The Time Machine
Short description
In Victorian London, an inventor named George Wells finishes building a machine that can carry a person through time. He shows it to a small circle of friends, who doubt that such a device could work. After they leave to see in the new year, he sets off in the machine himself, travelling forward through the decades and past scenes of war and destruction. His journey ends far in the future, on an Earth that looks peaceful at first. There he meets the Eloi, a passive people, and discovers that another species, the Morlocks, lives beneath the ground and holds power over them.
George Pal directed and produced the film, working from a screenplay by David Duncan. It was the first of two features Pal directed, followed by 7 Faces of Dr. Lao in 1964. Rod Taylor plays H. George Wells, with Yvette Mimieux as Weena, Alan Young as David and James Filby, Sebastian Cabot as Dr. Philip Hilyer, Tom Helmore as Anthony Bridewell and Whit Bissell as Walter Kemp. The film mixes science fiction and adventure with fantasy, romance and thriller elements.
The film was released in 1960 and runs 103 minutes. It took about 2 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7.5 out of 10 from around 48,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.4 out of 10 from roughly 952 votes. A critics' rating of 7.3 out of 10 from 39 reviews places it close to both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The lava in the volcano eruption scene is made of oatmeal dyed with red and orange food coloring.
- A 32-page comic book based on the film was released in 1960.
- Yvette Mimieux turned 18 during filming, and when shooting began, she was still a minor and therefore legally unable to work full-time. However, she disregarded this restriction. Initially, she had no acting experience at all, but she gradually gained some, so by the end of the shooting period, the filmmakers even decided to reshoot some scenes with her that had been filmed at the very beginning.
- Director George Pal (1908-1980) wanted the disc on the time machine to rotate clockwise when traveling to the future, and counterclockwise when traveling to the past. The filmmakers decided that showing the machine's controls in detail would be too expensive and time-consuming.
- Director and producer George Pal kept a miniature replica of the time machine. It was destroyed in a fire at his home.
- The shape of the time machine resembles a sled – one of George Pal’s favorite means of transportation as a child. The idea was that the time traveler would simply “slide” into another time.
- Rod Taylor (1930-2015) was just over six feet tall. To make him appear even more imposing, actors of short stature were specifically chosen for the roles of the Eloi and Morlocks.
- The Time Traveler battles a Morlock right next to the time machine, and at one point sends it into the future, causing the creature's body to rapidly decompose. A wax figure of the Morlock was created, then subjected to intense heat, causing it to melt, and the film was sped up to create the impression that the flesh was decaying before their eyes.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
