in love, a matching that is not appreciated by her manager. Can their love outlast the immense problems caused by their "time" difference? And can Richard remain in a time that is not his?
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198091.jpg)
Elise asks, "Is it you?"
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The trailer:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwUy78ab4ns[/youtube]
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The whole film is availble on youtube, in little ten-minute increments.
I would like to propose some parallels to our own experience with BBM.
~Based on a story, "Bid Time Return".
~The theme of a young man who finds love in an unusual circumstance.
~The love is against the norm of the time, and other characters actively discourage it.
~The lovers experience it as life-changing.
~Christopher Reeve pursued this very different role, against advice, after doing "Superman", much as Heath pursued independent roles after "A Knight's Tale".
~Christopher Reeve, like Heath, died suddenly and young, shortening a promising career.
~Fans of the film organized themselves because of the beauty of the film, feeling a life-changing force that compelled them to further explore the film and its many meanings.
~Fans of "Somewhere inTime" meet regularly since 1990, at the site of the filming, in period dress, to celebrate the film and themselves. In fact, both Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour have attended their festivities.
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There's even a sequence describing time travel, complete with a philosophy professor, right out of "Donnie Darko".
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[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upkHzM_9cHA&feature=related[/youtube]
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It sounds intruiging, Paul.
I have to admit that, judging by the trailer and the plot, I normally probably wouldn't have considered it.
But what you tell about the fans and their activities, gives a whole other dimension to it. There must be something more to the film, at least for those hit by it. Sounds very familiar...
Without my own BBM experience, I would probably just have thought them lunatics ::) -- but, seriously, who am I to talk?? ;D
Maybe it's worth seeing, but I don't think I can take the risk of another blow like BBM.
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Talking about similarities, I even noticed some hay and a stable in one of the videos!! ;D
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I second what Sonja said. Judging from the storyline and trailer, it doesn't sound like a film I'd be interested in.
But what you tell about the fans and their activities, gives a whole other dimension to it. There must be something more to the film, at least for those hit by it. Sounds very familiar...
Without my own BBM experience, I would probably just have thought them lunatics ::) -- but, seriously, who am I to talk?? ;D
Yes. Who are we to talk?
Might be interesting to check out their forum. See what they're talking about, get the gist why they find this movie so fascinating.
LOL, like one alien species checking out another one ;) :laugh:.
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I found an official website, but no discussion forum. Maybe you have to be a member to access it. They charge 25 bucks a year to become a member :o.
I also went to good old IMDB's discussion site for the movie, but didn't find anything overly interesting.
But somehow I'm intrigued. Maybe I'll watch the movie.
*************possible spoiler***********************
The German title is "Ein tödlicher Traum" = A Deadly Dream
Judging from the title and the last scene, it looks like there's no happy end for the lovers. Another parallel to BBM.
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I saw 'Somewhere in Time' (with my ex wife cause' she insisted) while in college. While not usually a fan of typical love stories, I was mesmerized. Now that it was brought up as a possible parallel to BBM, I agree 100%. I remember leaving the theater stunned, profoundly sad, heartbroken for the couple and I couldn't stop thinking about them for days!
I wouldn't try to watch it in 10 minute intervals on You Tube. I would try to find it on Netflix. I believe those affected by BBM will have a similar experience with this movie.
Brad
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I saw this film when it first came out, when I was only 14 and VERY impressionable when it came to love, and what it was capable of making you do to get and keep it. Have watched it dozens of times since then (have it on VHS). It's a beautiful, romantic, and very pretty film -- from the gorgeous setting, to the Victorian costumes, to the old-world manners of the day.
One can only wonder "what if", when watching Chris Reeve in films like this when he was at the height of his powerful physicality and gorgeous looks and that killer smile. Similar to watching Patrick Swayze in "Dirty Dancing". To see what they were in their youth and naivete that things would always stay that way for them. But then reality rears its ugly head, and they're gone, just like that. Sad...
I'll check out SIT again, and try to come up with some more BBM parallels to add.
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I saw 'Somewhere in Time' (with my ex wife cause' she insisted) while in college. While not usually a fan of typical love stories, I was mesmerized. Now that it was brought up as a possible parallel to BBM, I agree 100%. I remember leaving the theater stunned, profoundly sad, heartbroken for the couple and I couldn't stop thinking about them for days!
I wouldn't try to watch it in 10 minute intervals on You Tube. I would try to find it on Netflix. I believe those affected by BBM will have a similar experience with this movie.
Brad
Thank you, Brad. I think this is the point: some viewers were profoundly affected by SIT, and felt the need to 'do something' further.
Yes. Who are we to talk?
Might be interesting to check out their forum. See what they're talking about, get the gist why they find this movie so fascinating.
LOL, like one alien species checking out another one ;) :laugh:.
Good one, Chrissi!
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I found an official website, but no discussion forum. Maybe you have to be a member to access it. They charge 25 bucks a year to become a member :o.
I also went to good old IMDB's discussion site for the movie, but didn't find anything overly interesting.
But somehow I'm intrigued. Maybe I'll watch the movie.
From what I gather, the fan "club" wasn't organized until 1990, ten years after the film was released. Obviously pre-internet. So, it seems they developed a series of quarterly newsletters, sent out via snail mail. That's what the membership fee pays for still. The website is not a forum, but rather a central information site. Oh, and they sell stuff.
Looks like the highlight is their SIT weekend, in October, held at the Grand Hotel where the film was shot. Sounds like fun! Imagine a lovely fall weekend on Mackinac (pronounced "mackin-awe") Island, meeting your fan-friends annually, dressing up in Edwardian style. Plus, almost all the film sites are within walking distance from each other. A far cry from Alberta!
*************possible spoiler***********************
The German title is "Ein tödlicher Traum" = A Deadly Dream
Judging from the title and the last scene, it looks like there's no happy end for the lovers. Another parallel to BBM.
Hmm, I guess you'll have to watch it to find out....
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I saw 'Somewhere in Time' (with my ex wife cause' she insisted) while in college. While not usually a fan of typical love stories, I was mesmerized. Now that it was brought up as a possible parallel to BBM, I agree 100%. I remember leaving the theater stunned, profoundly sad, heartbroken for the couple and I couldn't stop thinking about them for days!
I wouldn't try to watch it in 10 minute intervals on You Tube. I would try to find it on Netflix. I believe those affected by BBM will have a similar experience with this movie.
Brad
Thank you Brad.
I can't access Netflix, and it's not available in Germany. Thank god there's Amazon. The British import DVD is pretty cheap.
I really don't like watching stuff in 10 minute snippets in youtube. Only do it when there's no alternative.
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A far cry from Alberta!
:laugh:
Maybe we'll think of this next year!
Hmm, I guess you'll have to watch it to find out....
Well, I guess that settles it. ;D It will be in my next Amazon order.
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Thanks for an intriguing thread, Paul. I've heard this film compared to BBM before and I remember seeing a bit of it on TV awhile ago. Maybe I'll give it another try.
The Star Trek fandom also spawned many newsletters before the internet came along, probably mostly as an outlet for fan fiction. There must be a goodly amount of "Somewhere in Time" fanfic, too.
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I guess I was a moderate fan: I actually saw the film in its initial release in 1980, bought the soundtrack on LP (gorgeous music by John Barry), even had the piano sheet music for the theme.
I saw it with my classmates at William and Mary--1980 was the year I went to grad school. I loved it, and I still have my copy on videotape, although I admit I haven't watched it in years. That was when I fell in love with Jane Seymour--and 30 ( :o ) years later I still consider her one of the world's most beautiful women.
