Reeve plays Richard Collier, a playwright who becomes obsessed with

a photograph of a young woman at the Grand Hotel. Through self-

hypnosis, he travels back in time to the year 1912 to find love with
actress Elise McKenna (portrayed by Seymour). However, this
relationship may not last as long as the two of them think; Elise's
manager, William Fawcett Robinson (portrayed by Plummer), fears that
romance will derail her career and resolves to stop him.
The film is known for its musical scorecomposed by John Barry. The
18th variation of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of
Paganini also appears several times.

On May 19, 1972, college theatre student Richard Collier (Christopher

Reeve) is celebrating the debut of a play he has written. During the
celebration, he is approached by an elderly woman (Susan French) who
places a pocket watch in his hand and pleads, "Come back to me."
Richard does not recognize the woman, who returns to her own
residence and dies in her sleep.
Eight years later, Richard is a successful playwright living in Chicago,
but has recently broken up with his girlfriend and is struggling
with writer's block. Feeling stressed from writing his play, he decides
to take a break and travels out of state to the Grand
Hotel on Mackinac Island in Michigan. While looking at a display in the
hotel's museum, Richard becomes enthralled by a photograph of a
beautiful woman. With the assistance of Arthur Biehl (Bill Erwin), an
elderly bellhopwho has been at the hotel since 1910, Richard
discovers that the woman is Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), a famous
early 20th century stage actress. Upon digging deeper, Richard learns
that she was the aged woman who gave him the pocket watch eight
years earlier. Traveling to the home of Laura Roberts (Teresa Wright),
McKenna's former housekeeper and companion, he discovers a music
box Elise had made, in the shape of the Grand Hotel, that plays his
favorite melody. He also discovers among her effects a book on time
travel written by his old college professor, Dr. Gerard Finney (George
Voskovec). Learning that McKenna read the book several times,
Richard becomes obsessed with the idea of traveling back to 1912 and
meeting Elise McKenna, with whom he has fallen in love.
Visiting Dr. Finney, Richard learns that the professor believes that he
very briefly time traveled once to 1571 through the power of self-
suggestion. To accomplish this feat of self-hypnosis, Finney tells
Richard, one must remove from sight all things that are related to the
current time and trick the mind into believing that one is in the past.
He also warns that such a process would leave one very weak,
perhaps dangerously so. Richard buys an early 20th-century suit and
some vintage money; he cuts his hair in a time-appropriate style.
Dressing in the suit, he removes all modern objects from his hotel
room and attempts to will himself into the year 1912 using tape-
recorded suggestions, only to fail for lack of real conviction. Later,
while searching the hotel's attic, Richard finds an old guest book from
1912 with his signature in it and realizes that he will eventually
succeed.
Richard again hypnotizes himself, this time with the tape recorder
hidden under the bed. He allows his absolute faith in his eventual
success to become the trigger for the journey back through time. He
drifts off to sleep and awakens on June 27, 1912 to the sound of
whinnying horses. Richard looks all over the hotel for Elise, even
meeting Arthur Biehl as a little boy, but he has no luck finding her.
Finally, he stumbles upon Elise walking by a tree near the lake. She
seems to swoon slightly at the sight of him, but suddenly asks him "Is
it you?" McKenna's manager, William Fawcett Robinson (Christopher
Plummer), abruptly intervenes and sends Richard away. Richard
stubbornly continues to pursue Elise until she agrees to accompany
him on a stroll through the surrounding idyllic landscape. It is during
their boat ride that Richard hums the theme from the 18th variation of
opus 43, and Elise says that it's lovely but she never heard it before. (It
was written 22 years into the future. In 1980 Richard had learned that
it was her favorite piece of music and he hears her recording of it.)
Richard ultimately asks why Elise wondered aloud "Is it you". She
replies that Robinson somehow knows that she will meet a man one
day who will change her life forever. Richard shows Elise the same
pocket watch, which she will eventually give him in 1972, but he does
not reveal its origin, merely offering that it was a gift.
Richard accepts Elise's invitation to her play, where she recites an
impromptu monologue dedicated to him. During intermission, he finds
her posing formally for a photograph. Upon spotting Richard, Elise
breaks into a radiant smile, the camera capturing the image which
Richard first saw 68 years later. Afterward, Richard receives an urgent
message from Robinson requesting a meeting. Robinson tries to get
Richard to leave Elise, saying it is for her own good. When Richard
professes his love for her, Robinson has him tied up and locked in the
stables so he will miss the departure of the theatre company to
Denver, and thus Elise, that same night. Later, Robinson tells Elise
that Richard has left her and is not the one, but she does not believe
him. She says that she loves Richard.

