Love knows no reason, no boundaries, no distance. It has a sole intention of bringing people together to a time called forever.
-- Unknown

 

Perhaps the quote above was in the mind of Richard Matheson, the author of the book “Somewhere in Time” or in the thoughts of the writers of the screenplay for the film; perhaps not.  It could easily be applied to this story of Playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) and Actress Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour) and the love that lasted both their lives.   The difficult question posed by the story is understanding just when their love began?  Did it begin at the moment Richard first saw her, after the 1972 opening performance of his play when she presses a watch into his hands; or when Elise first meets him at the elegant hotel where he eventually returns the watch to her sixty years earlier? Theirs is truly a love that transcends time itself.

As you might have gathered Somewhere in Time involves time travel, which is normally the realm of science fiction, however, I would not classify this film as a science fiction film.  It is really a pure romance.  It is not filled with gimmicky special effects or equipment to represent time travel.  It is about a man, who so desires to know the woman of his dreams that he does the impossible, traveling back in time to meet her so that they can fall in love.   Their romance is opposed by her manager (Christopher Plummer) who feels that it is at odds with Elise’s advancing stage career. There are no car chases and no gunfights. To tell more would ruin a beautiful story. The director treats the story with respect and brings an element of believability to this otherwise impossible story.   Most of the movie was filmed in the splendor of the Grand Hotel on Michigan's Mackinac Island and it was the first and only time automobiles have been allowed on the island.  The beauty of the hotel and the surrounding land make the film a pleasure to behold. This could be a film to watch with someone you care about, or with others who share and understand the joy and heartbreak of that thing called love.   It did not do well at the box office, but Somewhere in Time has developed a strong cult following among many of those who have taken the time to see it.