The Infinite worlds of HG Wells (1 Viewer)

[DeborahK]

Did anyone else here catch this charming 6 part series, running on the new Hallmark Channel? I was wondering if anyone knew when it was actually made? It has "2000" or "2001" (can't remember which) posted at the end, but that seems to be something that Hallmark has tagged on. I taped in SVHS tape but would welcome a DVD release of the series -- I thought it was quite wonderful and very well done.
Deborah
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[Jack Briggs]

Ms. K: Neither my AT&T digital feed nor my AT&T analogue feed get the Hallmark Channel (though I've seen it advertised). The series you describe here sounds intriguing. Can you describe it further, please?
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[Edited last by Jack Briggs on August 22, 2001 at 10:27 AM]

 

[DeborahK]

Hi, Jack,
The series is British and was filmed in London. It was based on Wells' short stories and was six hour long (including commercials). The episodes were structured as a series of flashbacks, with the present being WW II, or just thereafter. A young woman comes to the home of an elderly and somewhat despondent H.G. Wells, claiming to be a journalist writing an article on a old colleague of his, a scientist from the Imperial College. With some difficulty she gets him to talk about this fellow and thus begins a series of flashback stories (based on those written by Wells) which incorporate his early life as a writer and his romance with the woman who eventually become his wife -- a biologist, also from the Imperial College.
Each episode moves back and forth between "the present" and this colorful late 19th century past. I thought it was extremely well done, and the stories themselves (which I have never read) were wonderful. It struck me as a very skillful blending of biography (no doubt enhanced somewhat) and science fiction, with the added layer of being a sort of very slightly romantic period piece as well. It was nicely balanced between all these elements.-- with some revelations about the young woman "journalist" and her true agenda also being gradually revealed.
The cast was not familiar to me, but I thought they were all excellent. It looked to be a fairly expensive production and the production values were quite high. My AT&T cable does not appear to have the Hallmark Channel either, but my DirecTV system has just started carrying it and it actually came to my attention when I saw a commercial for this series on another one of the satellite stations.
Hope that helps,
Deborah
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[Jason Seaver]

If it helps, I think "The Hallmark Channel" is just "Odyssey" renamed. A lot of people thought "Odyssey" was a travel channel or something else, so they decided to change to a more recognizable name.

 

[DeborahK]

Jason,
Thanks for the info. I had not noticed that Odyssey had disappeared from my line-up, only that Hallmark had suddenly appeared.
Did you happen to catch the HG Wells series?
Deborah

 

[Jason Seaver]

No, I didn't. I think I'd heard something about it two or three months earlier - probably in an article about how "Odyssey" was changing its name to "Hallmark"; they listed some upcoming events - but during the summer, the TV doesn't get used for much besides baseball. I can miss things on TV so easily if it doesn't get written up somewhere I can see or have a name I recognize attached to it.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I'd love to catch an episode of this.
I trust it's better than that H.G. Wells-oriented film from the early '80s--what was it called? You know, the one with Malcolm McDowell?
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[DeborahK]

Hi, Jack,
Sorry for the late response -- have been away from my computer for a few days.
I am afraid that I do not know the film or TV series to which you refer so I cannot offer an opinion on it, however, I thought the Infinite Worlds was a definite class act. It appears I am the only one here who has actually seen this one, however. If you get the Hallmark channel keep an eye out for the series (6 episodes) as they are sure to repeat it.
Deborah
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[Jack Briggs]

I think the movie was called Somewhere in Time. McDowell played H.G. Wells, who travels in time to 1980s America to capture Jack the Ripper. Mary Sternhagen (that her name?) played "Wells's" love interest. The film came out in 1981 or '82.

 

[DeborahK]

Hi, Jack,
"Somewhere in Time" starred Christopher Reeve (and Jane Seymour), and is about a writer who goes back to the beginning of the century in search of a famous actress of the period. I think I have seen this film and be assured that it bears not resemblance to the Hallmark channel's HG Wells series. Or, are you thinking of another film with a similar title?
Deborah
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[Jason Seaver]

I think he's talking about Link Removed , directed by Nicolas Meyer.

 

[DeborahK]

Thanks, Jason -- I think that clears this up. I do not believe that I have seen this film, though I have a vague recollection that a friend of mine with a heavy Jack the Ripper habit may have shown it to me once a few years back. If I did see this movie, I remember very little about it. Have you seen it?
Deborah
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[Jack Briggs]

Jason is correct--though, as always, I disagree with him. ( ) (Deborah: reference some Star Trek threads in "TV Shows.)
I saw a pan-and-scan facsimili of Time After Time on cable way back in the early '80s. As I remember it, the film (or at least the portion of the frame that I saw) was a lighthearted, charming little romp.
And, yes, Somewhere in Time is that Christopher Reeve vehicle. I remember now. ("My mind is going ... my mind is going.")
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