As for the music, if I remember correctly, the love theme--or a major theme, anyway--is, or is based on, Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
What a lovely film. :)
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Anyone remember the film "Somwhere in Time"? Released back in 1980, it kinda bombed, but became a cult classic via a devoted fan base.
It's an over-the-top romantic story about impossible love. Sound familiar?
Turns out, there is an organization called INSITE (International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiats) who started a group, a quarterly publication, eventually a website, and an annual meeting at the location where their film was shot, Mackinac Island, Michigan.
I hadn't thought of that movie in years but like Jeff, I have a copy on video. Now's the time to re-view it via Netflix. Although I did see Superman, Christopher Reeve will always be associated with the movie in my mind.
Come to think of it, the old-fashioned watch would be the equivalent of the two shirts. In the first scene, the elderly Elise McKenna gives him a pocket watch and then disappears into the crowd; he learns later that she died that same night. While he's in 1912, he gives the watch to her, so the watch becomes a symbol of timelessness within time.
Part of Mackinac Island's tourist appeal is that cars are banned from the island. The hotel still has one dining room where diners are required to dress up for dinner:
A number of dining options are available, from the legendary Main Dining Room—which overlooks the Straits of Mackinac and where a coat and tie for gentlemen and dress or pantsuit for ladies is required after 6:30 p.m.—to the more casual The Gate House, The Jockey Club at the Grand Stand and Carleton’s Tea Store. A full breakfast, Grand Luncheon Buffet and five-course dinner are included daily as part of the Full American Plan.
http://www.grandhotel.com/
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As for the music, if I remember correctly, the love theme--or a major theme, anyway--is, or is based on, Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
Actually "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." is in the movie. He hums the tune and she gets intrigued with it, later on having a music box made (a miniature of the hotel) that plays it. It works perfectly with the rest of the score.
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Earl and I saw this movie when it first came out (we did go to movie theaters fairly often back then), and both loved it, especially the music. We've seen it a number of times since on the movie channels. I still like it very much, and find nearly everything that John Barry has written wonderful.
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Come to think of it, the old-fashioned watch would be the equivalent of the two shirts. In the first scene, the elderly Elise McKenna gives him a pocket watch and then disappears into the crowd; he learns later that she died that same night. While he's in 1912, he gives the watch to her, so the watch becomes a symbol of timelessness within time.
What a great thought, Marcia: "timelessness within time".
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Actually "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." is in the movie. He hums the tune and she gets intrigued with it, later on having a music box made (a miniature of the hotel) that plays it. It works perfectly with the rest of the score.
I forgot about the music box, but I remember when Christopher Reeve catches site of a coin that's more "modern" than 1912.
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As for the music, if I remember correctly, the love theme--or a major theme, anyway--is, or is based on, Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini."
What a lovely film. :)
I went looking for my soundtrack; alas, it is still only on LP and the turntable (contemporary with the film, c. 1980) is packed away. Thanks to youtube, here is Rachmaninoff himself playing Paganini. Interestingly, it is a long piece, and the familiar bit from SIT is only one variation--number 18, the last.
This is actually part 2. The Somewhere in Time theme begins at 5:30.
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFcWepKxZD8&feature=related[/youtube]
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Here's a lovely take on the SIT theme by a fellow named Maksim:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkKue_MEnkk[/youtube]
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I got the DVD delivered yesterday, but it may take a little while before I watch it.
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WOW! Loved the film & this does bring back memories of the time
TampaTalon^">
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Watched it again a few days ago, noticed more parallels to BBM:
- older generation keeping young lovers apart
- looking out windows, and longing to see something that isn't there
- water rushing by when emotions are high
- reflection in mirror after kissing
- lovers running down stairs, into each other's arms
Question: Is it possible that the Christopher Plummer character in SIT and the Randy Quaid character in BBM were jealous that they never had the kind of love that they got to observe?
My favorite quote from SIT, from the always gorgeous and timeless Jane Seymour:
The man of my dreams has almost faded now -- the one I have created in my mind, the sort of man each woman dreams of in the deepest and most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now, before me. What would I say to him, if he were really here? 'Forgive me? I've never known this feeling. I've lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I fail to recognize you? You brought it to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say, I cannot find the words.
Except for these: I love you.'
And such would I say to him, if he were really here.
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Nice, Mandy.
Apparently many actresses auditioned for the part of Elise. They were each asked if they had been in love before, and Jane Seymour was the only one to say, 'no'.
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Watched it again a few days ago, noticed more parallels to BBM:
Question: Is it possible that the Christopher Plummer character in SIT and the Randy Quaid character in BBM were jealous that they never had the kind of love that they got to observe?
That's an interesting question, but might it be comparing apples to oranges to compare what they observed--or maybe that doesn't even make a difference? I would say all Joe Aguirre "got to observe" was man-on-man sex, and while it's possible he could be jealous because he never got to experience that ::) I don't really think he got to see the love.
the always gorgeous and timeless Jane Seymour:
I'm glad we're in agreement about Jane Seymour. :)
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I've been perusing the INSITE website lately. As I ordered a little something, I ended up corresponding with Jo Addie, the president of their fan club. She was very interested in hearing about the BBM fandom.
It turns out, she was an inadvertent extra in the film, and also ended up befriending "Chris" and "Jane".
It's a great story, called "Barely in Time: Confessions of a SIT Extra". Here's a link (http://www.somewhereintime.tv/article_confessions.htm).
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(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r89/jinky0u812/Somewhere-in-time.gif)
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Oh my goodness, Paul. That pic is so lovely. They just don't make women that exquisite anymore, do they? I'd only count Vivien Leigh among Jane's ranks. Oh, and my own mother, of course.
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Oh my goodness, Paul. That pic is so lovely. They just don't make women that exquisite anymore, do they? I'd only count Vivien Leigh among Jane's ranks. Oh, and my own mother, of course.
Heh. I'm straight for Jane Seymour. ... :laugh:
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Here's a more recent photo of her, thirty years later.
(http://martinbernstein.com/Gallery/albums/Jewelry/JaneSeymour_neckset.jpg)
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(http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r89/jinky0u812/Somewhere-in-time.gif)
She and Jake Gyllenhaal have mastered that look of love...you know just exactly what they're looking at...the beloved!!
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I would say all Joe Aguirre "got to observe" was man-on-man sex, and while it's possible he could be jealous because he never got to experience that ::) I don't really think he got to see the love.
I disagree...I think he definitely got to see the love!!
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I disagree...I think he definitely got to see the love!!
Well, you'll see what you want to see.
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Well, you'll see what you want to see.
As Ennis said, "Well, you'll go where you look." hehe
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The question I proposed earlier and point I was trying to make was this:
Neither the CP character or the RQ character's wives / significant others / love lives, etc. were ever mentioned or even alluded to. They were portrayed as watchers, rather than doers, when it came to love. We are shown time and time again of their spying eyes.
and
Both of them knew some of their client / employee's history. CP could obviously see that JS had beaus and pursuers, being such a strikingly beautiful woman, and had to fend them off before. RQ knew JG from hiring him the previous year and also knew there'd been something other than sheepherding going on up there.
Thoughts?
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The question I proposed earlier and point I was trying to make was this:
Neither the CP character or the RQ character's wives / significant others / love lives, etc. were ever mentioned or even alluded to. They were portrayed as watchers, rather than doers, when it came to love. We are shown time and time again of their spying eyes.
and
Both of them knew some of their client / employee's history. CP could obviously see that JS had beaus and pursuers, being such a strikingly beautiful woman, and had to fend them off before. RQ knew JG from hiring him the previous year and also knew there'd been something other than sheepherding going on up there.
