Customer Reviews

Time Machine [Import]

5 star:		(74)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I enjoyed this movie when it first played in theatres. I have seen in numerous times on TV. I am pleased to have added it to my library.

Rod Taylor, Alan Young, and Yvette Mimieux star in George Pal's "The Time Machine", a great sci fi movie based on the novel by H.G. Wells.

Taylor plays George an inventor in the late 18th century (1899 to be exact) who makes a machine that can go back in time.

At first his colleagues are skeptical, but when they see George's small model machine that goes back in time, they start to believe him.

George's best friend, and supporter is David played by Alan Young.

George takes the machine back, because he is sick of the present time, with war being brought on.

He travels to the early and middle 1900's and to his shock , George finds out that Man's future lies in war (which is pretty accurate even up to today's time).

He sees how WWI and WWII started, and even sees when his house is destroyed by an enemy plane!

George then travels far into the future, the year 802701, to see if mankind has any hope of living in peace.

At first, he sees a great paradise with many people (mostly children) play about in solitude. But when one lady named Weena, starts to drown, he sees that no one seems to care. He rescues her, and after talking to the other youths, he learns that they learned nothing from their ancient ancestors.

The books they have are old and buried.

They have lived the good the life, based on the sacrifices from mankind, and they don't appreciate it (which is another accurate telling of today's times).

He learns that Weena is part of the Eloi society which is under the slavery of the Morlocks, a cannibalistic race.

The Morlocks give everything, food and clothing to the Eloi , in exchange for the slavery and their bodies as food.

The movie was directed by sci fi whiz George Pal who won an impressive 7 oscars and awards for his movies.

He is the Steven Spielberg when it comes to sci fi movies.

What's astonishing about the film is the special effects that were made without computer help (which in most movies make the movie look more fake than real).

The way the special effects people made flowers bloom, candles burn while the Time Machine went in time, is very special to see.

It's a great site, from a special effects view, how these people managed to do these effects, with the limited resources they had.

He directed "War of the Worlds" and "Destination Moon" which won numerous awards. DVD comes with a number of great features:

A behind the scenes documentary with Rod Taylor. A great documentary where he shows how George Pal designed the machine. Taylor even shows us storyboards which haven't been seen in 30 yrs.

Even the DVD main menu with Taylor on the cover and the Murlocks in the background, give the DVD a great sci fi look!!

This is the original movie which is the one I like. George Pal does an excellent job in his usual style as director. The acting is not so great, but the set decorations, costume design and music all work so well together. A few scenes are "cheesy", but that doesn't take away from the excellent over-all theme and mood. It's one of my old-time favorites.

The original Time Machine is a favourite from my youth and holds up quite well. The special effects are dated but the charm of the film is in the performances and storytelling. Rod Taylor is perfect as George as is Alan Young as Philby. The DVD is sharp and the colours vibrant. Look for the manufacturer of the Time Machine chronometer - a nice touch.

George Pal directed this classic from 1960, starring Rod Taylor as the scientist who travels back through time (George, although we are meant to understand that this is a character-cipher for H.G. Wells), and Yvette Mimieux in a very early role (interestingly, she became an anthropologist, the study of which has a concern in the overall plot development and socio-political points Wells was trying to drive home with his novel).

The plot follows Wells' late Victorian novel fairly well. Scientist George invents a time machine, and after making the proclamation to several of his nay-saying friends, including a test with a miniature time machine, takes off on a few journeys. The early journeys are just to test, and we see a few fascinating effects here. But the greater story lies in George's hope for the future, so he sets himself to go nearly a million years in to the future - the year 802701.

Trivia buffs will recognise the date on the machine as October 12, the same date Columbus discovered the new world. George embarks into this new world, finding the human race has evolved into a split species - the above-ground Eloi, and the below-ground Morlochs. The Eloi are carefree airheads for the most part - that is, until the Morlochs threaten, and then they become the hunted. The Morlochs are presented as base creatures, following only their appetites, and afraid to remain above for too long.

The effects of the time machine itself and the transition scenes are quite good for the time - I recall as a child watching this film on television and being mesmerised by the passage of time, the scenery changes through George's window as the time streamed by, and the contrast between the Victorian household set and the future world.

The more recent remake did homage to this classic film by incorporating a few of the same ideas - the scene changes through the windows, for example. Also, Alan Young (who played Filby in the 1960 film) appeared in the more recent film, the only actor to appear in both.

George has a tough decision to make - his time machine is stolen by the Morlochs; does he risk his life to get it back? And does he opt to stay in the future or go back to his own time if he recovers it?

Only time will tell.

