Welcome to my corner! Last week, I shared my thoughts on the film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. This Week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the film The Time Machine.
Leading up to the Academy Awards/Oscars, the TCM TV channel paid homage to the award ceremony by broadcasting Oscar nominees and winners from February 1 to March 3. The Time Machine played on TCM on March 3 with other special effects nominees and winners.
The Time Machine
The Time Machine (also marketed as H. G. Wells' The Time Machine) is a 1960 American period post-apocalyptic science fiction film based on the 1895 novella of the same name by H. G. Wells. It was produced and directed by George Pal, and stars Rod Taylor, Yvette Mimieux, and Alan Young. The story is set in Victorian England and follows an inventor who constructs a machine that enables him to travel into the distant future. Once there, he discovers that mankind's descendants have divided into two species, the passive, childlike, and vegetarian Eloi and the underground-dwelling Morlocks, who feed on the Eloi.
The film was originally released on August 17, 1960, and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It received the Academy Award for Best Special Effects for its time-lapse photographic effects, which show the world hanging rapidly as the time traveler journeys into the future.
Plot: Scientist H. George Wells (Rod Taylor) builds a time machine, and despite the warning from his friend David (Alan Young) against "tempting the laws of providence," decides to visit the future. Jumping ahead 14 years, he observes changes in women's fashion. Jumping ahead 40, he meets David's son (also Young) amid a terrible war. Finally, he travels thousands of years ahead to discover a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by humanoid Eloi and the monstrous Morlocks that feed on them.
Acting: Rod Taylor played H. George Wells. Other movies of his that I've seen include: The Birds (Mitch Brenner) and 101 Dalmatians (Pongo). I recognized his voice right away from 101 Dalmatians. Taylor really had to pull his weight in this movie, being the sole star and having the most screen time. A lot of the movie was just Taylor onscreen exploring or doing a voiceover to convey information tot he audience. I think he did a good job. Apparently this was also his first lead role in a feature film.
Yvetter Mimieux played Weena. I don't think I've seen any of her other films. She was fine in her role, there was nothing outstanding to speak of. Her character was like the rest of the Eloi species with short, blonde, curly hair, a peaceful disposition, but no will or need to fight. Weena in The Time Machine was one of Mimieux's first roles.
Alan Young played David Filby/James Filby. Young starred in a TV show called Mister Ed, but I've never seen that. He also voiced Scrooge McDuck in Disney's many cartoons and movies. I thought his voice sounded familiar to me as well, but not as distinctive as Taylor's Pongo. Young wasn't featured in The Time Machine much. When he was onscreen., he had a presence about him though. I can't really explain it. His character was good and kind and a great friend.
Technical Aspects: The filming schedule allowed for this movie was only 29 days. Which is insane to me! There's no set standard for filming schedules, it all depends on the movie, actors and budget. The Time Machine had a budget of $1 million. But in my mind, you need at least two months to film a movie, if not more, especially one with multiple special effects and makeup/costumes.
I liked the costume and prop designs, as well as the makeup. The time machine prop was designed by MGM art director Bill Ferrari and built by Wah Chang. The look of the Morlocks was designed by Chang as well.
Themes: The main theme of The Time Machine has to do with social classes. The two species in the future George visits are the Eloi and the Morlocks, who are both evolutionary descendants of humans. They don't really address this in the film, but in the original story the Eloi are descended from the upper class humans, and the Morlocks do everything for the Eloi to live in leisure; the only price is that the Eloi eventually become food for the Morlocks.
Final Thoughts: I jumped at the chance to watch this movie when I saw it on the TCM schedule. I read the book of the same name by H. G. Wells in one of my literature classes in college. The teacher, Zepper (who I only have fond memories of) showed us a clip of the movie after we read the story, and I was hooked form there! But I never got the chance to see it until now. I'm glad that I was able to watch it. It was good!
My biggest issue is the romanticizing of George and Weena's relationship. Just because a male and female are onscreen together, does not mean they need to be romantically involved. In the book, George is more of a father figure to Weena than anything else. No romance whatsoever!
The timelapse special effects/animation were amazing, especially for the time that it was made. The green screen wasn't great, but all of the over special effects/animations still hold up now, in my opinion.
Where to watch it: The Time Machine is available to watch on the streaming services Hulu and Sling TV (according to Google), or you can purchase or rent a digital copy for a few dollars. I've also donated a DVD copy of the film to the Emil M. Larson Library in Clark for you all to enjoy if you choose to.
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
