A 47-year-old sci-fi film shot on the streets of SF is getting a second look |
The sci-fi classic “Time After Time” begins in 1893 with Scientist H.G. Wells, played by Macolm McDowell, bringing a group of dapper Brits into his basement to show off his newly constructed time machine. A few minutes later, Wells is stepping out of the machine into the streets of 1970s San Francisco, where he embarks on one of the best romps through the city that’s ever been committed to film.
For a movie that’s nearly 50 years old, “Time After Time” has aged shockingly well — aside from a few outdated special effects, it’s a testament to San Francisco’s cinematic character and the timeless power of a good plot. The 1979 film was written and directed by Nicholas Meyer, who later went on to write another San Francisco-set classic, “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home.” At the time, it won three Saturn Awards — the Oscars of science fiction — for writing, music and best actress for Mary Steenburgen. It currently possesses an impressive 88% score on the critics Tomatometer, and on release earned a gushing review from movie review legends Siskel and Ebert.
“It’s light-footed and quick-thinking,” said critic Roger Ebert. “And it treats its material just seriously enough to make us care. And then it kids its characters just enough to seem playful.”
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“Old-time, classy Hollywood filmmaking,” replied his partner Gene Siskel.
Shortly after showing off his time machine, Wells (Malcolm McDowell) brings his well-heeled friends upstairs for a friendly chess match. While playing against surgeon John Leslie Stevenson (David Warner), Wells waxes poetic about the future, claiming that within three generations a social utopia will come to pass, with perfect equality between races and sexes. The chess match comes to an end just as police from Scotland Yard arrive at the door in search of the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper.
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Stevenson turns out to be the killer in question, but before the police can apprehend him, he takes advantage of Wells’ time machine. His destination is 1970s San Francisco, where he continues his campaign of terror, and where that utopia of course hasn’t quite come to pass. Wells quickly follows suit, landing on Nov. 5, 1979, in a museum exhibit dedicated to his work. He exits the California Academy of Sciences into a brave new world.
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“Such a scrambling of fact, fiction and imagination in itself deserves back-patting and, for the most part, the rendering is as delightful as the basic idea,” wrote the Hollywood Reporter at the time.
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