Thoughts?
Yes, he did, but what he knew was going on up there was sex, not love. This is a culture that clearly draws a distinction between the two--and as a gay man whose been out a long time, I can certainly vouch for the fact that among gay men, the two, sex and love, don't necessarily go together (I'm sure straights can vouch for this, too, but I speak only from the life that I know). As for the culture, remember the old rancher who told Annie Proulx that he always sent his sheepherders off in pairs so they could "poke" one another if they got lonely? These are not people who even recognize the possibility of love between two men--even Ennis has trouble with that, apparently.
My memory of Christopher Plummer's character is of a controlling, possessive person. Jane Seymour was his "discovery," and her "career" was his creation. If she went off and gave up her career for love, he had a lot to lose. His purpose in life was solely invested in her career.
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Question: Is it possible that the Christopher Plummer character in SIT and the Randy Quaid character in BBM were jealous that they never had the kind of love that they got to observe?
My take on the Christopher Plummer character was that in some way he knew that this stranger represented something that would happen to cast a shadow over the rest of her life. He was certainly controlling but he seemed to be mainly motivated by protectiveness and a kind of frustration over a deep-down knowledge that there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
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Oh my goodness, Paul. That pic is so lovely. They just don't make women that exquisite anymore, do they? I'd only count Vivien Leigh among Jane's ranks. Oh, and my own mother, of course.
And those 1912 fashions were just perfect for her!
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And those 1912 fashions were just perfect for her!
Sure enough! Though Jane Seymour could wear anything from any period and make it look better! :)
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My copy comes from Netflix Friday.
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My copy comes from Netflix Friday.
You're in for a real treat. :)
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Yes, he did, but what he knew was going on up there was sex, not love. This is a culture that clearly draws a distinction between the two--and as a gay man whose been out a long time, I can certainly vouch for the fact that among gay men, the two, sex and love, don't necessarily go together (I'm sure straights can vouch for this, too, but I speak only from the life that I know). As for the culture, remember the old rancher who told Annie Proulx that he always sent his sheepherders off in pairs so they could "poke" one another if they got lonely? These are not people who even recognize the possibility of love between two men--even Ennis has trouble with that, apparently.
Interesting points, Jeff. I'm curious if other gay men on here would reiterate your distinctions? I was especially intrigued by your last sentence above -- "recognize the possibility of love". Which leads me to my next question, and I vaguely remember addressing this question before a few years ago on here somewhere. We believe that Jack had sex with the sheepherder he was with up on the mountain during the spring before he met Ennis. Are we to also believe that based on the story and the screenplay/film, that there's no remote possibility that Jack also could have loved THAT man, but just gave up quicker on HIM because it was potentially a first-time, flash-in-the-pan, you're-expected-to-be-this-way-with-your-raging-hormones-away-from-females kind of thing? What if he'd never met Ennis? (Eek, that possibility makes me sick to my stomach.) Anyway, what if Jack had gone back to the mountain and been faced with the other guy instead of Ennis? Could it THEN have finally become love through the passage of time, and the dedication it would have taken to return to the place of THEIR first meeting? Or would it have just been another spring filled with random sex?
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My memory of Christopher Plummer's character is of a controlling, possessive person. Jane Seymour was his "discovery," and her "career" was his creation. If she went off and gave up her career for love, he had a lot to lose. His purpose in life was solely invested in her career.
The next point you made that has me intrigued is, was the above your first and only impression of the man? I don't know how many times you saw the film or what age you were at when you did, but didn't you ever in the slightest, think that perhaps he was romantically in love with this woman first and foremost, and THEN would do anything he could do to MAKE it succeed, because he knew it would make her happy as a passionately-committed actress? Cause I've never felt any other way. Perhaps that's the romantic in me, I don't know.
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My copy comes from Netflix Friday.
Lynne, you're so intelligent and perceptive. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the film.
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My take on the Christopher Plummer character was that in some way he knew that this stranger represented something that would happen to cast a shadow over the rest of her life. He was certainly controlling but he seemed to be mainly motivated by protectiveness and a kind of frustration over a deep-down knowledge that there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
I would agree wholeheartedly with this, Marge. He was wise enough to know that fate had taken the reins. The look in Jane's and Chris's eyes said it all. And he, like Aquirre, was watching it from afar, and realizing that everything they'd strived for was about to be shot to hell.
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Interesting points, Jeff. I'm curious if other gay men on here would reiterate your distinctions? I was especially intrigued by your last sentence above -- "recognize the possibility of love". Which leads me to my next question, and I vaguely remember addressing this question before a few years ago on here somewhere. We believe that Jack had sex with the sheepherder he was with up on the mountain during the spring before he met Ennis. Are we to also believe that based on the story and the screenplay/film, that there's no remote possibility that Jack also could have loved THAT man, but just gave up quicker on HIM because it was potentially a first-time, flash-in-the-pan, you're-expected-to-be-this-way-with-your-raging-hormones-away-from-females kind of thing? What if he'd never met Ennis? (Eek, that possibility makes me sick to my stomach.) Anyway, what if Jack had gone back to the mountain and been faced with the other guy instead of Ennis? Could it THEN have finally become love through the passage of time, and the dedication it would have taken to return to the place of THEIR first meeting? Or would it have just been another spring filled with random sex?
I'm not that great at speculation, but my feeling is that a profound relationship is more than chemistry, it's also timing and environment. So, even if Jack had a relationship with a previous sheepherder, the timing in his life was not right as it was on the year he went up the mountain with Ennis. Also, if he'd met Ennis at the right time but in the wrong place, ie in the flatlands, their love may not have gotten out of the starting gate either. It really was a rare thing for all those to come together for the two of them.
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I'm not that great at speculation, but my feeling is that a profound relationship is more than chemistry, it's also timing and environment. So, even if Jack had a relationship with a previous sheepherder, the timing in his life was not right as it was on the year he went up the mountain with Ennis. Also, if he'd met Ennis at the right time but in the wrong place, ie in the flatlands, their love may not have gotten out of the starting gate either. It really was a rare thing for all those to come together for the two of them.
OOH, great thoughts! I'll have to watch it for the 400th time on 11/7 and reconsider it from the timing/environment perspective. ;)
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(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/southendmd/brokebackmtn_jandemeet.jpg)
"Is it you?"
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Yes, he did, but what he knew was going on up there was sex, not love.
An OT observation about the mountain scene with Aguirre:
IMO, this wouldn't be the first time that young males working for Aguirre had sex to relieve tension (re Annie Proulx' quote). What seems to really disturb him on his unexpected visit is the discovery that they've changed roles: Ennis up with the sheep, Jack back at camp. Aguirre might not have given either much thought; but the two together suggest a domestic arrangement that goes a bit beyond sex as a physical release.
When you think about it, that's a foundation of the opposition to same-sex marriage. It isn't so much opposition to same-sex activity as to the suggestion that there's something more than that. It's the people who are often accused of being "heteronormative" that are the real threats to the NOM organizers of the world.
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(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/southendmd/brokebackmtn_jandemeet.jpg)
"Is it you?"
Great BBM/Somewhere In Time sig! :)
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I would agree wholeheartedly with this, Marge. He was wise enough to know that fate had taken the reins. The look in Jane's and Chris's eyes said it all. And he, like Aquirre, was watching it from afar, and realizing that everything they'd strived for was about to be shot to hell.
Oh, now I'm gonna have to get a copy from Netflix too! My old VHS copy is somewhere around, but we don't have a VCR anymore.
As I recall, Seymour's character says that her manager has foreseen a number of things that would happen in her career; that he seemed to know just what would happen. So maybe he was a time-traveler too? Now I'll have to read the book!
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Oh, now I'm gonna have to get a copy from Netflix too! My old VHS copy is somewhere around, but we don't have a VCR anymore.
As I recall, Seymour's character says that her manager has foreseen a number of things that would happen in her career; that he seemed to know just what would happen. So maybe he was a time-traveler too? Now I'll have to read the book!
Oh stop it, Marge! Now you're just freaking me out with that possibility that CP was a time-traveler too? EEK! Guess tomorrow's going to have to be a double-feature afternoon.
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Interesting points, Jeff. I'm curious if other gay men on here would reiterate your distinctions?
Any gay man who would deny my point about a distinction between sex and love is a liar. The whole culture of gay bars--and now hook-up web sites--is built on that distinction--the desire to get laid, not the search for a life partner.
I was especially intrigued by your last sentence above -- "recognize the possibility of love". Which leads me to my next question, and I vaguely remember addressing this question before a few years ago on here somewhere. We believe that Jack had sex with the sheepherder he was with up on the mountain during the spring before he met Ennis. Are we to also believe that based on the story and the screenplay/film, that there's no remote possibility that Jack also could have loved THAT man, but just gave up quicker on HIM because it was potentially a first-time, flash-in-the-pan, you're-expected-to-be-this-way-with-your-raging-hormones-away-from-females kind of thing? What if he'd never met Ennis? (Eek, that possibility makes me sick to my stomach.) Anyway, what if Jack had gone back to the mountain and been faced with the other guy instead of Ennis? Could it THEN have finally become love through the passage of time, and the dedication it would have taken to return to the place of THEIR first meeting? Or would it have just been another spring filled with random sex?[/color]
"We" do? Believe that Jack had sex with his work partner the previous summer? "We" have no idea who Jack's work partner was the previous year. Maybe it was some old Basque who smelled bad and had no teeth? I'm sorry, but it seems like you're asking a lot of theoretical "what-if" type questions here. They just don't interest me. Or maybe I'm just tired because I've spent the whole day cleaning house. :P
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The next point you made that has me intrigued is, was the above your first and only impression of the man? I don't know how many times you saw the film or what age you were at when you did, but didn't you ever in the slightest, think that perhaps he was romantically in love with this woman first and foremost, and THEN would do anything he could do to MAKE it succeed, because he knew it would make her happy as a passionately-committed actress? Cause I've never felt any other way. Perhaps that's the romantic in me, I don't know.
Well, I specifically said, "my memory," because it's been a very long time since I last watched this film. But, again, my memory is that I never really felt the Plummer character was in love with the Seymour character. He always struck me as a Svengali or a Pygmalian type. Jane Seymour's character and her career as an actress was his creation, and Christopher Reeve's character was a threat to his creation. I never saw Plummer and Reeve as romantic rivals for Jane Seymour.
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When you think about it, that's a foundation of the opposition to same-sex marriage. It isn't so much opposition to same-sex activity as to the suggestion that there's something more than that. It's the people who are often accused of being "heteronormative" that are the real threats to the NOM organizers of the world.
Good thought, Marcia. Same-sex sex activity can always be dismissed as the sin of sodomy, and the participants dismissed and condemned as sinners. It's the suggestion that there is "something more" that's threatening.
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As I recall, Seymour's character says that her manager has foreseen a number of things that would happen in her career; that he seemed to know just what would happen. So maybe he was a time-traveler too? Now I'll have to read the book!
Yes, that is why she asks, "Is it you?" when she meet Richard. She, and Robinson her manager, were "expecting" him. I'm not sure if he is meant to be clairvoyant, or just foreseeing the inevitable.
We are told that he has been involved in Elise's career since she was sixteen. Is it more than a manager-actress relationship? Certainly he is protective of her; and dismissive of Richard. However, when Richard asks Robinson if he had aims on Elise as a wife, Robinson becomes very offended, as if ART were more important than just marriage. Doth he protest too much here? Surely, he was eager to "disappear" Richard when Richard professed his intentions. I do love how Elise stands up to him though ("I'm not a doormat you can wipe your boots on!").
I, too, plan to read the book to find out more. I just bought a copy of the old paperback for $1!
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Any gay man who would deny my point about a deistinction between sex and love is a liar. The whole culture of gay bars--and now hook-up web sites--is built on that distinction--the desire to get laid, not the search for a life partner.
"We" do? Believe that Jack had sex with his work partner the previous summer? "We" have no idea who Jack's work partner was the previous year. Maybe it was some old Basque who smelled bad and had no teeth? I'm sorry, but it seems like you're asking a lot of theoretical "what-if" type questions here. They just don't interest me. Or maybe I'm just tired because I've spent the whole day cleaning house. :P
Jeff, I certainly wasn't trying to offend you in any way by my comments. I thought that this, like all other topics on BetterMost, were brought forward so that we could try to understand each other better. You shared your experience and perspective, and I thank you for that. I was just hoping to extend the discussion about this great film amongst others who might have different experiences and perspectives, including myself.
Sorry my questions don't "interest" you. My bad...
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So, how did the double feature go? I'd love to hear about your viewing.
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SIT in late morning, and I've just paused at the 11/7 postcard moment in BBM. All is well, my friend.
After that, I've got the 2010 version of Nightmare on Elm Street lined up, now that it gets so dark so early:)
Thanks for asking, Lee!
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Jeff, I certainly wasn't trying to offend you in any way by my comments. I thought that this, like all other topics on BetterMost, were brought forward so that we could try to understand each other better. You shared your experience and perspective, and I thank you for that. I was just hoping to extend the discussion about this great film amongst others who might have different experiences and perspectives, including myself.
Sorry my questions don't "interest" you. My bad...
Please don't worry that I was offended because I sure enough wasn't. You weren't "bad" about anything, as far as I'm concerned. But you were asking questions that I'm just not interested in talking about--maybe I should apologize for my lack of interest. :-\ I probably came off sharper than I should have, too, and I'm sorry about that. :(
Memo to self: In future, don't write Bettermost posts after you've spent an entire day cleaning house. :P
I'm not sure where you get your assurance that Jack had sex with whoever he worked with the previous summer. Since Jack took the initiative with Ennis, I'm pretty sure myself that he was no virgin. It's a logical assumption that he had sex with his coworker the previous summer--but in the end, isn't that really still just an assumption? If he'd already been doing some rodeoing before he met Ennis, mightn't he have had his introduction to gay sex somewhere "out on the road" while he was rodeoing? That's just an assumption, too, of course, but you see where I'm going here? I can't recall anything in the movie or any text to allow a conclusive conclusion that Jack had sex with his coworker the previous summer. It's logical to think that might have happened, but we can't really prove it, can we?
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I'm just finding this thread. I remember a few years back, someone comparing Somewhere In Time with Brokeback Mountain, in terms of their fanbase, and the love affair. Now I (kind of) want to see it.
I just looked up Jane Seymour on Wikipedia. She's married to James Keach, and they have 5 year old twins:
"1993 to present: James Keach (with whom she had twins, Johnny and Kris, born November 30, 1995, and named after family friends, Johnny Cash and Christopher Reeve)"
She herself is nearly 60, how can she have 5 year old twins? I think there's more time traveling here than meets the eye. James Keach played the prison warden in Walk The Line, I'm pretty sure, the movie about their friend Johnny Cash.
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Hmm, not time travel, just plain old math.
If the twins were born in 1995, then they're almost 15, and Jane had them when she was about 45.
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Hmm, not time travel, just plain old math.
If the twins were born in 1995, then they're almost 15, and Jane had them when she was about 45.
Maybe time travellers just don't age very fast ???
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Hmm, not time travel, just plain old math.
If the twins were born in 1995, then they're almost 15, and Jane had them when she was about 45.
Yeah, no time traveling, just failure of anyone to update the entry. Shows the problem of stating anyone's age in something like a Wikipedia or IMDb entry; it's out of date almost as soon as it's posted.
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Anyone remember the film "Somwhere in Time"? Released back in 1980, it kinda bombed, but became a cult classic via a devoted fan base.
It's an over-the-top romantic story about impossible love. Sound familiar?
Turns out, there is an organization called INSITE (International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts) who started a group, a quarterly publication, eventually a website, and an annual meeting at the location where their film was shot, Mackinac Island, Michigan.
I see numerous parallels to our own experience. Perhaps it's worth exploring.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_teiOH4TA4Y0/Shm1q5BQSfI/AAAAAAAAAXo/FFHDp1uIYdE/s400/somewhere-in-time.jpg)
***Warning: spoilers below***
Just seeing this! This is my Mother in Law's fave film... I' saw it maybe about a year ago fter she raved about it and gave me the DVD - she says when she dies she wants the main love theme to be played in the church. It is very pretty.
I just bought thebook and soundtrack for her Christmas.. (I hadn't realised until I bought the CD that John Barry had done all the composing)
I must read this thread in full!
When buying the book I realised that the guy who wrote it has written a lot of books that have been turned into movies..
I Am Legend with Will Smith and What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams. Also Duel but I havent heard of that film.
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I just finished the novel by Richard Matheson, originally titled, "Bid Time Return", which comes from a line in Shakespeare's Richard II (act iii, scene 2): "O call back yesterday, bid time return."
I'll post more later.
(http://www.bookthink.com/images/008scf02.jpg)
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I just finished the novel by Richard Matheson, originally titled, "Bid Time Return", which comes from a line in Shakespeare's Richard II (act iii, scene 2): "O call back yesterday, bid time return."
I'll post more later.
(http://www.bookthink.com/images/008scf02.jpg)
I'm getting intrigued to read the book.
As if I have time for reading anymore. ... :-\
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I checked Amazon and Borders for Bid Time Return and it was rather pricey, probably because it wasn't released in paperback.
However, it was apparently re-released, titled Somewhere in Time. According to the plot summaries there were a number of changes between the book and film.
http://www.amazon.com/Somewhere-Time-Richard-Matheson/dp/0345289005/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1289405761&sr=1-7
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That's right. I think "Bid Time Return" is more rare. It was re-released at the time of the film as "Somewhere in Time". I found an old, yellowed paperback for $1 on ebay.
While the changes are significant between the novel and the film, Matheson did write the screenplay. He even has a cameo appearance as "Astonished Man".
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The twins would be 15 now, and she would have had them when she was in her early 40s. Entirely doable in this day and age.
I'm just finding this thread. I remember a few years back, someone comparing Somewhere In Time with Brokeback Mountain, in terms of their fanbase, and the love affair. Now I (kind of) want to see it.
I just looked up Jane Seymour on Wikipedia. She's married to James Keach, and they have 5 year old twins:
"1993 to present: James Keach (with whom she had twins, Johnny and Kris, born November 30, 1995, and named after family friends, Johnny Cash and Christopher Reeve)"
She herself is nearly 60, how can she have 5 year old twins? I think there's more time traveling here than meets the eye. James Keach played the prison warden in Walk The Line, I'm pretty sure, the movie about their friend Johnny Cash.
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Interesting thing on IMDB.. the director asked all the females up for the part if they had ever been in love.. and Jane was the only one that said no.
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Mental Time Travel may not be a far-fetch plot device after all...
http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-scientists-evidence-chronesthesia-mental.html (http://www.physorg.com/news/2010-12-scientists-evidence-chronesthesia-mental.html)
"Researchers have found evidence for “chronesthesia,” which is the brain’s ability to be aware of the past and future, and to mentally travel in subjective time. They found that activity in different brain regions is related to chronesthetic states when a person thinks about the same content during the past, present, or future."
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Happy 100th Anniversary to Elise and Richard!
June 27, 1912-2012
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198091.jpg)
I recently received this email from the president of the Somewhere in Time fan club:
June 27th is this Wednesday.
Dear Somewhere in Time Fans and Friends,
I invite you to commemorate this milestone by watching the movie, and making it a special day for you, and those you love.
Somewhere in Time is about True Love, and the Forever Aspect of Love.
Make it a day to let your loved ones know you love them.
Mark it with a memory -- mark it with merriment. Raise a glass to Richard Collier and Elise McKenna! Express your love to your honey, and to your family...
If you need Somewhere in Time Collectibles to help you do that, visit the Somewhere in Time Website online shop.
Also of importance -- Grand Hotel will celebrate its 125th Anniversary this July 10th, and the hotel is celebrating from July 10 to 15th. They will be cutting a 125-foot long cake, serving it to guests on Tuesday, July 10th.
Somewhere in Time is more than a movie -- it's a celebration of Love.
Thank you for being fans of this most extraordinary piece of classic entertainment.
Yours in time,
Jo Addie
Somewhere in Time Gallery
INSITE fan society President/Editor
www.somewhereintime.tv
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(http://www.deviantart.com/download/258016821/somewhere_in_time_by_ozonablue-d49m71x.jpg)
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
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I think I might watch the film tonight and toast to Elise and Richard.
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XAdAfivwi9w/T4FCS6rSjzI/AAAAAAAACVE/FuKkc8VFbdc/s1600/somewhere_in_time3.jpg)
(http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/40/4025/GVOWF00Z/posters/somewhere-in-time-1980.jpg)
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Sounds like a great idea...thanks for these wonderfully romantic photos!
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(http://www.deviantart.com/download/258016821/somewhere_in_time_by_ozonablue-d49m71x.jpg)
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
I've wanted to visit Mackinac Island ever since I saw the movie for the first time.
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Congratulations to Elise and Richard! :-*
Funny, someone on Facebook posted that today was the day that Marty McFly and the Professor projected to arrive in the future in "Back to the Future." Someone debunked it, though. Looks like it's still a significant date after all. 8)
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(http://www.deviantart.com/download/258016821/somewhere_in_time_by_ozonablue-d49m71x.jpg)
Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island
Wow, that hotel is really something!
It's the perfect setting for the movie.
I'd love to see it one day.
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I'm so glad this thread was revived this week -- Somewhere In Time is one of my all-time favorite romantic films but I haven't watched it in years. Time to put it on my Netflix queue; we only have it in VHS.
The gazebo in the film is available for weddings, with an indoor chapel as a backup in case of bad weather:
(http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q135/talkstocoyotes/Gazebo20Wedding.jpg) ................ (http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q135/talkstocoyotes/Gazebo20wedding20set20up.jpg)
"The Somewhere in Time Gazebo is situated on a wooded bluff just east of Fort Mackinac, overlooking the lilacs of Marquette Park, the village of Mackinac Island, and Straits of Mackinac. This is the original gazebo from the 1980 romantic movie Somewhere in Time, filmed on Mackinac Island.