Richard wakes the next morning and manages to free himself. He runs
to Elise's room, 117, and finds that her party has left. Despondent, he
goes onto the hotel's porch. Suddenly, he hears Elise calling his name
and sees her running towards him. They return to his room, 416, and
make love. The next morning they agree to marry. Elise tells him that
the first thing she will do for him is buy him a new suit, as the one he
has been wearing is about 15 years out of date. Richard begins to
show her how practical the suit is because of its many pockets. He is
alarmed when he reaches into one and finds a Lincoln penny with a
mint date of 1979. Seeing an item from his real present wrenches him
out of his hypnotically induced time trip, and Richard feels himself
rushing forward in time. Elise screams his name in horror as he is
pulled inexorably out of 1912.

Richard awakens back in 1980, in the same room, 416, where he and
Elise passionately made love in 1912. He is drenched in sweat and
very weak, apparently exhausted from his trip through time and back.
He scrambles desperately back to his own room, 313, which he had
previously cleared of 1980 furniture and objects, and tries to hypnotize
himself again, without success. Heartbroken, after wandering the
hotel property and sitting interminably at the places where he spent
time with Elise, he eventually retires to his room. He remains there
unmoving for days until discovered by Arthur and the hotel manager,
who send for a doctor and paramedics. Richard takes a final breath,
suddenly smiles, and sees himself drifting above his body. Having
presumably died of a broken heart, he is drawn to a light shining
through the nearby window, where he is reunited with Elise, who had
died eight years prior on the very night she gave him the pocket
watch.

Somewhere in Time" wants us to share its sweeping romantic idealism, about a love so great that it
spanned the decades and violated the sanctity of time itself. But we keep getting distracted by
nagging doubts, like, isn't it a little futile to travel 68 years backward into time for a one-night stand?
The movie surrounds its love story with such boring mumbo jumbo about time travel that we finally
just don't care.
It didn't have to be that way. Last year's underrated and neglected movie "Time after Time," which
had H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper traveling forward into modern San Francisco, contained a love
story that had a lot of sly fun with the notion of relationships between people of different eras.
"Somewhere in Time" has a lot of qualities, but slyness and fun are not two of them

This movie drips with solemnity. It enshrines its lovers in such excessive romantic nobility that
Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody plays almost every time they're on the screen. This is the kind of romance
so sacred, so serious, so awesome, that you have to lower your voice in the presence of it. Romances
like those are boring even to the monstrous egos usually involved in them.
But back to the movie. "Somewhere in Time" stars Christopher Reeve as a Chicago playwright who
visits the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and sees a photograph there of an actress who appeared at
the hotel in 1912. He is smitten; no, he is obsessed. He researches the career of the actress, falls in
love with her, learns from a pseudoscientific psychology professor that time travel is possible, and
hypnotizes himself to travel back to 1912.
The movie never makes it clear whether the playwright actually does travel through time, or only
hypnotizes himself into thinking he does. It doesn't matter. Once he's back in 1912, or thinks he is, he
meets the young actress, who is played by the preternaturally beautiful Jane Seymour. "Is it ...
you?" she breathes. It is! It is! A little of this goes a long way, even with Rachmaninoff. Especially
with Rachmaninoff.
There is, of course, a villain. He is the young actress's manager, played by Christopher Plummer.
He has guided her career since she was 16, and now resents the intrusion of this stranger who has
come from nowhere, is dressed oddly, and threatens to steal his protégé. There are some intrigues, as
the three of them steal about the rooms and grounds of the magnificent Grand Hotel. But there are
never any scenes that really deal with the romance between Reeve and Seymour -and, incredibly, the
movie avoids the opportunity to exploit in their relationship the fact that Reeve is from the future. All
of the delightful revelations and paradoxes that could have resulted from Reeve revealing that fact
are simply ignored.
This is, of course, Reeve's first movie since "Superman," and he is not particularly convincing in it.
He seems a little stolid, a little ungainly; he's so desperately earnest in his love for this actress that he
always seems to be squinting a little. The whole movie is so solemn, so worshipful toward its theme,
that it's finally just silly.

