Time After Time (1979)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Nicholas Meyer

Writers:

Karl Alexander (novel) &
Steve Hayes (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

31 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller | Romance | Drama

Tagline:

H.G. Wells Races Through Time To Catch Jack The Ripper!

Plot:

H.G. Wells pursues Jack the Ripper to the 20th Century when the serial murderer uses the future writer's time machine to escape his time period.

Plot Keywords:

Time Machine | Jack The Ripper | Bank Clerk | Bank | Writer

Awards:

5 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Malcolm McDowell	...	H. G. Wells
David Warner	...	Jack the Ripper - John Leslie Stevenson
Mary Steenburgen	...	Amy Robbins
Charles Cioffi	...	Police Lt. Mitchell
Kent Williams	...	Assistant
Andonia Katsaros	...	Mrs. Turner
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Shirley
James Garrett	...	Edwards
Leo Lewis	...	Richardson
Keith McConnell	...	Harding
Byron Webster	...	McKay
Karin de la Penha	...	Jenny (as Karin Mary Shea)
Geraldine Baron	...	Carol
Laurie Main	...	Inspector Gregson
Joseph Maher	...	Adams
Michael Evans	...	Sergeant
Ray Reinhardt	...	Jeweler
Robert Shaw	...	Bank Officer (as Bob Shaw)
Stu Klitsner	...	Clergyman
Larry J. Blake	...	Guard
Nicholas Shields	...	Diner at McDonalds
Gene Hartline	...	Cab Driver
Clement St. George	...	Bobby
Shirley Marchant	...	Dolores
Antonie Becker	...	Nurse
Hilda Haynes	...	2nd Nurse
Read Morgan	...	Booking Cop
Mike Gainey	...	London Bobby
Jim Haynie	...	1st Cop
Wayne Storm	...	2nd Cop
Lou Felder	...	Man
John Colton	...	3rd Cop
Corey Feldman	...	Boy at Museum
James Cranna	...	Man
Earl Nichols	...	4th Cop
Bill Bradley	...	Pawnbroker
Clete Roberts	...	Newscaster
Rita Conde	...	Maid
Gail Hyatt	...	Woman Cop
Shelley Hack	...	Docent
Dan Leegant	...	Man on Street
Regina V. Waldron	...	Woman
Liz Roberson	...	Woman
Anthony Gordon	...	Man
Doug Morrisson	...	Man
Glenn Carlson	...	5th Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Neil Armstrong	...	Himself, announcing moon landing (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Judith Burnett	...	Ann (uncredited)
Winston Churchill	...	Himself, giving 'Finest Hour' speech (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Jimi Hendrix	...	Himself, performing (archive footage) (uncredited)
John F. Kennedy	...	Himself, giving inaugural speech (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Douglas MacArthur	...	Himself, announcing 'I Shall Return' (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Edward R. Murrow	...	Himself (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt	...	Himself, giving 1933 inaugural speech (voice) (uncredited) (archive footage)
Clement von Franckenstein	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Nicholas Meyer

Writing credits
Karl Alexander		novel &
Steve Hayes		story
Nicholas Meyer		(writer)

Produced by
Herb Jaffe	....	producer
Steven-Charles Jaffe	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Miklós Rózsa

Cinematography by
Paul Lohmann

Film Editing by
Donn Cambern

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden

Production Design by
Edward C. Carfagno

Set Decoration by
Barbara Krieger

Costume Design by
Sal Anthony
Yvonne Kubis

Makeup Department
Lynn F. Reynolds	....	makeup artist (as Lynn Reynolds)
Dione Taylor	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Austen Jewell	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Daves	....	first assistant director
Robert J. Doherty	....	dga trainee
Steven-Charles Jaffe	....	second unit director
Paul Magwood	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Richard M. Kristy	....	set dresser
Richard Reseigne	....	construction coordinator (as Dick Reseigne)
Bill Wainess	....	property master

