From Time to Time is a British historical drama which premiered in 2009.
It is not quite realistic, because it involves several cases of time travel. Perhaps it is better to describe it as a historical fantasy.
Here is some basic information about it:
** Writer and director: Julian Fellowes
** Based on a book by Lucy M. Boston
** Released on DVD in 2011
** Run time: 95 minutes
There are two timelines. This is why I have divided the cast into two categories:
# 1. The cast of
1944 – The Present
** Maggie Smith as Mrs Thomas Oldknow (Tolly’s grandmother)
** Alex Etel as Tolly Oldknow (Mrs Oldknow’s grandson)
** Timothy Spall as Mr Boggis – gardener and handyman
** Pauline Collins as Mrs Tweedle – housekeeper
# 2. The cast of 1811 – The Past
** Hugh Bonneville as Captain Thomas Oldknow (father)
** Carice van Houten as Maria Oldknow (the captain’s wife)
** Eliza Bennett as Susan Oldknow (daughter)
** Douglas Booth as Sefton Oldknow (son)
** Dominic West as John Caxton (butler)
** Allen Leech as Fred Boggis (gardener and handyman)
** Kwayedza Kureya as Jacob (Susan’s helper)
** Vanessa Redgrave as the Gypsy (a fortune teller)
Lucy M. Boston (1892-1990) was a British author who wrote several historical novels for children and adults.
Six novels focus on events in and around an old manor house called Green Knowe. The drama is based on one of these six books, The Chimneys of Green Knowe, which was first published in 1958.
I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. Therefore, I am not going to say too much about what happens in this drama. I will merely offer some basic information, so you know how the story begins:
We are somewhere in England. As stated above, there are two timelines. The first one is in 1944, when the UK is involved in a war on the continent. I will call this timeline the present.
Tolly is a 13-year-old teenager who lives with his mother. His father is a soldier in the war. His mother has just received a telegram that her husband is missing in action. But there is no further information. In order to find out more she goes to London. Before going to London, she sends her son Tolly to stay with his grandmother at the old manor house Green Knowe.
This old manor house has been in the family’s possession for many generations. While Tolly is there, he learns some details about the history of his family by talking with his grandmother, with the housekeeper and with the gardener.
One evening, Tolly sees a ghost from the past. It is Susan Oldknow who was blind. The next day, when Tolly opens a door to another room, he is suddenly transported to the past. This is the second timeline. He is in 1811, when the UK is involved in a war on the continent.
After spending some time in the past, he is transported back to his own time. He realizes that he can travel from the present to the past and back again, although he cannot control when he will jump from one time to another.
This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends.
I will, however, add one more detail:
As stated above, the drama is based on a book which is called The Chimneys of Green Knowe. The title is important. It is a clue.
The chimneys of the old manor house are significant. But I will not tell you how and why they are significant.
If you wish to know what happens to Tolly and the people around him (in the present as well as in the past), you must watch the drama (or read the book) all the way to the end.
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Here are the results of two review aggregators:
43 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)
61 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)
67 per cent = IMDb
On Amazon there are at the moment more than 2,300 ratings of this product, more than 1,100 with reviews.
The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.
If you ask me, the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb are quite appropriate, while the rating on Amazon is too high.
Why?
I will not complain about the time travel. Since this story is based on time travel, I will for now accept this concept as real. But there are other problems in this drama.
The novel was written for children and it shows. The characters are thin; they are one-dimensional. The good people (like Susan) are really good, while the bad people (like Sefton) are really bad.
In addition, there are several problems connected with Tolly’s time travel:
(1) He can travel from the present to the past and back again, but he cannot control when it happens.
Why not?
(2) When he is in the past, some characters can see him, but others cannot. To some characters, he is invisible.
Why is that?
(3) When he travels to the past, he always lands in the same year (1811). But not the same moment.
Why is that?
I like historical dramas and a movie that involves time travel can be fascinating, but this historical drama is not successful and the concept of time travel is not executed in a good way. I have to remove two stars because of these flaws.
This drama is neither great nor good. It is average. This is why it deserves a rating of three stars (60 percent).
PS # 1. In the timeline of 1944, the UK is involved in World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945.
In the timeline of 1811, the UK is involved in the Napoleonic Wars which ended in 1815.
In British history, the years 1811-1820 are known as the Regency Period.
These details are never explained by anyone in the drama. Not even with an on-screen message. Why not?
Perhaps the director decided that this was not necessary? Perhaps he felt this was outside his scope?
PS # 2. Some descriptions of this movie claim the two timelines are two centuries apart. This is not true.
The interval between 1811 and 1944 is more than one century, but certainly not two centuries.
How can any reviewer write such nonsense?
*****
The Chimneys of Green Knowe
by Lucy M. Boston
(1958)
*****
Athelhampton House, Dorset
The historical fantasy about Green Knowe
was filmed in and around this old manor house
*****
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