"Somewhere in Time, the romantic period drama starring Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve, was filmed on Mackinac Island in 1979 and released in 1980. The film was met with limited interest when first released, but over time has developed a broad following of fans and is now considered a cult classic. Members of INSITE (the Somewhere in Time fan club) gather for an annual weekend celebration at Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in October. A monument ("Is it you?") marks the spot where Christopher Reeve's character finds Seymour on the west side of the island.
"The gazebo constructed for and used in scenes in the movie remained on the island after filming. It was placed in the back yard of the Michigan Governor's Summer Residence until the fall of 2005. The gazebo has been restored and moved to a new location on a wooded bluff near Fort Mackinac."
more information, including fees, at http://www.mackinacparks.com/weddings/index.aspx?l=0,1,6,271
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We only have it in VHS.
Me, too! :laugh:
It's one of those films that, as much as I like it, I never seem to get around to obtaining it on DVD. :-\
"Procrastination, thy name is Wrangler." ;) ;D
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I received this email from the President of the Somewhere in Time fan club:
Greetings Somewhere in Time Fans and Friends,
Today is September 25, and would have been Christopher Reeve's 60th Birthday.
(http://kreativpedia.kreativcuts.com/images/christopher-reeve-20070429-247345.jpg)
We encourage you to reflect on the man whom we all love and respect for his generosity, positivity, vision. And for the inspiration he still provides us -- for strength and courage in the face of adversity -- every day.
Back on August 26th, the Ovation Channel showed "Somewhere in Time." They will be showing it again 2 times today in honor of Chris.
The Ovation Channel is doing something beyond just presenting the film. In the commercial breaks, they are revealing facts about Chris' life, for example, "At 6 feet 4 inches, he was the tallest actor ever to play Superman." Also, "With his blue eyes, he was also quite blue-blooded. Chris was not only a descendant of a Mayflower Pilgrim but also a descendant of King Henry V of England."
The Ovation website says they will be showing SIT again at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM Central Time this evening.
For INSITE Members: 2nd Quarter INSITE issue is filled with goodies, including our gorgeous color commemorative for 2012, and is going out to the membership tomorrow! If you're not a member, please subscribe -- it's easy to do so in the Fan Club section of the SIT Website. You'll be delighted with our elegant magazine--and you'll definitely want to frame the 8 by 10 Commemorative.
Also, we will have a very exciting announcement regarding the Somewhere in Time stage Musical very soon!
Yours in time,
Jo Addie
INSITE President/Editor
www.somewhereintime.tv
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Come back to me, Richard!
:'(
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Happy 101st Anniversary to Elise and Richard!
June 27, 1912-2013
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198091.jpg)
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Sadly, Richard Matheson died on June 23 at the age of 87.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/books/richard-matheson-writer-of-haunted-science-fiction-and-horror-dies-at-87.html?_r=0
(http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/06/26/arts/MATHESON-8-obit/MATHESON-8-obit-articleLarge.jpg)
By Bruce Weber
Published: June 25, 2013
FacRichard Matheson, whose novels, short stories, screenplays and teleplays drew the blueprints for dozens of science fiction and horror movies and television shows, died on Sunday at his home in Calabasas, Calif. He was 87.
His death was confirmed by his son Richard Christian, known as R. C.
Mr. Matheson had a prolific imagination for the “what if?” story, and he drew his ideas from both actual events and other stories. After the unsettling experience of being tailgated by a truck driver, he wrote the short story “Duel,” about a motorist who is relentlessly stalked in a highway chase by a tractor-trailer, its driver unseen. The story became the basis for Steven Spielberg’s first feature film, starring Dennis Weaver.
An early novel, and perhaps his best-known work, “I Am Legend,” about the last surviving human in a world in which everyone else is a vampire, was published in 1954 and adapted in 1964 as “The Last Man on Earth” with Vincent Price, in 1971 as “The Omega Man” with Charlton Heston and in 2007 as “I Am Legend” with Will Smith.
Mr. Matheson was inspired to write it while watching the 1931 film version of “Dracula.”
“My mind drifted off, and I thought, ‘If one vampire is scary, what if the whole world is full of vampires?’ ” Mr. Matheson said in an interview with the Archive of American Television.
In a widely distributed statement, Stephen King, who acknowledged Mr. Matheson as an influence, said: “Matheson fired the imaginations of three generations of writers. Without his ‘I Am Legend,’ there would have been no ‘Night of the Living Dead’; without “Night of the Living Dead,’ there would have been no ‘Walking Dead,’ ‘28 Days Later’ or ‘World War Z’.”
Mr. Matheson’s 1956 novel “The Shrinking Man,” a frightening fantasy about a man whose simultaneous exposure to insecticide and radioactivity causes him to dwindle gradually in size, was adapted twice for the movies — once as a horror story, “The Incredible Shrinking Man” (1957), and once as a comedy starring Lily Tomlin, “The Incredible Shrinking Woman” (1981).
In the late 1990s two of his books, “A Stir of Echoes,” a ghost story, and “What Dreams May Come,” about a man adrift in the afterlife, were also made into feature films, starring Kevin Bacon and Robin Williams respectively.
Another novel, “Hell House” (1971), about four people investigating paranormal activity in what one character describes as “the Mount Everest of haunted houses,” became the 1973 film “The Legend of Hell House,” starring Roddy McDowall. The book showed off Mr. Matheson’s gift for creepy atmospherics.
“Edith turned and saw a body of water ahead, a gravel path curving to its left,” Mr. Matheson wrote, describing a character’s first approach to the house. “The surface of the water looked like clouded gelatin sprinkled with a thin debris of leaves and grass. A miasma of decay hovered above it, and the stones which lined its shore were green with slime.”
Mr. Matheson sometimes wrote the screenplays for the adaptations of his books, including “Duel” and “The Legend of Hell House”; he adapted Edgar Allan Poe stories for several films, including “House of Usher,” “Pit and the Pendulum” and “Tales of Terror”; and he wrote the screenplay for the 1965 film “Die! Die! My Darling!,” which starred Tallulah Bankhead as a grieving, demented mother who terrorizes the young woman she blames for her son’s death.
Mr. Matheson was also a busy television writer. He wrote for westerns like “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “Cheyenne” and “Lawman,” and for the war drama “Combat!” But he was mostly known for his work on science fiction and thriller series: “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Star Trek” and especially “The Twilight Zone,” for which he wrote more than a dozen episodes, including the classic “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” which starred William Shatner as an airplane passenger who spies a gremlin on the wing bent on crippling the plane.
Recalling the genesis of that episode, Mr. Matheson said: “I was on an airplane and I looked out and there were all these fluffy clouds and I thought, ‘Gee, what if I saw a guy skiing across that like it was snow?,’ because it looked like snow. But when I thought it over, that’s not very scary, so I turned it into a gremlin out on the wing.”
Mr. King wrote in a brief e-mail Tuesday that Mr. Matheson “was a seminal figure in the horror and fantasy genres, as important in his way as Poe or Lovecraft.”
In his statement he wrote: “He fired my imagination by placing his horrors not in European castles and Lovecraftian universes, but in American scenes I knew and could relate to. ‘I want to do that,’ I thought. ‘I must do that.’ Matheson showed the way.”
Richard Burton Matheson was born in Allendale, N.J., on Feb. 20, 1926, and grew up in Brooklyn. His parents were Norwegian immigrants; his father, Bertolf, installed tile flooring and helped operate speakeasies during Prohibition.
