It's Kind of an Annual Thing....

 

   Today is June 27th. And you know what that means.....

 

Elise McKenna: "Is it you? Is it?"

Richard Collier: "Yes. It is."

 

 

      Today marks the 102nd anniversary of the day Elise McKenna and Richard Collier meet on the beach in front of the Grand Hotel in Somewhere in Time, one of my all-time favorite films.



   This is such a gorgeous, romantic film. I love it to pieces. Beautiful soundtrack, scrumptious costumes, dreamy setting and scenery, Jane Seymour, 1980s charm.....really, what's not to love? : ) Somewhere in Time is just plain classic. It's one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. (Read my post about the movie/review here.)

 

"I thought I'd lost you!"

"Oh, never! Never, never, never!"

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

   Some of my favorite scenes......

The portrait scene, when Richard first sees the portrait of Elise in the Hall of History. This is such a dramatic scene, and I love how the Rachmaninoff Rhapsody fits it so perfectly.




  "The Man of My Dreams" scene, where Elise starts to share her feelings for Richard in the middle of the play, unscripted.




   And the Reunion scene, my favorite part of the movie, when Elise comes back to the hotel after Richard believes he's lost her for good. He sees her down on the lawn, and they run to each other on the steps of the hotel, embracing passionately.....oh, it's so romantic I just about can't take it. *dreamy sigh* : )



 
 
  Elise's face when they first see each other.....

 

 

     Richard's face.....

 



 

 

Walking outside the hotel...

 

 



Yes, this is a publicity photo. Hush.



I happen to like publicity photos.

Couldn't you tell? ;-P

   I once saw this movie described as "unabashedly romantic"-- and that's exactly what it is. It's just plain romantic. It's sentimental. It's sappy. You have to be a true romantic at heart to really appreciate it. It's very impractical and glaringly unrealistic at times, but everything about it is so beautiful that you don't really mind the weird time-travel business. It's a movie about true love.



 

 

   ~Emma

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"It's June 27th, 1912..."

                                                        Elise McKenna:"Is it you? Is it?"
                                                               Richard Collier: "Yes."

  Today is June 27th, the day Richard Collier and Elise McKenna, two ill-fated lovers from different eras, meet on the beach by the Grand Hotel!

  I just love this movie! It's one of most beautiful movies I have ever seen. I love it for its beauty, simplicity, gorgeous music and just all-around classic-ness. And the ever-lovely Jane Seymour, of course. : ) Normally I can't stand movies with time travel, but Somewhere in Time is the an exception. The first time I watched it I was a little leery of the whole time travel theme, but somehow they managed to make the transition between eras romantic, whimsical, amusing, and even somewhat believable. (No, I have not lost my mind. Of course I don't believe in time travel, but it is fun to pretend, no?) :P

    The first encounter I had with the movie Somewhere in Time was when I first watched (I say "first" because since them I've probably watched it about seven times) Jane Seymour's A&E biography on the special features of the first season of Dr. Quinn. It showed part of the reunion scene when Richard sees Elise come back and they run to meet each other on the stairs of the hotel, a scene which Sadie and I have since dubbed "one of the most romantic scenes in cinematic history." Someday I'll do a post about those, we have quite a list. Anyway. Of course we were all very intrigued by it, being that is was a period drama set in the early 20th century, Jane Seymour was in it,  and the music was by John Barry, whom my daddy has always admired for his James Bond soundtracks, but it wasn't until last summer that we finally borrowed it from the library and watched it.
  Surprisingly, it wasn't love at first sight. Actually, quite frankly, I thought it was considerably boring (gasp!) and so did both my sisters. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting and I thought it was rather slow (which it is, kind of- the first half-hour or so of the movie takes place in the 1980s and basically just follows Richard Collier on his quest to travel back to 1912, which gets a tiny bit...um, dull, and Jane Seymour doesn't appear until 45 minutes into the movie. So in short, I liked it alright, but I wasn't too impressed.
  However, after we watched it I did begin to like it more and more. So when I saw the DVD on sale for only $4, on a whim I bought it for Sadie for Christmas- one of the great things about having sisters with whom you share common interests is that you can buy them exactly what you would want, and then you can use it too- and we watched it again and completely fell in love with it. At least, I did. I think it's one of those movies that you have to already be familiar with to fully appreciate it, because the second time around it was like visiting a place I'd once been, seeing old friends again and uncovering old memories I had almost forgotten. It wasn't hardly boring at all, and soon after it became one of my favourite movies.
 

