''Somewhere in Time'' is a 1980 American romantic

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

from Universal Pictures, directed by

Jeannot Szwarc Jeannot Szwarc (21 November 1937 – 14 January 2025) was a French director known for his work in American film and television. His film credits included '' Jaws 2'', ''Somewhere in Time'', ''Supergirl'' and '' Santa Claus: The Movie''. Szwarc ...

and starring

Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve (September 25, 1952 – October 10, 2004) was an American actor, activist, director, and author. He amassed Christopher Reeve on stage and screen, several stage and screen credits in his 34-year career, including playin ...

Jane Seymour Jane Seymour (; 24 October 1537) was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 30 May 1536 until her death the next year. She became queen following the execution of Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, who was ...

and

Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...

. It is a film adaptation of the novel '' Bid Time Return'' (1975) by

Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science ficti ...

, who also wrote the screenplay. Reeve plays Richard Collier, a playwright who becomes obsessed with the photograph of a young woman at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Through self-

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

, he transports himself back in time to the year 1912 to find love with actress Elise McKenna (portrayed by Seymour). He comes into conflict with Elise's manager, William Fawcett Robinson (portrayed by Plummer), who attempts to deter him, fearing that romance would derail her career. The film is known for its musical score composed by John Barry, featuring pianist

Roger Williams Roger Williams (March 1683) was an English-born New England minister, theologian, author, and founder of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Pl ...

. The 18th variation of

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

's '' Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'' is also used several times. In 2018, Seymour disclosed that she and Reeve fell in love while working on the film. However, they broke up after Reeve found out his ex-girlfriend was expecting their child. The two remained close friends for the rest of Reeve's life. Despite negative critical reception and poor box office receipts in its original release, the movie developed a cult following.

Plot

In 1972, college theater student Richard Collier celebrates the debut of his new play. An elderly woman approaches him, places an ornate gold pocket watch in his hand, and pleads, "Come back to me." Eight years later, Richard is a successful playwright living in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. While struggling with writer's block after breaking up with his girlfriend, he decides to take a road trip. Passing the Grand Hotel, he has the impulse to stay there. In the hotel's Hall of History, he becomes enthralled with a vintage photograph of Elise McKenna, an early-20th century stage actress. Research at the library shows that she is the woman who gave him the pocket watch. Richard visits Laura Roberts, Elise's former housekeeper and companion. She reveals that Elise died the night she gave Richard the watch. Among Elise's personal effects is a book on time travel written by his old college professor, Dr. Gerard Finney, and a miniature Grand Hotel music box she commissioned that plays the 18th variation of '' Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini'' by Rachmaninoff, his favorite musical piece. Having fallen in love with Elise, Richard becomes obsessed with traveling back to 1912 and meeting her. He visits Finney, who believes that he briefly time-traveled through the power of self-suggestion. Richard outfits himself with a vintage

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

and 1912 currency. He fills a coin pocket in the suit with pocket change before realizing that modern coinage would break the spell, then empties the pocket. He attempts to will himself to 1912 using tape-recorded suggestions. The attempt fails, but after finding a hotel register from 1912 containing his signature, he realizes that he will succeed. He makes another attempt, hiding the tape recorder after realizing that it was a reminder of the present. When he awakes in 1912, he finds Elise walking by the lake. Upon meeting him, she asks, "Is it you?” Her manager, William Fawcett Robinson, intervenes and sends Richard away. Although Elise is initially uninterested, Richard pursues her until she agrees to accompany him on a stroll the following afternoon. He asks what Elise meant by "Is it you?" Elise reveals that Robinson had predicted that she would meet a man who will change her life and that she should be afraid. On a rowboat, Richard hums Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody, which intrigues Elise as she had never heard it before, its premiere still decades in the future. Richard shows her the pocket watch she will give to him in sixty years. Richard attends Elise's play where she recites an impromptu romantic monologue while making eye contact with him. In the interval, Elise poses for a photograph and, once more making eye contact with Richard, breaks into a radiant smile. This is the photograph Richard saw hanging at the hotel. During the play, Richard receives a message from Robinson requesting an urgent meeting. Robinson wants him to leave Elise so she can fulfill his prediction of stardom on the stage. When Richard declares his intention to stand by Elise for the rest of her life, Robinson has him beaten and bound inside the stables. Robinson tells Elise that Richard has left. Richard wakes the next morning and frees himself. The acting company has left for

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, but Elise has stayed behind to find him. They go to her room, express their love, and make love. Elise checks the time of day on his pocket watch. They agree to marry, and Elise promises to buy Richard a new suit, as his was fashionable before 1900. Emptying pockets, Richard discovers he had missed a penny with a 1979 mint date. This modern item breaks the hypnotic suggestion, pulling Richard into the present. He awakens in 1980, physically weakened by the time travel. His attempts to return to 1912 are unsuccessful. He despondently wanders the hotel grounds and finally stops eating. The hotel manager finds him catatonic in his hotel room, but he dies before he can be taken to a hospital. Richard is reunited with Elise in the afterlife.

Cast

as Richard Collier *

as Elise McKenna ** Susan French as Older Elise *

as William Fawcett Robinson * Teresa Wright as Laura Roberts * Bill Erwin as Arthur Biehl ** Sean Hayden as 5-year-old Arthur in 1912 * George Voskovec as Dr. Gerard Finney *

John Alvin John Henry Alvin (November 24, 1948 – February 6, 2008) was an American cinematic artist and painter who illustrated many movie posters. Alvin created posters and key art for more than 135 films, beginning with the poster for Mel Brooks's '' ...

as Arthur’s father * Eddra Gale as Genevieve * Tim Kazurinsky as a photographer in 1912 *

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is a two-time Emmy Award and four-time Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award winner, and has been nominated for an Acade ...

as a critic in the 1972 scene (before Elise hands the watch to Richard) * Don Franklin as tourist in Hall of History #2

, who wrote the original novel and screenplay, appears in a cameo role as a 1912 hotel guest. He is astonished by Richard's having cut himself shaving with a straight razor. Richard Matheson's daughter, Ali, is credited as a student in 1980. George Wendt is credited as a student in the same scene, but his role was cut as the scene was changed to

in medias res A narrative work beginning ''in medias res'' (, "into the middle of things") opens in the chronological middle of the plot, rather than at the beginning (cf. '' ab ovo'', '' ab initio''). Often, exposition is initially bypassed, instead filled i ...

Reception

Although the film was well received during its previews, it was derided by critics upon release and underperformed at the box office. In a TCM interview, Jane Seymour stated: "Well, what happened is we finished the movie and we weren't allowed to publicize it. The Screen Actors Guild had a strike, and Chris and I were not allowed to tell anyone about the movie and its time to come out. Plus, Universal spent, was it two million or three something, very minimal on this movie. And they had a thing called '' The Blues Brothers'', they were very worried about getting their investment back on, so they ignored us completely. So literally they hid this movie, literally hid it, and I remember we got the worst reviews ever."

Critical response

Film

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reports that 52% of 21 film critics have given the film a positive review; the rating average is 5.9 out of 10.

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 29 based on 7 reviews, signifying "Generally unfavorable reviews".

Accolades

''Somewhere in Time'' received several awards, including Saturn Awards for Best Costume, Best Music, and Best Fantasy Film. The film was also nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Costume Design The Academy Award for Best Costume Design is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) for achievement in film costume design. The award was first given in 1949, for films made in 1948 ...

( Jean-Pierre Dorleac). The film is recognized by the

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...

in these lists: * 2002: AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions – Nominated * 2005: AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores – Nominated

Soundtrack

The film's original musical score was composed and conducted by John Barry, who was suggested by Jane Seymour, a personal friend. The producers had been considering a score based on the 18th variation of

's " Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," which is used in the film several times. Very few copies of the album were pressed with limited circulation. Following cable television airings the following spring, Universal pressed 500,000 more copies. Barry wrote the score at a creative and prolific time in his career, scoring the music for films such as '' Raise the Titanic'', '' High Road to China'', and the highly acclaimed '' Body Heat'', all within an 18-month period. The music has been released on two albums, neither of which are from the original sessions from the film itself. The album was a series of re-recordings with highlights of the score recorded to fit onto two sides of an LP. The original release from

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

has nine tracks. # Somewhere in Time (2:58) # The Old Woman (2:49) # The Journey Back in Time (4:22) # A Day Together (6:02) # Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (composed by Rachmaninov) (2:57) # Is He the One? (3:10) # The Man of My Dreams (1:35) # Return to the Present (4:04) # Theme from "Somewhere in Time" (3:20) A later release of the score was released on the

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and cast recording, original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as ...

