Somewhere in Time is a 1980 American romantic fantasy drama film produced by Universal Pictures. It was directed by Jeannot Szwarc and features actors Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour, and Christopher Plummer. The film is based on the 1975 novel Bid Time Return by Richard Matheson, who also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

In the story, Christopher Reeve plays Richard Collier, a playwright who becomes fascinated by a photograph of a young woman at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Michigan. Using self-hypnosis, he travels back in time to the year 1912 to meet Elise McKenna, an actress portrayed by Jane Seymour. Elise’s character is inspired by the real-life actress Maude Adams. Richard faces challenges from Elise’s manager, William Fawcett Robinson, played by Christopher Plummer, who tries to stop their relationship, fearing it might harm Elise’s career.

The film includes a musical score composed by John Barry, with piano performances by Roger Williams. A piece from Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is used multiple times in the movie.

In 2018, Jane Seymour shared that she and Christopher Reeve developed feelings for each other while working on the film. However, their relationship ended after Reeve learned that his former girlfriend was pregnant with their child. Despite this, they remained close friends for the rest of Reeve’s life.

Although the film received poor reviews and had limited success at the box office when it first released, it later gained a loyal fan base.

Plot

In 1972, Richard Collier, a college theater student, celebrates the opening of his new play. An elderly woman gives him an ornate gold pocket watch and says, "Come back to me."

Eight years later, Richard is a successful playwright living in Chicago. After breaking up with his girlfriend and struggling with writer's block, he takes a road trip. He stops at the Grand Hotel and decides to stay there. In the hotel's Hall of History, he sees a vintage photograph of Elise McKenna, a stage actress from the early 1900s. Research at the library shows that Elise is the woman who gave him the pocket watch. Richard visits Laura Roberts, Elise's former housekeeper. Laura explains that Elise died the night she gave Richard the watch. Among Elise's belongings is a book about time travel written by Richard's former professor, Dr. Gerard Finney, and a miniature Grand Hotel music box that plays the 18th variation of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff, a piece Richard loves.

Richard becomes determined to meet Elise in 1912. He consults Dr. Finney, who suggests that self-suggestion might enable time travel. Richard wears a vintage suit and carries 1912 currency. He fills a coin pocket with change but removes it when he realizes modern coins might break the spell. He uses a tape recorder with recorded suggestions to try to travel back in time. The attempt fails, but he later finds a 1912 hotel register with his signature, which gives him hope.

Richard tries again, hiding the tape recorder to avoid reminders of the present. When he wakes up in 1912, he sees Elise walking by a lake. She asks, "Is it you?" Her manager, William Fawcett Robinson, sends Richard away. Elise is uninterested at first, but Richard convinces her to walk with him the next day. He asks what she meant by "Is it you?" Elise explains that Robinson predicted she would meet someone who would change her life and that she should be afraid. On a rowboat, Richard hums Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody, which Elise has never heard before. He shows her the pocket watch she will give him in 60 years.

Richard attends Elise's play, where she performs a romantic monologue while looking at him. During the break, Elise poses for a photograph and smiles at Richard. This is the same photograph Richard saw at the hotel. Later, Robinson asks Richard to leave Elise so she can achieve her predicted success. When Richard refuses, Robinson has him beaten and tied up in the stables. Robinson tells Elise that Richard has left. The next morning, Richard frees himself. The acting company has left for Denver, but Elise stays to find him. They meet in her room, express their love, and share a romantic moment. Elise checks the time on Richard's pocket watch. They agree to marry, and Elise promises to buy him a new suit, as his current one is from before 1900. Richard finds a penny with a 1979 date in his pocket, a modern item that breaks the hypnotic suggestion, pulling him back to the present.

Richard awakens in 1980, weakened by the time travel. His attempts to return to 1912 fail. He becomes despondent and stops eating. The hotel manager finds him catatonic in his room, but Richard dies before being taken to a hospital. In the afterlife, he is reunited with Elise.

