Friday, November 02, 2007

“Is it you?”


“Somewhere in Time” has to be one of the greatest films, personally, to maintain its power, no matter how many times it’s been viewed…because it’s about True Love.

True Lover’s lost in the “Circle of Time” has always had a certain fascination, because we do search for the “other”, someone else that will make us somehow happy, perhaps, the strong feeling of finally returning home again and becoming one; our other half.

The film is based on the novel by Richard Matheson, (Bid time Return) who also wrote the screenplay for the film… and was permitted a cameo role.

The term, “soul mate”, has become a cliché, but most of us, (either are consciously aware of it or not), continue to search for our other half, the “one” that will make us ‘whole’ once again.

This is a Platonian idea from the Symposium, that is to say, at one time we were beings of two, thus the gods became jealous and separated us, and our true destiny is to find our other “selves”.

“Somewhere in Time” (Matheson) takes this notion further and creates a story of fantasy where it is possible to meet, the protagonists “true” soul mate yet, it is doomed.

This is a lovely film and novel. Christopher Reeve played the part with aplomb and realism. Jane Seymour as the beautiful 19th century actress (Miss McKenna) was at her prime…a picture of beauty.

When Richard impossibly returns to the 19th century and meets his one true love, we are never sure whether it is a mental illness or something real?

In the novel, Richard has a brain tumour, and writes his story and dies. Richard’s brother wants to believe the story is true but never follows it up to prove or disprove the story.

Why?

Because whether the story is “real” or not, the idea that we can travel through time to meet our true “other” self is something that is truly astonishing and Matheson’s book and the film somehow makes it possible.

One of my favourites.










No comments: