60 years old - The Time Machine 7/22/1960
Jul 23, 2020 0:06:36 GMT
mattgarth, taylorfirst1, and 4 more like this
Post by phantomparticle on Jul 23, 2020 0:06:36 GMT
There were four major science fiction epics between 1953 and 1960. Forbidden Planet was the supreme opus, followed by War of the Worlds, The Time Machine and This Island Earth. I'm leaving out Pal's Conquest of Space which looked good but was crippled by an inferior script.
The Time Machine capped the prolific decade of the 1950's. There wouldn't be anything to rival it until Fantastic Voyage (1966) after which Kubrick altered the sci-fi landscape forever. It was a thrilling adventure when it was new and is one of those movies that gets better with each viewing. Modern audiences, who generally dismiss everything made before 1980, still have a good opinion of the film.
Rod Taylor makes a likable and somewhat stalwart Time Traveler, intrigued and slightly bemused by his discoveries in the world of 802,701, before reality sets in and he begins to understand the tragedy of the separation of civilizations into cannibalistic Morlocks and their chief source of food, the complacent Eloi who are unable to work up enough interest to save a drowning girl floating past them. There is a maddening visit to what may have been a library where ancient books crumble into dust when touched.
Yvette Mimieux as the vacuous Weena is stunningly beautiful. She wasn't a great actress, but I did enjoy her work in Light in the Piazza and Where the Boys Are. While questioning The Time Traveler about women in his world, she naively asks "How do they wear their hair?" It's a line that always gets a laugh from me because it is so indicative of the sexual attitudes of the era, and because I imagine feminists clawing their eyes out in sheer exasperation.
I can't say enough about Alan Young, the heart of the movie. His performance is so warm and moving I wish The Time Traveler had taken him along on the journey. After hearing the story about his friend's journey, does the fact that he knows he will perish in WWI mean that he will take steps to avoid it? Can he alter his own future? It's a question as important as his last line to the audience before leaving the house.
A fine musical score accompanies the movie, especially the melancholy refrain that closes the picture.
The WB dvd I have presents the movie in widescreen and comes with a making of documentary and the short feature, The Way Back. There is no second audio track for a film that absolutely deserves one
The Time Machine capped the prolific decade of the 1950's. There wouldn't be anything to rival it until Fantastic Voyage (1966) after which Kubrick altered the sci-fi landscape forever. It was a thrilling adventure when it was new and is one of those movies that gets better with each viewing. Modern audiences, who generally dismiss everything made before 1980, still have a good opinion of the film.
Rod Taylor makes a likable and somewhat stalwart Time Traveler, intrigued and slightly bemused by his discoveries in the world of 802,701, before reality sets in and he begins to understand the tragedy of the separation of civilizations into cannibalistic Morlocks and their chief source of food, the complacent Eloi who are unable to work up enough interest to save a drowning girl floating past them. There is a maddening visit to what may have been a library where ancient books crumble into dust when touched.
Yvette Mimieux as the vacuous Weena is stunningly beautiful. She wasn't a great actress, but I did enjoy her work in Light in the Piazza and Where the Boys Are. While questioning The Time Traveler about women in his world, she naively asks "How do they wear their hair?" It's a line that always gets a laugh from me because it is so indicative of the sexual attitudes of the era, and because I imagine feminists clawing their eyes out in sheer exasperation.
I can't say enough about Alan Young, the heart of the movie. His performance is so warm and moving I wish The Time Traveler had taken him along on the journey. After hearing the story about his friend's journey, does the fact that he knows he will perish in WWI mean that he will take steps to avoid it? Can he alter his own future? It's a question as important as his last line to the audience before leaving the house.
A fine musical score accompanies the movie, especially the melancholy refrain that closes the picture.
The WB dvd I have presents the movie in widescreen and comes with a making of documentary and the short feature, The Way Back. There is no second audio track for a film that absolutely deserves one