Somewhere in Time is part mystery, part time travel romance,

and part historical drama. It was a small production that was not
expected to succeed. The film, though never becoming as
famous as it deserved, has still maintained a small dedicated
following since its release.The screenplay was written by
Richard Matheson who based it on his award-winning novel Bid
Time Return. He apparently was inspired by a portrait of Maude
Adams in a hotel much like his main character who also shares
his first name. The film is best known for its wonderful score by
John Barry which along with the performances of the two leads
forms its emotional backbone.
A young playwright, Richard Collier, is approached by a
mysterious old woman at an opening night of one of his
plays. She presses an old watch into his hands and whispers
“Come back to me.” Though perplexed at this strange encounter,
he forgets about it.  Some years later, after a breakup, he takes
a holiday at a hotel and finds it to be the home of the lady who
had given him the watch. After some investigation, he discovers
that she, Elise Mckenna, was once a great actress who became
reclusive in her later years. Fascinated by her portrait, he
continues to research her life and stumbles on evidence that he
somehow existed in a previous time.He eventually manages to
travel back in time to 1912 and finds a way to meet Elise
Mckenna.

This is a very romantic film made by people who were passionate

about it.Given its nature, in the hands of others it might have
become clichéd or unbelievable. However, the extremely
competent performances from Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour
and Christopher Plummer are quite moving and at times
enthralling. Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour have a great
chemistry which sustains the film well. The beautiful swelling
soundtrack by John Barry elevates the film even
further especially in the incredibly moving final scene. The
beautiful and haunting Rhapsody  on a Theme of Paganini  by
Rachmaninoff is also used throughout to fantastic effect.The film
is quite dreamlike, making use of soft lighting frequently.

Generally, both time periods are done quite well with good
costumes and convincing sets. The historical dialogue is a little
stilted at first but improves as the film goes on. This may
actually be intentional as a way of showing a contrast between
different time periods. It is very much a film which operates on
emotion.Despite having very little time to develop, the love story
is convincing. It is quite an interesting take on time travel
though this is not a story chiefly about time travel but love
across time.
SYNOPSIS:
“College student Richard Collier gathers rave reviews for his new play. At a party, he comes
face-to-face with an old woman who presses something in his hand and whispers ‘Come
back to me’. He opens his hand to find an old pocket watch. Cut to several years later.
Playwright Collier is in the midst of a break-up and writer’s block. He leaves the city for
awhile to think things out and finds himself near his alma mater at the Grand Hotel. While
wandering around the hotel, he finds a photograph of a beautiful young woman. Richard is
entranced, and tries to find out all he can about her. During the course of his research he
learns she was Elise McKenna, an actress from the turn of the century. He also discovers
that she was the mysterious old woman who gave him the watch. Finally determining that
he must meet her somehow, he employees self-hypnosis and wills himself back to 1912. He
meets Elise and they fall in love, which does not make her manager, William Fawcett
Robinson, happy at all. Will their love survive Robinson’s disapproval? Will Richard be able
to stay in 1912?” (courtesy IMDB)