    Christopher Reeve is not one of my favourite actors, but I liked him well enough as the playwrite Richard Collier. Richard isn't usually very serious and is somewhat boyish, but also very sincere and I have grown quite fond of him. Jane Seymour is possibly my favourite actress ever and while at first it was very different to see her as such a quiet and somewhat mysterious character, since I've known and loved her as Dr Quinn for so long, I soon grew to like Elise very much. Her dresses are absolutely gorgeous- this is probably my favourite era for fashions, and I just love her dresses! She and Christopher Reeve are not the best screen couple I have ever seen- not like Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant or anything like that- but I think they worked very well together and made quite a charming couple. Jane Seymour was just perfect as the beautiful and refined Elise McKenna, and Christopher Reeve was charming as the playful and boyish Richard Collier.

"I thought I'd lost you!"
"Oh, never! Never, never, never!"

  Another thing I love about Somewhere in Time is the simplicity. The story is, I admit, a little out there with the time travel and all, and if you spend too much time thinking about what happens it gets a really confusing. But still it has such a refreshing simplicity to it- perhaps it's the lovely 1910's era and the beautiful setting- that makes it somehow believable and a joy to watch, and so if you don't spend too much time thinking about what happens you are completely swept away in the utter gorgeousness of the film.
 

 

 As with most good movies, the music of Somewhere in Time adds greatly to the beauty of it. The score is composed by John Barry, one of the greatest film composers of all time (in my opinion), and is one of the most lovely I have ever heard. Sadie and I bought the soundtrack last year and have listened to it over an over (and over) and it is truly gorgeous. One of my favourite tracks, Is He the One, is played when Richard Collier first sees Elise's reflection in the window, walking alone on the beach....*sigh*.

   The ending of the movie is not a happy one, however. The first time I watched it I actually got kind of annoyed, because it was just so...strange. It doesn't end happily, but it's not neccessarlily a bad ending either- it's not one of those endings that makes you think, "oh, WHY did I watch that?", but rather, it makes you believe in miracles and the power of true love. (And now I'm getting all sentimental.) :P

   Somewhere in Time fans, do visit the official Somewhere in Time fansite for a fun trivia game, as well as any and all information you could possibly wish to know about the movie and the actors. If you haven't seen Somewhere in Time, I highly recommend that you do. Sink me if you don't love it! : )

  

                                       He gave up life in the present....to find love in the past.

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Monday Movie Quote: The Man of my Dreams

Hello everyone!
 I hope you all had a splendid St. Patrick's day! I completely forgot to wear green and wore blue (oops!) but the sun came out and the snow is now almost entirely melted, which is a delight to me. It looks as though spring is here to stay!
 Today I have chosen a quote (scene, really,) from Somewhere in Time. This is one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen, with excellent actors, gorgeous Victorian costumes, stunning scenery and some of the most beautiful music ever composed. (There's never been anyone quite like John Barry, then or since.) This scene is one of my very favourites in the film.

Elise McKenna: "The man of my dreams has almost faded now."

Maid in play: "And what man is that, Miss?"

Elise: "The one I have created in my mind. The sort of man each woman dreams of, in the deepest and most secret reaches of her heart. I can almost see him now before me. What would I say to him, if he were really here? 'Forgive me. I've never known this feeling. I've lived without it all my life. Is it any wonder, then, I failed to recognize you? you, who brought ti to me for the first time. Is there any way that I can tell you how my life has changed? Any way at all to let you know what sweetness you have given me? There is so much to say, I cannot find the words. Except for these: I love you.' And that is what I'd say to him, if he were really here."

Since the scene is so utterly beautiful, I have embedded a video of it for y'all to watch at your leisure. Sink me, if it is not one of the most romantic moments in cinematic history!

             

Very Truly Yours,

    Emma Jane

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