It’s 1979, and Christopher Reeve is the biggest star on the planet. He’s literally the Man of Steel. Every studio in Hollywood wants him to put on a suit, punch a villain, and cash a massive paycheck. So, what does he do? He goes to a remote island in Michigan to film a movie where he travels through time using nothing but a suit and some heavy-duty thinking.
Honestly, it sounded crazy then. Some critics still think it’s crazy now.
But if you’ve ever watched Somewhere in Time, you know it’s not just another entry in the catalog of Christopher Reeve movies. It’s the film that defined his soul as an actor. While Superman made him an icon, this weird, beautiful, sepia-toned gamble made him a legend to a very specific, very devoted cult following.
The Movie That Almost Didn't Happen
When Richard Matheson wrote the novel Bid Time Return, he didn't imagine a blockbuster. He was inspired by a real-life encounter with a photograph of actress Maude Adams at an opera house in Nevada. He became obsessed. That obsession became the blueprint for Richard Collier, the character Reeve would eventually inhabit.
💡 You might also like: You Ain't Woman Enough: Why Loretta Lynn's Fiercest Song Still Hits Different
Reeve was looking for something—anything—to prove he wasn't just a guy in a cape. He wanted "an old-fashioned romance." No sex scenes. No explosions. Just longing.
Universal Pictures wasn't exactly throwing money at the project. The budget was tight. So tight, in fact, that they couldn't afford a high-end composer until Jane Seymour stepped in and suggested her friend John Barry. Yes, the John Barry who did the James Bond themes. He worked for a fraction of his usual fee because he fell in love with the story.
The production moved to Mackinac Island. No cars are allowed there. The cast and crew had to get around on bicycles. Reeve had his own numbered bike. It sounds like a summer camp, but the atmosphere was intense. Reeve and Seymour actually fell in love during filming.
"The real world fell away," Reeve later wrote in his biography Still Me.
That chemistry? It wasn't acting. Not entirely. But life intervened—Reeve found out his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with his first child during the shoot. That heartbreak you see on screen when they’re torn apart? It was real for both of them.
Why the "Self-Hypnosis" Thing Actually Works
If you look at Christopher Reeve movies through a logical lens, Somewhere in Time is a mess.
The time travel is... questionable. Richard Collier goes to his room, puts on a vintage suit, removes all modern "paraphernalia," and basically tries to think himself into 1912. No DeLorean. No TARDIS. Just a guy lying on a bed whispering, "It's 1912... it's 1912."
Critics like Roger Ebert hated it. They called it boring and "mumbo jumbo." They weren't wrong about the logic, but they missed the point.
💡 You might also like: Aileen Wuornos Movie Charlize: The Brutal Truth Behind the Transformation
The movie isn't a sci-fi flick. It’s a ghost story in reverse. It’s about the sheer, terrifying power of obsession. The "mechanism" of time travel is just a metaphor for how we lose ourselves in art and memory. If you’ve ever stared at an old photo and felt a pull toward a life you never lived, you get it.
The Mackinac Magic
The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island is practically a character itself. Built in 1887, it’s one of the few places on earth that actually looks like the past.
- The Porch: It’s the longest in the world.
- The Cars: Still banned to this day.
- The "Is It You?" Tree: There’s a plaque there now where fans recreate the first meeting.
The Cult of "SIT"
When the movie hit theaters in 1980, it died. Fast.
It lasted barely three weeks. Universal basically wrote it off. But then something happened that nobody expected: cable TV and VHS.
Z Channel in Los Angeles started playing it on a loop. People who were nursing broken hearts or looking for a bit of hope found it. They didn't care about the 52% Rotten Tomatoes score. They cared about the way John Barry’s score made them feel.
By 1990, the fans were so intense they formed INSITE (International Network of Somewhere in Time Enthusiasts). They still meet at the Grand Hotel every October. They dress in Edwardian clothes. They have a "Somewhere in Time Weekend."
✨ Don't miss: Where can you watch Yellowstone at: The truth about the messy streaming rights
It’s one of the most documented movies in history, with over 2,400 pages of fan research published about a single 103-minute film.
Christopher Reeve: More Than Just the Cape
We talk a lot about Reeve’s later life—the accident, the advocacy, the incredible strength. But if you want to understand who he was before the world changed for him, you have to watch this movie.
He turns down big-budget roles to do this. He plays Collier as someone raw and vulnerable. There’s a scene where he finds a 1979 penny in his pocket while he’s in 1912. The look of pure, unadulterated horror on his face as he’s pulled back to the present is some of the best acting of his career.
He didn't play it "on the nose," as his mentor Barbara Loden taught him. He played it with a "smidgen of weirdness." That’s what makes it stick.
Comparing the "Romance" Movies
| Movie | The Vibe | The Logic |
|---|---|---|
| Somewhere in Time | Heart-wrenching / Dreamy | "I think, therefore I am... in 1912." |
| The Lake House | Modern / Architectural | Magic Mailbox. |
| About Time | Sweet / British | Closets and clenched fists. |
| The Notebook | Aggressive / Rain-soaked | Aging and journals. |
Honestly, none of them capture the specific "longing" of Christopher Reeve movies like this one does. It’s the ultimate "the one that got away" story, amplified by seventy years of distance.
Practical Ways to Experience the Film Today
You don't just "watch" this movie; you sort of inhabit it. If you’re a fan or a newcomer, here’s how to do it right:
- Visit Mackinac Island: Go in the off-season if you can. Stay at the Grand Hotel if you have the budget, but even if you don't, you can pay a small fee to walk the porch. Find the rock where they filmed the final scenes.
- The Soundtrack is Essential: Listen to John Barry’s "Main Theme" on a rainy day. It includes Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini (the 18th variation). It will probably make you cry. That’s okay.
- Read the Original Book: Bid Time Return is actually a bit darker. In the book, Richard has an inoperable brain tumor. It adds a layer of "is this all in his head?" that the movie softens.
- Check out INSITE: If you’re really into it, the fan club is still active. They have more trivia than you could ever use in a lifetime.
Most people get it wrong when they say this is just a "chick flick." It’s a movie about the refusal to accept the boundaries of reality. It’s about a man who would rather die in the past than live in a present without the person he loves.
Christopher Reeve knew that. It was his favorite film he ever made. Maybe that’s why we’re still talking about it nearly fifty years later.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of the film, look for the "Remastered Limited Edition" of the score. It includes the "music box" version of the theme that wasn't on the original vinyl. It’s haunting in a way the digital versions usually miss.
Whatever you do, don't check your pockets for pennies before you start. It ruins the vibe.
To truly appreciate the legacy of Christopher Reeve's work, your next step should be watching his performance in The Remains of the Day. It’s a stark contrast to Richard Collier—controlled, modern, and sharp—showing just how much range he really had outside of the red boots.