label. It was recorded in 1998 by the Royal Scottish Orchestra conducted by John Debney. # Somewhere in Time (3:37) # Old Woman (1:00) # Grand Hotel (1:22) # 1912 (1:42) # Thanks (1:20) # June 27 (1:32) # Room 417 (1:04) # The Attic (4:07) # Near the Lake (2:14) # Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (composed by Rachmaninov) (3:06) # Is He the One? (0:56) # A Day Together (2:31) # Rowing (1:29) # The Man of My Dreams (1:22) # Razor (1:12) # Total Dismay (4:07) # Coin (0:28) # Whimper (3:20) # Somewhere in Time (end credits) (4:55) On July 13, 2021, a limited edition album was released by La-La Land Records with an expanded presentation of Barry's music. Tracks 1-17 are presentation of the score, followed by source music and alternates. # Theme from ''Somewhere in Time'' - Performed by Roger Williams (pianist); Produced by Michael Lloyd 3:26 # The Grand Hotel 2:04 # Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Piano Solo by Chet Swiatkowski) 2:54 # The Old Woman (Film Version) 2:49 # June 27 2:03 # Room 417 1:11 # The Journey Back in Time 4:29 # Is He the One? (Film Version) 3:13 # A Day Together (Film Version) 2:31 # Rowing 1:15 # The Man of My Dreams 1:42 # That's It :40 # Razor 1:05 # ''Total Dismay 3:21'' # Coin :37 # Return to the Present 4:10 # A Day Together (End Credits) 6:08 # After Party 2:03 # Car Jazz 2:00 # Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Alternate) - Piano Solo by Chet Swiatkowski 3:03 # Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (Music Box) 2:11 # Is He the One? (Alternate Excerpt) 2:21 # My Melancholy Baby 2:02 # Oh, You Beautiful Doll 3:30 #

In the Good Old Summer Time "In the Good Old Summer Time" is an American Tin Pan Alley song first published in 1902 with music by George "Honey Boy" Evans, George Evans and lyrics by Ren Shields. The song is in the public domain. Background Shields and Evans were at first ...

:37 # I Want a Girl (Just Like the Girl That Married Dear Old Dad) 1:53 # Wisdom of the Heart 1:09 # Somewhere in Time (Piano Theme) 1:59 # Rowing (Alternate) 1:18 # Razor (Alternate) :51 # Coin (Alternate) :32 # Somewhere in Time (Theme Variation) 1:46 # Finale and End Credits (From the Motion Picture Somewhere in Time) 4:57 Tracks in bold are previously unreleased. Tracks in italics contain previously unreleased material.

Certifications

Legacy

Despite reviews calling the film "horrible" and a "superficial tear jerker", the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts (I.N.S.I.T.E.), an official fan club, was formed in 1990 and continues to meet regularly. During the month of October, the Grand Hotel hosts a ''Somewhere in Time'' Weekend, with events such as a large-screen viewing of the film, panel discussions with some of the film's principals and crew, and a costume ball of members dressed in

Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

attire. The film was mentioned by characters as an example of popular culture time travel in the film '' Avengers: Endgame'' (2019). Ken Davenport produced a theatrical adaptation of the story with assistance from Matheson on the story book. The adaptation received New York workshops and a full production at Portland Center Stage. The film was particularly well received in the then

British Hong Kong Hong Kong was under British Empire, British rule from 1841 to 1997, except for a Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, brief period of Japanese occupation during World War II from 1941 to 1945. It was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1841 ...

. It was screened exclusively at the in

Causeway Bay Causeway Bay is list of buildings, sites and areas in Hong Kong, an area and Victoria Park, Hong Kong, a bay on Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, straddling the border of the Eastern District, Hong Kong, Eastern and the Wan Chai District, Wan Chai ...

, the most luxurious cinema in Hong Kong at that time, starting from September 12, 1981. Due to its excellent reputation and box office, it continued to be screened at the Palace Theatre until April 22, 1982, with a total of 223 days. This set the record for the longest continuous screening of a film in Hong Kong at that time, and it also kept the theatre itself full for three consecutive months. In the end, the film earned HKD 9.38 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing international film of the year 1982 in Hong Kong. Due to the popularity of the film, Hong Kong singer

Adam Cheng Adam Cheng Siu-chau (born 24 February 1947; formerly known as Cheng Chong-sai and Wong Ho-chung) is a Hong Kong Television Broadcasts Limited, TVB actor and Cantopop singer. Career Cheng started his career in the 1970s, where he gained a reput ...

recorded a

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

(如在夢中; lit. "Like in a Dream") that was adapted from the theme music of the film in 1982, and the song was included in Cheng's album "'".

References

External links

* * * * * {{Authority control 1980 films 1980 independent films 1980 romantic drama films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s fantasy drama films 1980s romantic fantasy films American fantasy drama films American independent films American romantic drama films American romantic fantasy films 1980s films about time travel Films directed by Jeannot Szwarc Films based on American novels Films based on romance novels Films based on science fiction novels Films based on works by Richard Matheson Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films set in 1912 Films set in 1972 Films set in 1980 Films set in Chicago Films set in hotels Films set in Michigan Films shot in Chicago Films shot in Michigan Films with screenplays by Richard Matheson Mackinac Island Universal Pictures films English-language independent films English-language romantic drama films English-language romantic fantasy films English-language fantasy drama films Saturn Award–winning films