There are a lot of reviews about this great picture and how it influenced an entire generation. All of it is true! For some reason this film ties into the imagination and fills you with wonder. We can thank Mr. Wells for creating the story, but we really owe it to George Pal, Wah Chang and Gene Warren for translating the book into a miracle of romantic adventure. The real draw of course is "The Time Machine" prop. Never in the history of film has a prop been more imitated and desired. The special effects received an Academy Award and it was well deserved. All of the elements of Victorian London in winter, cozy parlors surrounded with friends gathered for dinner, "tea table" chat over the 4th dimension and the recollection of an experiment in time travel utilizing a flashback technique are what makes this film so enchanting. When Rod Taylor finally begins a slow initial journey we see the sky in motion in day and night sequences that are breathtaking in astronomic splendor. As the flowered garden and fruit trees go through their seasonal cycles in rapid progression you cannot help but be drawn into the wonder of creation and the genius of invention! The screenwriters then play with your imagination as we see our traveler stop at different events in our 20th century past and a "cold war" interpretation of the decade in which it was filmed when he stops in the "future" on August 18th, 1966 to witness a nuclear holocaust. From here we are quickly transported to the focal point of the Wells story to a future society of Eloi and Morlock culture. The care that went into this DVD should not be understated. It is a highly polished film that restores 20/20 vision to the frames so that we can see all of the colorful beauty that was originally there. Once again, we can SEE the atomic satellite zeroing in, the clear sky above the Eloi "cafeteria" and the smoking machinery of the Morlock caverns. When our traveler returns to 1899 and presents the flower to Filby that was given to him by Weena you will agree that "that flower could not have possibly bloomed in the winter time" and in the holding of that flower you will realize that this is a magic moment in film that will be with you forever and as Mrs. Watchit gradually turns off the lights in our view from the snowy evening outside you will think about the three books you would have taken and agree that having seen this film you will never be the same again, because you are in love with a romantic idea, TIME TRAVEL.

Excellent acting by Taylor, Young, Cabot, and Mimieux (sp?). Good sets and fine (if now outdated story). To reviewer Michael Butts. Giant was directed by George Stevens, not George Pal.

The Time Machine had a great effect on me. I found it to be enjoyable and it had very fascinating theories throughout. What I liked most in the book was the interesting characters, H.G. Wells' style of writing, the parallel of Eloi and Morlocks to society now, how the book always kept my attention, and finally I liked how the narrator left us questioning the conclusion of the novel.
First, I liked how interesting the characters were simply because that is a vital aspect to a good novel. I was impressed by the Time Traveller, and how he was determined to prove his machine to be a success. The characters whom attended his dinners always seemed a little skeptical of his ideas and theories. The Time Traveller explains his discovery of the fourth-dimension and the Psychologist interrupts stating,"You can move about in all directions of space, but you cannot move about in Time" (III.13.16).
The second thing I liked about the novel was the authors' style of writing. Wells remained descriptive throughout the book. For a novel based on imagination and theories, I found it important that Wells had kept some reality in it. (Reality being the descriptive details in the novel.) With all these crazy ideas going on in the book, Wells had to keep our minds somewhat intact to what his visions were. The Time Traveller describes the Eloi's as being "very beautiful and graceful creatures, but indescribably frail. His flushed face reminded me of the more beautiful kind of consumptive-that hectic beauty of which we used to hear so much"(III.34.33.)
Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed, was the parallel of the Eloi and Morlocks to society now. We begin to understand that the Eloi and Morlocks are humans after great evolution and time. It amazed me to see how society completely divided itself between graceful creatures and creatures of the underworld.
The fourth thing I liked was how the book kept my attention the whole way through. I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next or how the Time Traveller was going to escape the Morlocks and get back to his machine.
Finally, I really enjoyed how the narrator concludes the Time Travellers disappearance. The narrator says,"The Time Traveller vanished three years ago. And, as everybody knows now, he has never returned"(XII.124.18). I liked this because it made you question whether the Time Traveller had vanished into the future forever, whether he had always been from a past time and had gone back, or what was to come of him? So, as it began with one mans' imagination, it ends with your own.

Director George Pal will probably be more remembered for this film than any of his other classics, including "Giant." Why? Remember, this is 1960, and whether or not Pal's version is true to Wells' book is not the issue. Marvel at the unique special effects, including the mannequin's many transformations, the way the clouds scurry across the window; the lush but sterile world of the eloi and morlocks. This is quite groundbreaking in the world of cinema, long before the CGI and animatronics guys came along. Rod Taylor (The Birds, TV's Falcon Crest) is the perfect studly hero, but he also possesses a sensitivity uncommon in movies of the 60s, which is all more evident in his friendship with the delightful Alan Young (Tom Thumb, Mr. Ed). Add a trio of our most respected character actors (Sebastian Cabot, Whit Bissell and Tom Helmore) to lend upper crust credence. And how can one forget the lovely Yvette Mimieux. Yvette came to audiences attentions in a two part Dr. Kildare episode. She played his love interest, a surfer with elilepsy, who dies in the final moments. She also played the troubled young girl in "Where the Boys Are" and in the 1970s starred in a rarely known cult classic, "Hit Lady." Her beautiful innocence is captured in this movie.
Yes, it's campy, a little corny in its naivete about man's future, but as a scifi film, it's one of the best and far surpasses its glitzy remake with Guy Pearce.

I cannot say how faithful this movie is to the book, however it is an outstanding science fiction movie. The cinematic techniques available for this movie are not as garish as you might see today, but are nonetheless very effective in supporting the cracking screenplay. Rod Taylor's potrayal of Wells is spot on and deserving of special note. The sets are also exceptional with the period furniture and architecture very well done. It is a classic story well adapted to the screen. I recommend this movie to all true science fiction and Time travel fans.