REVIEW:
Time-Slip Romance is a branch of Romantic Fiction and closely associated with Paranormal
Romance. These stories usually focus on characters transported to an unfamiliar time
period, falling in love and deciding to stay in the alternate era or return to their own era.
Such stories often involve unrequited love and do not always end happily-ever-after. The
focus of these tales is usually the love story, although there is always some element of
fantasy or science fiction used to initiate travel through time: Magical stones; jewellery;
machines; time-warps; or simply the power of one’s own mind are all methods employed to
send the character to the necessary era. Time-Slip Romances can sometimes concentrate on
nostalgia more than actual love, from the comedic classic A Connecticut Yankee In King
Arthur’s Court (1889) by Mark Twain, to popular television shows such
as Catweazle (1970-1971), Goodnight Sweetheart(1993-1999), Life On Mars (2006-
2007) and Sleepy Hollow (2013-2017).

Cinematically, the subject has been best portrayed in Berkeley Square (1933), Portrait Of

Jennie (1948), Time After Time (1979) and Somewhere In Time(1980). An earnest but
uneven adaptation of Richard Matheson‘s romantic novel Bid Time Return, Somewhere
In Time is a lifting and somewhat fragile tearjerker in the tradition of Portrait Of Jennie.
Driven by mysterious passions, time-crossed lovers find themselves in a heartbreaking
paradox – they are ultimately ripped from each other by fate, with only death enabling them
to reunite. Matheson explored the afterlife in many of his works, most significantly in What
Dreams May Come (published 1978, filmed 1998), but the focus here is on a romance that
begins only after Collier has completed his inexplicable time-slip, drawing comparisons with
the venerable Berkeley Square: Lock yourself away from reality, fill the room with artefacts
of the past, and a person can somehow propel themselves into another era. That’s one
method of time travel my old friend H.G. Wells never considered, although the determined
John Carter was able to mind-project himself to Mars in the Edgar Rice Burroughs stories,
which is similar.

Somewhere In Time begins in 1972, when college student Richard Collier (Christopher

Reeve) is celebrating the debut of a play he has written. During the party he is approached
by an old woman (Susan French) who puts a pocket-watch into his hand and
whispers, “Come back to me.” Collier doesn’t recognise her, and discovers soon after she
had passed away after their meeting. Fast-forward to 1980, Collier is a successful playwright
recently separated from his girlfriend and struggling with writer’s block. While on a short
holiday at the Grand Hotel, Collier becomes obsessed by a photograph of a beautiful woman.
An elderly bellhop named Arthur (Bill Erwin), who has been working at the hotel since
1910, says the woman is famous stage actress Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour). Collier soon
realises it was she who gave him the pocket-watch eight years before.

With the help of McKenna’s former housekeeper (Teresa Wright) he finds a music box that
McKenna had made in the shape of the Grand Hotel which plays his favourite melody. Also
found is a book about time travel by his old college professor Gerard Finney (George
Voskovec). Collier becomes obsessed with traveling back to 1912 and meeting Elise
McKenna. Collier discovers that Finney once time-slipped to 1571 through the power of self-
suggestion. To accomplish this feat of self-hypnosis one must remove from sight all things
that are related to the current time and trick the mind into believing that one is in the past.
Finney also warns that such a process would leave one very weak, dangerously so. Collier
buys a vintage suit, cuts his hair in an appropriate style, removes all modern objects from
his hotel room and attempts to will himself into the year 1912, but fails to do so. Later
Collier finds an old guest book from 1912 with his signature and knows that he will
eventually succeed.

Collier hypnotises himself again and allows his absolute faith in his eventual success to
become the trigger for the journey back through time, falling asleep and waking up in 1912.
Richard meets Arthur as a small boy and looks for McKenna, finding her near the lake. She
swoons at the sight of him and asks, “Is it you?” McKenna’s manager, William Fawcett
Robinson (Christopher Plummer), sends him away but Collier stubbornly pursues McKenna
until she agrees to accompany him on a stroll through the surrounding idyllic landscape.
Richard hums a tune by Sergei Rachmaninoff, which McKenna has never heard before
because it was composed in 1934. Collier watches McKenna in her stage play, where she
recites an impromptu monologue dedicated to him. During intermission, she poses for a
photograph and, seeing Collier, breaks into a radiant smile, the camera capturing the image
which Collier saw 68 years later (this photograph of Seymour is the same used in her later
television series Doctor Quinn Medicine Woman). Eventually Robinson demands that he
leave McKenna for her own good but Collier refuses, so Robinson has him tied up and locked
in the stables.