A voracious reader as a boy, Mr. Matheson graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School. He served in the Army in Europe during World War II, an experience that was the source of his novel “The Beardless Warriors.” He studied journalism at the University of Missouri, after which he began writing fiction in earnest. For a time he worked at Douglas Aircraft. He published his first genre story, “Born of Man and Woman,” about a young couple who give birth to a monster and keep him in the cellar, in 1950.
Mr. Matheson married Ruth Ann Woodson in 1952. She survives him. Besides his son R. C., he is also survived by another son, Christian; two daughters, Bettina Matheson Mayberry and Ali Marie Matheson; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
Asked if his father, with whom he ran an entertainment company, had a motto or a saying that he lived by, R. C. Matheson said that he had kept a sign above his desk that read, “That which you think becomes your world.”
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From wiki:
Bid Time Return (later retitled Somewhere in Time) is a 1975 science fiction novel by Richard Matheson. It concerns a man from the 1970s who travels back in time to court a 19th century stage actress whose photograph has captivated him. In 1980, it was made into the movie Somewhere in Time, the title of which was used for future editions of the book.
Matheson has stated, "Somewhere in Time is the story of a love which transcends time, What Dreams May Come is the story of a love which transcends death.... I feel that they represent the best writing I have done in the novel form."
Background: While traveling with his family, Matheson was entranced by the portrait of American actress Maude Adams in Piper's Opera House in Nevada. "It was such a great photograph," Matheson reports, "that creatively I fell in love with her. What if some guy did the same thing and could go back in time?" Then Matheson researched her life and was struck by her reclusiveness. To create the novel, he resided for many weeks at the Hotel del Coronado (where the novel takes place) and dictated his impressions into a tape recorder while experiencing himself in the role of Richard Collier. Matheson based much of the biographical information about the character of Elise McKenna directly on Adams. The book's original title comes from a line in Shakespeare's Richard II (Act III, Scene 2): "O call back yesterday, bid time return."
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Maude_Adams1.jpg/200px-Maude_Adams1.jpg)
Maude Adams in 1892
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Thanks, Paul. I'm sorry to hear he's passed. The background of Somewhere in Time is very interesting.
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What an inspiring author! It seems like Bid Time Return and What Dreams May Come are different than his other works. WDMC is also a very good movie that I like to watch on New Year's Eve every year.
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Happy 101st Anniversary to Elise and Richard!
June 27, 1912-2013
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198091.jpg)
Well, there you can really talk about "a love that never grows old".
Or, wait --- maybe it did grow old....?? 8)
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Paul, Thanks for posting about Richard Matheson. His death gave me great pause b/c so few realize how extensive his writings are and how many of them have been the basis for films. After seeing "Somewhere In Time (1980)" my rapid romantic gene kicked in and I tracked down the original "Bid Time Return (hardbound)" about 25 years ago using the then only means how, the Barnes and Nobles book search service..way before our beloved internet.. along with an original film poster. These are both cherished, not only for their artistry but the fact that kicked me so hard. The only film to have since done that is BBM. Both are linked. Cheers, Vincent.
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Great to hear from you, gattaca!
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I recently came across the loveliest tribute to Christopher Reeve as Superman. I know it has nothing to do with Somewhere in Time, but I think it's such a lovely tribute that I wanted to share it.
Background: A couple of weeks ago I picked up a magazine I'm not at all familiar with called Life Story. I found it on the magazine rack at the drug store, and I noticed it because Henry Cavill as Superman is on the cover, and it features a "Superman 75th Anniversary Tribute." I thought this might make a nice souvenir of Man of Steel.
Anyway, the magazine features articles about all the actors who have played Superman on the screen, large screen and small screen. The article on Christopher Reeve includes the following:
"Christopher Reeve ... became the interpretation of Superman that all others would be measured against. His characterization touched the world, which was proven by the outpouring of love that, first, greeted the news he had been made a quadriplegic in a horse riding accident while taking part in an equestrian competition on May 27, 1995; and, then, his death on October 10, 2004, from complications of that injury. In between he had shown a superhuman spirit of his own as he tirelessly campaigned to raise funds for and awareness of spinal cord research."
To which I add, Amen. :)
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(http://i.ebayimg.com/10/!Bm3pON!B2k~$(KGrHqQH-CQEtbfLK17,BLhOkwuksg~~_12.JPG)
I've been watching a mini Teresa Wright film festival lately. Teresa Wright played Laura Roberts in Somewhere in Time, companion to the elder Elise. She has a touching scene with Chris Reeve, who reveals the pocket watch. Laura shows him some artifacts, including the music box shaped like the Grand Hotel that plays the Rhapsody; also the "Travels through Time" book.
(http://www.chrisreevehomepage.com/images/sit/i-sit07.jpg)
(Aside: I have a replica of the Grand Hotel music box, beautifully detailed and plays the rhapsody; I also have a rare fake book with the "Travels through Time" dust jacket!)
(http://www.somewhereintime.tv/images/gallery_musicboxhotel1.gif)
I didn't know much about her. Turns out she was a huge star in the 1940s. She famously is the only person to be Oscar-nominated for her first three roles. I recently watched "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946, won for best supporting actress), "Mrs. Miniver" (1942), and Hitchcock's favorite "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943). The latter was fascinating; she even got TOP billing, over Joseph Cotten and the title. In "Shadow", she very convincingly goes from bored and naive to suspicious and worldly.
(http://www.latimes.com/includes/projects/hollywood/portraits/teresa_wright.jpg)
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A little bio from IMDb:
Date of Birth 27 October 1918 , Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Date of Death 6 March 2005 , New Haven, Connecticut, USA (heart attack)
Birth Name Muriel Teresa Wright
Height 5' 3" (1.6 m)
Mini Bio (1)
A natural and lovely talent who was discovered for films by Samuel Goldwyn, the always likable Teresa Wright distinguished herself early on in high-caliber, Oscar-worthy form -- the only performer ever to be nominated for Oscars for her first three films. Always true to herself, she was able to earn Hollywood stardom on her own unglamorized terms.
Born Muriel Teresa Wright in the Harlem district of New York City on October 27, 1918, her parents divorced when she was quite young and she lived with various relatives in New York and New Jersey. An uncle of hers was a stage actor. She attended the exclusive Rosehaven School in Tenafly, New Jersey. The acting bug revealed itself when she saw the legendary Helen Hayes perform in a production of "Victoria Regina." After performing in school plays and graduating from Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, she made the decision to pursue acting professionally.
Apprenticing at the Wharf Theatre in Provincetown, Massachusetts during the summers of 1937 and 1938 in such plays as "The Vinegar Tree" and "Susan and God", she moved to New York and changed her name to Teresa after she discovered there was already a Muriel Wright in Actors Equity. Her first New York play was Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" wherein she played a small part but also understudied the lead ingénue role of Emily. She eventually replaced Martha Scott in the lead after the actress was escorted to Hollywood to make pictures and recreate the Emily role on film. It was during her year-long run in "Life with Father" that Teresa was seen by Goldwyn talent scouts, was tested, and ultimately won the coveted role of Alexandra in the film The Little Foxes (1941). She also accepted an MGM starlet contract on the condition that she not be forced to endure cheesecake publicity or photos for any type of promotion and could return to the theater at least once a year. Oscar-nominated for her work alongside fellow cast members Bette Davis (as calculating mother Regina) and Patricia Collinge (recreating her scene-stealing Broadway role as the flighty, dipsomaniac Aunt Birdie), Teresa's star rose even higher with her next pictures.
