Somewhere In Time (1980)

A college student (Christopher Reeve) is approached by an elderly woman (Susan French) that he's never seen before and who places a watch in his hand and says, "Come back to me!" and leaves. 7 years later, he's a successful playwright and sees her photograph and discovers that she was a famous actress who went into recluse. It is then he ponders if it is possible to travel back in time to 1912 and meet her as a young woman. A critical and box office disappointment when it opened, the film's popularity began with cable TV (still somewhat in its infancy back then) until it became the cult classic (it even has its own fan club) it is today. Despite it's sci-fi time travel trappings, at heart it's an old fashioned love story. I suppose THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR would be its 1940s equivalent. It's easy to be cynical about it as were most of the critics of the day were toward it. But it's such a lush, dreamy and perfectly crafted piece of romanticism that one's heart overrules one's critical faculties. So I unapologetically let it do its work on me. Reeve's slightly nervous charm is appealing and Jane Seymour as the younger version of the elderly actress is drop dead gorgeous and little else is asked of her. The achingly beautiful score is by John Barry, once heard, never forgotten. Directed by Jeannot Swarc (JAWS 2). With Christopher Plummer, Teresa Wright, George Voskovec, Bill Erwin, Eddra Gale and a quick or you'll miss him, William H. Macy.