Robinson tells McKenna that Collier has left her, but she refuses to believe him. Collier
eventually manages to free himself and runs to McKenna’s room only to find she’s booked
out. He goes out to the hotel’s porch where he hears McKenna calling his name and sees her
running towards him. They return to his room together to make love and, next morning, they
agree to marry. All set for a happy ending until Collier finds a 1979 penny in his pocket.
Seeing a modern-day item wrenches him out of his hypnotically induced time-slip, and
McKenna screams his name in horror as he is yanked out of time. Collier wakes up back in
1980, in the same room where he and McKenna were last together in 1912. Drenched in
sweat and exhausted from his trip through time, he runs back to his own room and tries to
hypnotise himself again without success. He remains in his room for several days before
Arthur sends for paramedics. Collier smiles and sees himself floating above his body. Having
died of cardiac arrest, he goes toward the light shining through a window to be reunited with
McKenna in the afterlife.

From its bittersweet plot to John Barry‘s lush Rachmaninoff-inspired

soundtrack, Somewhere In Time certainly touched many viewers, earning its long-
standing cult status, despite some major changes in adaptation. For instance, Matheson’s
original novel has Collier travel from 1971 to 1896 rather than from 1980 to 1912, and is set
in California’s Hotel Del Coronado rather than the Grand Hotel in Michigan (the reason for
this change is simple – the Del Coronado had recently been renovated). Collier is dying of a
brain tumour and the novel suggests that the entire experience may have been merely a
series of hallucinations brought on by the tumour, and finally dies because of the tumour,
not heartbreak. The scene in which the old woman gives Collier the pocket-watch is not in
the novel at all and, instead of Robinson, it’s a pair of psychics who predict Collier’s arrival.
Hunky Christopher Reevedoes his best but is slightly miscast as the obsessed playwright
protagonist, his Clark-Kent-style awkward delivery routine is often at odds with the tale’s
elegant tone. This was his first film after the international blockbuster Superman The
Movie (1978). Producer Stephen Deutsch wanted Reeve for Somewhere In Time, but his
agent rejected the salary offered and neglected to inform Reeve, so Deutsch secretly slipped
Reeve the script in his hotel room. Reeve called the next day and said he loved the script
and accepted the role.

More effective is Jane Seymour, her spontaneous changing of dialogue during a stage
performance to convey her preternatural love for Collier providing the film’s most
memorable scene. The actresses who auditioned for the role (including Bo Derek) were all
asked if they had ever been in love before, and Seymour was the only one who said no (it
was actually Seymour who suggested John Barrycompose the score, but Deutsch said there
was no way they could afford the multi-award-winning composer. A close friend of Barry,
Seymour told him about the project, he loved it and agreed to do it). Also present for some
minor personal conflict is Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer, appropriately dour as
McKenna’s jealous Svengali-like mentor-guardian Robinson, as well as the motion picture
debuts of both William H. Macy (as a critic) and George Wendt (as a student). Hampered
by a story better suited to a shorter treatment (ideal as an hour-long Twilight Zone or
extended Night Galleryperhaps), Somewhere In Time failed at the box-office for a
number of 
Somewhere is Timeis one of my all time favorite romantic
movies.  It is hard to believe, but it was released over 35
years ago.  To this day, I can hear Elise (Jane Seymour)
calling out through time to "Richard" in my mind.  The
agony and desperation in her voice is heart-wrenching. 

Scenes from this movie were long ago impressed on my

mind and they haunt me to this day.  The exquisite and
beautiful Jane Seymour reaching out in time to the young
and handsome Christopher Reeve is an unforgettable
image of timeless love.

