As the subtitle proclaims boldly on the movie poster:

"H.G. Wells races through time to catch Jack the Ripper!"

Filmed in 1979, Time After Time stars Malcolm McDowell and was directed by Nicholas Meyer.

 Malcom McDowell as HG Wells

Synopsis:

"H.G. Wells has just invented a time machine but hasn't tried it out yet. When he discovers that one of his friends is actually Jack the Ripper, Jack makes his escape using the time machine. Herbert follows Jack into the late 1970's where he meets Amy, a bank clerk, who teaches Herbert about life in 70's while they pursue Jack, who is enjoying the more violent society in which he continues his murderous activities." Written by Rob Hartill

Trivia:

The screenplay was based on the novel of the same name, written at the same time as Meyer's screenplay by his University of Iowa associate, Karl Alexander (IMDB). Some further points of trivia, the actress Mary Steenburgen, who plays Amy Robbins also played the love interest of another time traveler, Doc Brown in Back to the Future 3. In addition, HG Wells second wife was named Amy Robbins (IMDB).

Connections: 

Even before watching the film, such a synopsis and tag line already offer an imaginative interpretation of HG Wells. The unnamed time traveler from his infamous book The Time Machine, what if that man (classified by his role within the book much like a scientist might classify a genus of a species) was Wells himself - a time traveler?

The film opens with a scene of a street walker. Similar to being thrust into the intimate first person point-of-view of the narrator in chapter 1 of the book, the audience in this first scene sees through the eyes of an initial faceless character. An even more uncomfortable position as we watch a murder unfold from the visual perspective of the murderer.

We then are brought to H.G. Wells's home, an obvious allusion, reminiscent of the first chapter of The Time Machine. Wells unveils a time machine to his assembled guests.

Similar to the time traveler of Wells's book, the character of Wells is at odds with the future he has come into, 1979 San Francisco, hardly the utopia he had imagined. However, unlike the time traveler of the novel, Wells does find a companion and love interest. Hollywood must have its way in some respects.

Within the film we are presented with two characters that stand at either spectrum of the promise of genius. Wells is the hero and Jack the Ripper the villain. A clear portrait of good and evil - - only to be overcome when good (Wells) can think like evil (Jack).

Time Theory:

HG Wells as a time traveler holds the "eternalist" viewpoint of time. Past, present, and future are all equal existences and one can move between such times equally and affect changes. Wells in the film expresses concern in leaving John alone in the future, the havoc he might cause. Similarly, Amy's supposed death in the future aligned with Wells's timeline, she was able to beocme his second wife.

Now if you really want a headache ponder this: When Wells first traveled into 1979, he landed in a mueseum exhibit about his life. Would that exhibit have reflected that he had had a second wife named Amy Robbins, even though he had not met her yet in the present 1979? Perhaps, this first museum exhibit would not because he had not met Amy Robbins but when they returned to the past, it altered Wells's future and therefore, created a second  museum exhibit that showed Wells had a second wife and Wells would have arrived there when he traveled to 1979.

Proceed to questions >>>

Posted by JM Venturini, 6/22/2009