By Steve Vertlieb: It’s June 27, 2019! Somewhere in Time Day, precisely, — the day Richard Collier met Elise McKenna in 1912.
- “There were a number of factors that led me to forming INSITE (International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts). High on that list was a SIT review I read in Cinemacabre magazine by writer Steve Vertlieb. It expressed my feelings exactly, but in words I would never be able to match. I call it “The Best Somewhere in Time Review” – Bill Shepard (filmblanc.info)
Steve Vertlieb: The Best Somewhere in Time Review (Summer 1981 issue of Cinemacabre magazine.)
Somewhere In Time owes much to the tender, romantic fantasies of the forties … films such as Stairway to Heaven/A Matter of Life and Death, Between Two Worlds, Wuthering Heights, and, in particular, the aforementioned Portrait of Jennie and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir … and certainly to the directorial influence of Michael Powell, William Dieterle, and Joseph L. Mankiewicz. While these debts must be acknowledged, Somewhere In Time remains a distinctly original creation with ample charm, grace, and warmth to sustain its own magical influence for years to come.
Christopher Reeve in the pivotal role of Richard Collier is superb, proving to his detractors that an actor lay beneath the cape of blue and red. The depth of Reeve’s performance builds gently and deliberately, culminating in an astonishingly moving signature to his work. Jane Seymour is a vision of haunting loveliness, capturing perfectly the eternal allure of the memorable Elise McKenna, her beauty endearing and enduring. Christopher Plummer, as ever suave, debonair and joyously eloquent … a formidable adversary in any respectable triangle.
Together with two of my life long favorite writers, Robert Bloch and “Somewhere In Time” author Richard Matheson. Bob Bloch was a cherished friend and mentor for twenty five years. I was very excited about meeting Richard Matheson, and he was delighted to share a moment posing with Robert who was HIS mentor. It remains a cherished photograph and priceless moment.
