Berkeley Square
US (1933): Fantasy/Romance
To my knowledge this was the first time-travel film ever made. Leslie Howard had made a hit in the play, both in London and in NYC, and was selected for the Fox film. It is nicely opened up from the play, although it is still a bit stagey.
The plot involves the fascination of a young American, who inherits a house in Berkeley Square. He becomes fascinated with his ancestors to the point of believing he can time travel if he wants to badly enough (Somewhere in Time, 1980, owes a great deal to this premise). His ancestor of the same name visited the house from America on a certain date and he is able to change places with him on the anniversary date. He of course is at first quaint and then taken by his ancestors to be bizarre and finally, possessed by the devil - his ability to predict the future and other faux pas being the cause. Only his fiancée's sister is able to discern who he really is. They of course fall in love and in a powerful sequence reminiscent of Lloyd's montage in Cavalcade the year earlier, she looks into his mind and sees the devastation of the centuries mankind has wrought in the interim between their two worlds. He can no longer remain in the past and she has no desire to return with him to the future.
The play and film end tragically as, once returned to the future, our hero locks himself in the house, awaiting death, and visiting daily the 200-year-old grave of the woman he loved.
The costumes are lavish and Lloyd does his usual fine job of direction. Howard earned an Academy Award® nomination for his excellent performance. Other than the opening out of the action with exterior scenes and new dialogue, the only real difference is the character's interactions with notable figures of the time and his negative take on their characters, as well as the filth and bad manners of the eighteenth century - these observations are not part of the screenplay.
Extremely hard to find - rarely on television although the Fox channel is about the only place one could find it these days. Never available commercially on video, but private collector Mon Ayash (Forgotten Hollywood) has it on VHS for trade or sale.
Very worth seeking out for both romantics and those fascinated with time travel. (Arne Andersen, IMDb)
1 nomination
· Actor 1932-33: Leslie Howard