In case you haven't already seen the movie, allow me to

introduce you.  If you have seen it, I recommend watching
it again.  The beauty of a romance that erases the walls of
time is just as poignant and gripping today as it was 37
years ago.  Perhaps even more so.

Synopsis of the MovieSomewhere in Time

The opening scenes of the movie take place at an after
play party on May 19, 1972.  Richard Collier, a young
play-writer, is celebrating the success of his play with
friends when an elderly woman approaches him.  She
gently places a beautiful pocket watch in his hand and
softly says "come back to me".  Then she turns and leaves
the building.  Since Richard has never seen her before, he
is somewhat mystified by her gift and words.  
Eight years later, Richard is a writing a new play, or at
least trying to write one.  It is not coming together easily
for him.  Even listening to his favorite soothing music,
Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of
Paganini", is not helping.  Out of sheer frustration he
decides to take a trip, to get away from the monotony of
the routine of his life in Chicago.  He simply starts driving
with no apparent destination when he spots the Grand
Hotel in Mackinac Island, Michigan.   For some
inexplicable reason, he is drawn to the hotel and signs in
to stay one night.  The elderly bellboy, Arthur, thinks he
recognizes Richard, but a lot of people have come to the
Grand Hotel since 1910 when he first arrived there with his
father.

When Richard goes to dinner, there is a 40 min wait, so he

starts exploring.  He discovers a picture of Elise McKenna
in the hotel's Hall of History and is captivated by her
beauty.  He wants to know more about her.  He goes to
the local library to research Elise McKenna and found she
was a great box office draw in the early 1900's.  She was
born nearly 100 years earlier in 1885.  When he finds a
photo of her in her later years, he realizes she is the
woman who gave him the watch at the party back in
1972.  Now, he must know more!

He located the home of the biography writer to get more

information on Elise.  The writer had a collection of
McKenna's personal items, including a dress from her last
play and a book she was particularly fond of on time
travel.  He found out that Elise had died the same night
she had given him the watch.  

The beauty of a romance that erases the walls of time is

just as poignant and gripping today as it was 37 years
ago.  Perhaps even more so.
The exquisite and beautiful Jane Seymour reaching out in
time to the young and handsome Christopher Reeve is an
unforgettable image of timeless love.
To this day, I can hear Elise (Jane Seymour) calling out
through time to "Richard" in my mind.  The agony and
desperation in her voice is heart-wrenching. 
More effective is Jane Seymour, her spontaneous changing of dialogue during a stage
performance to convey her preternatural love for Collier providing the film’s most
memorable scene.

Hunky Christopher Reevedoes his best but is slightly miscast as the obsessed playwright
protagonist, his Clark-Kent-style awkward delivery routine is often at odds with the tale’s
elegant tone.

certainly touched many viewers, earning its long-standing cult status,

All set for a happy ending until Collier finds a 1979 penny in his pocket. Seeing a modern-
day item wrenches him out of his hypnotically induced time-slip

allows his absolute faith in his eventual success to become the trigger for the journey back
through time

Matheson explored the afterlife in many of his works, most significantly in What Dreams
May Come (published 1978, filmed 1998), but the focus here is on a romance that begins
only after Collier has completed his inexplicable time-slip, drawing comparisons with the
venerable Berkeley Square:
with the performances of the two leads forms its emotional
backbone.

A young playwright, Richard Collier, is approached by a

mysterious old woman at an opening night of one of his
plays. She presses an old watch into his hands and whispers
“Come back to me.” Though perplexed at this strange encounter,
he forgets about it.  Some years later, after a breakup, he takes
a holiday at a hotel and finds it to be the home of the lady who
had given him the watch. After some investigation, he discovers
that she, Elise Mckenna, was once a great actress who became
reclusive in her later years. Fascinated by her portrait, he
continues to research her life and stumbles on evidence that he
somehow existed in a previous time.He eventually manages to
travel back in time to 1912 and finds a way to meet Elise
Mckenna.