Cast

• Christopher Reeve plays the role of Richard Collier
• Jane Seymour plays Elise McKenna; Susan French plays Older Elise
• Christopher Plummer plays William Fawcett Robinson
• Teresa Wright plays Laura Roberts
• Bill Erwin plays Arthur Biehl; Sean Hayden plays 5-year-old Arthur in 1912
• George Voskovec plays Dr. Gerard Finney
• John Alvin plays Arthur's father
• Eddra Gale plays Genevieve
• Tim Kazurinsky plays a photographer in 1912
• William H. Macy plays a critic in the 1972 scene (before Elise gives the watch to Richard)
• Don Franklin plays a tourist in Hall of History #2

Richard Matheson, who wrote the original novel and screenplay, appears in a small role as a guest at a hotel in 1912. He is surprised when Richard cuts himself while shaving with a straight razor. Richard Matheson's daughter, Ali, is listed as a student in the 1980 scene.

George Wendt is listed as a student in the same scene, but his role was removed when the scene was changed to start in the middle of the story.

Reception

Although the film was praised during its previews, critics did not approve of it when it was released, and it did not earn much money at the box office.

In a TCM interview, Jane Seymour said:

NEA syndicated columnist Dick Kleiner attended Universal's press party at the Grand Hotel.

In the United States, the film earned $9.7 million from ticket sales, despite costing $4 million to make.

The film was well received in British Hong Kong. It was shown only at the Palace Theatre in Causeway Bay, which was the most luxurious cinema in Hong Kong at that time. The film began screening on September 12, 1981, and continued until April 22, 1982, for a total of 223 days. This was the longest continuous screening of a film in Hong Kong at that time and kept the theater full for three months. The film earned HKD 9.38 million in ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing international film in Hong Kong in 1982.

Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 54% of 24 critics gave the film positive reviews. Metacritic, which calculates an average score based on reviews from mainstream critics, gave the film a score of 29 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, which means "Generally unfavorable reviews."

Accolades

Somewhere in Time received many awards, including Saturn Awards for Best Costume, Best Music, and Best Fantasy Film. The film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Jean-Pierre Dorleac).

The American Film Institute has recognized the film 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 written and conducted by John Barry. He was recommended by Jane Seymour, who was a close personal friend. The film's producers had considered using a part of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, specifically the 18th variation, which appears in the film multiple times.

John Barry created the score during a very productive time in his career. He composed music for several films, including Raise the Titanic, High Road to China, and the well-received Body Heat, all within 18 months.

The music was released on two albums, but neither was recorded during the original film sessions. The first album was a collection of re-recorded music, selected to fit on two sides of an LP. This version, released by MCA Records, included 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 Rachmaninoff) (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)

Very few copies of this album were made, and it had limited availability. After the film was shown on cable television the following spring, Universal released 500,000 more copies.

A later version of the score was released by Varèse Sarabande. This recording, made in 1998 by the Royal Scottish Orchestra and conducted by John Debney, included the following tracks:

• 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 Rachmaninoff) (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, La-La Land Records released a limited edition album with an expanded version of Barry's music. This version includes 17 tracks from the original score, followed by additional music and alternate versions:

• 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 (: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.

Legacy

Despite some reviews describing the film as "horrible" and a "shallow emotional story," the International Network of Somewhere In Time Enthusiasts (I.N.S.I.T.E.), an official fan group, was created in 1990 and still meets regularly. Each October, the Grand Hotel holds a Somewhere in Time Weekend, featuring activities such as a large-screen showing of the film, panel discussions with people involved in making the movie, and a costume ball where members wear clothing from the Edwardian era.

The film was referenced by characters in the movie Avengers: Endgame (2019) as an example of time travel in popular culture.

Ken Davenport produced a stage version of the story with help from Matheson, who worked on the storybook. The stage production had workshops in New York and a full performance at Portland Center Stage.

Because the film was popular in Hong Kong, singer Adam Cheng recorded a Cantopop cover of the film's theme song in 1982. The song, titled 如在夢中 (lit. "Like in a Dream"), was included in Cheng's album Brothers Four.