Sound Department
Michael Colgan	....	supervising sound editor
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Jacobson	....	adr editor
Jerry Jost	....	sound
Joseph Kite	....	boom operator
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Arthur Piantadosi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jim Blount	....	special effects
Larry L. Fuentes	....	special effects (as Larry Fuentes)
Kevin Pike	....	special effects: custom props

Visual Effects by
Richard Taylor	....	optical effects designer (as Richard F. Taylor)

Stunts
Everett Creach	....	stunt coordinator
Everett Creach	....	stunts
Jadie David	....	stunts
Larry Duran	....	stunts
Brad Eide	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Ron Frantzvog	....	second assistant camera
J. Michael Marlett	....	gaffer
Guy Polzel	....	key grip
Glenn K. Shimada	....	first assistant camera (as Glenn Shimada)
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Timothy E. Wade	....	camera operator (as Tim Wade)
Jonathan West	....	camera operator: second unit

Editorial Department
Laurey Condon	....	assistant editor
Steve Johnson	....	colorist
William J. Meshover	....	assistant editor
Steve Mirkovich	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Donald Harris	....	music editor
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Tim Hill	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Sonny King	....	computer effects
Russ Maehl	....	computer effects
Kathy Orloff	....	unit publicist
Dominic Santarone	....	caterer
Ruth Santarone	....	caterer
Kathy Thomas	....	script supervisor (as Kathy Thomas Swor)

Production Companies

• Orion Pictures Corporation
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1983) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1980) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1980) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1983) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)

Special Effects

• Image West Ltd. (electronic animation)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

1800 Block of Union Street, Cow Hollow, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Orion Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The studio had wanted Richard Dreyfuss for the role of H.G. Wells.

Goofs:

Continuity: Mrs. Turner is standing on the stairs one step from the bottom, but in the next shot she steps down twice to reach the bottom.(00:19:46 elapse time)

Quotes:

H.G. Wells: Do you still insist that this is all poppycock?
Amy Robbins: That's not exactly the word I had in mind.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Times Square (1980)

Cracking Sci-fi/thriller.

I came across this film as I was browsing through some videos that I hadn't looked at in years. It did stick in my mind as being pretty good and on viewing it this time around I can say that my initial impressions were correct. McDowell is very believable as Wells, as is David Warner in his role. I found Mary Steenburgen slightly weak as Amy Robbins and at times she seems almost disinterested and just going through the motions. I think someone like Brook Adams or Karen Allen would have been much more suited to this role, but the rest of the plot and cast are so good this is incidental.

Someone mentioned this didn't do very well at the box office, which surprises me as science based fiction was all the rage at the time this film was released (1979). I can only imagine it was dwarfed by sci-fi giants such as Star Trek and Star Wars who were releasing films around this time, and it was subsequently overlooked.

The plot is fairly seamless as the brilliant but naive Wells creates his time machine only for it to be misused by the equally brilliant, but evil, Stephenson. Everything about it is well thought out, with the exception that why does he (Wells) get himself into such a panic about Stephenson's presence in late 20th century San Francisco, when Wells has the machine (and the key to it)to go back before Stephenson left and prevent him going in the first place! I don't pretend to be an expert on timelines(and alternative timelines)but if time is fluid (as is thought) and flows backward and forward, then by going back and preventing something from happening will obviously alter or stop it's progression into the future, no! But of course that would have undermined the films whole premise.

It's also quaint and naive to hear Wells speak of a socialist utopia, without realising that the socialist society, as with any other form of Government, can just as easily become corrupted and distorted from it's original ideal so it produces a monster like Stalin. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. In fact, Wells visited Russia after the Bolshevik revolution and met with it's then leaders (Lenin and Trotsky). I'm not sure how he felt about the revolution, but he did die a disillusioned man having lived through the 1st and 2nd World Wars.

All in all though this is a very good sci-fi adventure,and it is thoroughly recommended.