This is a very romantic film made by people who were passionate

about it.Given its nature, in the hands of others it might have
become clichéd or unbelievable. However, the extremely
competent performances from Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour
and Christopher Plummer are quite moving and at times
enthralling. Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour have a great
chemistry which sustains the film well. The beautiful swelling
soundtrack by John Barry elevates the film even
further especially in the incredibly moving final scene. The
beautiful and haunting Rhapsody  on a Theme of Paganini  by
Rachmaninoff is also used throughout to fantastic effect.The film
is quite dreamlike, making use of soft lighting frequently.

Generally, both time periods are done quite well with good
costumes and convincing sets. The historical dialogue is a little
stilted at first but improves as the film goes on. This may
actually be intentional as a way of showing a contrast between
different time periods. It is very much a film which operates on
emotion.Despite having very little time to develop, the love story
is convincing. It is quite an interesting take on time travel
though this is not a story chiefly about time travel but love
across time.

Odd trip to the past which was told so beautifully

 Time-crossed lovers find themselves in a heartbreaking paradox --- they are ultimately
ripped from each other by fate, with only death enabling them to reunite. Cliché as it may
sound, insane as it may seem, but the only explanation I can find to explain this bizzarely
twisted love story is that they were indeed in love. Somewhere in Time is a lifting and
somewhat fragile romantic film, where you cry, you smile, you break and you fall in love all at
the same time. It’s true, because I did. I was kind of ridiculed by my seatmates but what can I
do? I was really moved. That kind of love story is what thrills me up to the bones.
Maybe what mesmerizes me and the whole lot of audiences before me is the ability of
the movie to make us all believe that even if it’s a scary drop, we must take that leap because
even if it is incredibly insane or the most ridiculous thing in the world, being with the person
you love is everything. So I understand why the male lead has the courage lock himself away
from reality, fill the room with artifacts of the past, and make himself believe that a person can
truly propel himself into another era just to be united with his love. Until this day, I can still
hear the female lead calling “Richard” while her beautiful face is contorted with so much pain in
in a plea against what’s inevitable, the heartbreaking agony and desperation in her voice plays
repeatedly in my mind. I think my most favorite scene is when the female lead, which is an
actress, delivers her spontaneous dialogue during a stage performance to convey her love for
the male lead. I can still picture her face in my mind, a true image of a love in its most natural
and enthralling form, the kind that haunts you even in your wildest dreams.
The story itself felt really surreal. Imagine finding yourself falling so deeply in love and
strangely obsessed with an exquisite and beautiful lady in a vintage photograph the first time
you laid your eyes on her. The truth is, that’s what scares me most about being in love. The
boundary between reality and fantasy seems to be thinner, almost fading its way out, that even
the slightest possibility of a reality where the two of you can be together, even the slightest
chance, feeds you up with so much hope. That hope will rain and feed your roots with its pain.

To be honest, I am not the type of person who drools into watching this kind of movie
especially those that associates with romance. I do not fantasize while watching, and I
find twisted romantic stories boring. But I'm kind of interested in time travel.
"Somewhere in Time" wants us to share its sweeping romantic idealism, about a love so
great that it spanned the decades and violated the sanctity of time itself.
Somewhere in Time is a movie any sensitive person with a heart will love, I guarantee
you. From the opening at the theater to the unbelievably moving final scene, I have
never seen a film so passionately and yet so innocently depict the power of absolute,
all-encompassing, unconditional love.

The story is so simple, yet therein lies the beauty. Richard Collier, a man with no love in
what otherwise seems like a nice enough life, becomes enchanted at the sight of Elise
McKenna's painting and with only the power of his heart travels back to her time. Once
there, he looks for Elise, and finds her. Elise is confused and does not immediately
respond because of her manager W.F. Robinson, but she quickly returns Richard's love.
I will not say anymore, other than that the ending made me feel so warm and yet made
me want to cry. You will be hard pressed to find a movie lighter on plot, and there are
many questions left unanswered, but that's perfect because Somewhere in Time is very
surreal, and dreamlike even. The emphasis is not on watching events, but on simply
feeling love, and this is as close as anyone has ever come to making a movie out of
pure emotion.