Playing the good-hearted roles of the granddaughter in the war-era tearjerker Mrs. Miniver (1942) and baseball icon Lou Gehrig's altruistic wife in The Pride of the Yankees (1942) opposite Gary Cooper, the pretty newcomer won both "Best Supporting Actress" and "Best Actress" nods respectively in the same year, ultimately taking home the supporting trophy. Teresa's fourth huge picture in a row was Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and she even received top-billing over established star Joseph Cotten who played a murdering uncle to her suspecting niece. Wed to screenwriter Niven Busch in 1942, she had a slip with her fifth picture Casanova Brown (1944) but bounced right back as part of the ensemble cast in the "Best Picture" of the year The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) portraying the assuaging daughter of Fredric March and Myrna Loy who falls in love with damaged soldier-turned-civilian Dana Andrews.
With that film, however, her MGM contract ended. Remarkably, she made only one movie for the studio ("Mrs. Miniver") during all that time. The rest were all loanouts. As a freelancing agent, the quality of her films began to dramatically decline. Pictures such as Enchantment (1948), Something to Live For (1952), California Conquest (1952), Count the Hours (1953), Track of the Cat (1954) and Escapade in Japan (1957) pretty much came and went. For her screenwriter husband she appeared in the above-average western thriller Pursued (1947) and crime drama The Capture (1950). Her most inspired films of that post-war era were The Men (1950) opposite film newcomer Marlon Brando and the lowbudgeted but intriguing The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956) which chronicled the fascinating story of an American housewife who claimed she lived a previous life.
The "Golden Age" of TV was her salvation during these lean film years in which she appeared in fine form in a number of dramatic showcases. She recreated for TV the perennial holiday classic The 20th Century-Fox Hour: The Miracle on 34th Street (1955) in which she played the Maureen O'Hara role opposite Macdonald Carey and Thomas Mitchell. Divorced from Busch, the father of her two children, in 1952, Teresa made a concentrated effort to return to the stage and found consistency in such plays as "Salt of the Earth" (1952), "Bell, Book and Candle" (1953), "The Country Girl" (1953), "The Heiress" (1954), "The Rainmaker" (1955) and "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1957) opposite Pat Hingle, in which she made a successful Broadway return. Marrying renowned playwright Robert Anderson in 1959, stage and TV continued to be her primary focuses, notably appearing under the theater lights in her husband's emotive drama "I Never Sang for My Father" in 1968. The couple lived on a farm in upstate New York until their divorce in 1978.
By this time a mature actress now in her 50s, challenging stage work came in the form of "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the Moon Marigolds", "Long Day's Journey Into Night", "Morning's at Seven" and "Ah, Wilderness!" Teresa also graced the stage alongside George C. Scott's Willy Loman (as wife Linda) in an acclaimed presentation of "Death of a Salesman" in 1975, and appeared opposite Scott again in her very last play, "On Borrowed Time" (1991). After almost a decade away from films, she came back to play the touching role of an elderly landlady opposite Matt Damon in her last picture, John Grisham's The Rainmaker (1997). Teresa passed away of a heart attack in 2005.
TRivia:-In honor of her heartfelt performance in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), when Teresa Wright died in 2005, when the roll call of former Yankees who had passed on was announced, her name was read out among all the ballplayers.
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As mentioned earlier, the fans of SIT gather at Mackinac Island every October at the Grand Hotel. Apparently, some of the stars occasionally show up. For the 20th anniversary in 2000, Teresa Wright, Jane Seymour and post-accident Chris Reeve all showed up. How thrilling that must have been!
Here's a link to a sweet photo of the three, noting that Teresa and Chris hadn't seen each other in 20 years:
(http://www.somewhereintime.tv/Premiere/15teresachris.JPG)
http://www.somewhereintime.tv/Premiere/teresachris.html
Sadly, so many of the cast have died. Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer are the only major players alive.
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Happy 102nd Anniversary to Elise and Richard!
June 27, 1912-2014
(http://www.orble.com/images/somewhere-in-time-198091.jpg)
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Aww....
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You know, I don't think I've ever seen this movie.
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You know, I don't think I've ever seen this movie.
Chuck, I recommend it. It's a bit melodramatic and simple but a great entanglement... and bring some tissues...I still remember seeing it theaters when it first opened and was completely overwhelmed. It kicked me really hard, enough to locate the book it was based on and this was way before the internet. But, it is a love story with two major screen stars at the top of their games, hence, not for everyone. V.
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Re-reading this thread I got some good ideas for a mini-film festival during the coming snow storm! I want to see "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Somewhere in Time" for sure...join me?
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Re-reading this thread I got some good ideas for a mini-film festival during the coming snow storm! I want to see "Shadow of a Doubt" and "Somewhere in Time" for sure...join me?
You got one coming in from the Pacific?
You should see The Little Foxes, too.
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Happy 104th Anniversary to Elise and Richard!
June 27, 1912-2016
(http://www.silverpetticoatreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Screenshot-2015-09-07-23.25.jpg)
(http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q186/southendmd/brokebackmtn_jandemeet.jpg)
"Is it you?"
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Awww.....
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Love the compilation, Paul!
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I'm having a peculiar evening. I got in a mood, and so I watched this for the first time in many years. That probably didn't help my mood, but, oh, well. ...
So beautiful, so beautiful.
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Fun Fact: George Wendt was in the cast as a "Student"--I presume in the scene where Richard is celebrating the opening of his play, where the elderly Elise McKenna gives him the pocket watch.
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Thanks for bumping this thread, Jeff. I went back to try to fix some of the broken links and such.
Fun Fact: George Wendt was in the cast as a "Student"--I presume in the scene where Richard is celebrating the opening of his play, where the elderly Elise McKenna gives him the pocket watch.
Also: William H. Macy is listed as "critic". And Tim Kazurinsky is the 1912 photographer.
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Thanks for bumping this thread, Jeff. I went back to try to fix some of the broken links and such.
Also: William H. Macy is listed as "critic". And Tim Kazurinsky is the 1912 photographer.
My pleasure, Paul. It's been way too long since I last saw Somewhere in Time. I can't say how long that DVD sat on my shelf unopened until last night. If it weren't for Mercy Street and Victoria on PBS this evening, I'd probably watch it again tonight!
I really ought to go back and read through this thread, too.
I recognized William H. Macy's name in the credits. Somehow that didn't surprise me as much as George Wendt! Next time I'll have to see if I can spot and recognize him. I don't know that name, Tim Kazurinsky.
On "another forum" I just read an article about a visit Jane Seymour made to Mackinac Island in 2015. I expect you all knew this already, but I just learned they have a plaque on the beach where Elise met Richard. That made me smile.
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Sort of a bump, I guess.
I just read that the character of Elise McKenna was based on real-life actress Maude Adams.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Adams (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maude_Adams)
Maybe this has been noted already. I'm just too lazy to search the thread. ;D
Maude Adams was Lesbian. Elise McKenna decidedly was not.
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Not only was Elise based on Maude, but the author stated that he fell in love with a photo of Maude. He then imagined “what if” he could go back in time and meet her.
(http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/f49ce4df7a.jpg)
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lovely picture of her.
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This was fascinating. Thank you for posting! It's amazing the things I have learned on this forum. I spent so much time during my career simply focused on maximizing my employers' profitability and missed out on so much! I have a lot of catch-up to do.
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Such sad eyes...