From Time To Time DVD Review

From Time To Time is part mystery, part ghost story, part family drama, and it takes place in two times: December 1944 and 1809 - and so is part time-traveling film as well. It sounds like a lot to mix into one film, but director Julian Fellowes does a good job handling the story's various aspects, and making them feel like a whole.

The story begins in December of 1944, with a boy named Tolly (Alex Etel), going to stay with his grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow (Maggie Smith). Tolly's father is missing in action, and could be dead, though Tolly refuses to acknowledge this possibility. His grandmother's house is a strange place for him, and he is not close to his grandmother, having not seen her for many years. So he is a boy out of place - unsure of his future, unsure of his present, holding onto the hope that his father is alive, and all will return to normal.

But things become even stranger for Tolly when on his first night in the house he sees the ghost of Susan, a relative of his from the early 1800s. Frightened, he goes to his grandmother and asks her, "Do you believe in ghosts?" She replies, "Certainly I do." That is a wonderful and surprising moment. Because the usual direction such a film would take would be for the adult to not believe, and for the child to be on his own for a long time, trying to convince the adult of the reality of his situation. This film doesn't bother with that old story, and instead uses the ghost as a way to bring Tolly and his grandmother closer together.

Of course, it also doesn't hurt that his grandmother is played by the always incredible Maggie Smith. It is always a joy to watch her in a film. She has such honesty in everything she does. In an interview with the director (a special feature on the DVD), he talks about how Maggie Smith can be emotional without ever being sentimental. Indeed.

Anyway, a lot of family history is crammed into the beginning of the film, with Mrs. Oldknow mentioning a number of family members who play a part in the 1809 section of the story. It's a bit too much backstory right at the start. But once the film gets underway, these characters sort themselves out.

Tolly begins to cross over into the 1809 story with more frequency. At first it is only Susan, a blind girl, who can sense him. But then others become able to see him, which actually makes things more dangerous for him. The film doesn't bother trying to explain too much how Tolly is able to cross over. Though also the film doesn't quite shy away from tackling the problems from time travel. In one scene, Tolly leaves his flashlight with someone in the 1800s. Then, back in the present, Mrs. Oldknow takes that very flashlight out of a case of family heirlooms and says that at last they've solved "the mystery of the miracle light." Tolly says it should be impossible that earlier the flashlight was in his pocket and in the case simultaneously. And it's left at that.

After all, this film really isn't about time travel. It's about a boy leaving his own troubled time, and his own troubles, and escaping to help another person with her troubles, and thus learning to cope with what may come in his own life. And of course there is typical story of how his grandmother might have to sell this family home because she can't afford it anymore, combined with the mystery of some stolen jewels. Anyone who has seen The Goonies knows how this will turn out.

A couple of the supporting characters are basically one-note characters: Sefton (the jealous brother of Susan) and Caxton, the evil butler (yes, a case of "the butler did it"). The actors aren't bad, but those characters just aren't fleshed out enough to be completely believable.

This film has some good performances. Obviously, Maggie Smith is excellent as Mrs. Oldknow. But there are also good performances by Timothy Spall as Boggis, Hugh Bonneville as Captain Oldknow, Carice Van Houton as Maria Oldknow, Pauline Collins as Mrs. Tweedle, and of course Alex Etel as Tolly.

The DVD includes nearly an hour of interviews with most of the cast (with the unfortunate exceptions of Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville) and key members of the crew, including director Julian Fellowes, producer Liz Trubridge, production designer Luciana Arrighi and costume designer Jane Robinson. There is also some behind-the-scenes footage.

From Time To Time is based on the novel The Chimneys Of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston. It was adapted and directed by Julian Fellowes, who wrote Gosford Park. In the DVD's interview, Julian Fellowes talks about some of the changes he made when adapting the novel.

The DVD was released on March 20, 2012.