From Time to Time

"Unlock the secrets of the past..."

2009 1h 35m EN

😐

6.3

MID

🥫

43%

ROTTEN

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★6.3TMDB · 121🥫43%Rotten Tomatoes★6.7IMDB · 6,651

AdventureFantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A haunting ghost story spanning two worlds, two centuries apart. When 13 year old Tolly finds he can mysteriously travel between the two, he begins an adventure that unlocks family secrets laid buried for generations.

“Unlock the secrets of the past...”

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Cast

Maggie Smith
Linnet
Dominic West
Caxton
Timothy Spall
Boggis
Alex Etel
Tolly
Pauline Collins
Mrs. Tweedle
Eliza Bennett
Susan
Rachel Bell
Perkins
Christopher Villiers
Officer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Julian Fellowes
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 17 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Julian Fellowes, shot by Alan Almond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ilan Eshkeri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Maggie Smith and Dominic West and Timothy Spall carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Unlock the secrets of the past...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1031241 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Julian Fellowes directs. Alan Almond behind the camera. Ilan Eshkeri scores. John Wilson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 17 years ago.
2Directed by Julian Fellowes, shot by Alan Almond. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Ilan Eshkeri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor John Wilson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Maggie Smith and Dominic West and Timothy Spall carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "Unlock the secrets of the past...".
7IMDB entry: tt1031241 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Alan Almond
Original score: Ilan Eshkeri
Editing: John Wilson
Production design: Luciana Arrighi
Makeup / hair: Elaine Carew
Sound: Gareth Bull
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: From Time to Time (2009)
Rotten Tomatoes: 43% 🥫 Rotten
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 6,651 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

3 wins & 1 nomination total

CICFF Best of the Fest Award

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Julian Fellowes

Separate Lies
2005 · ★ 5.8

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Peter McGinn2020-04-03
★ 8/10
I have found that movies with Timothy Spall or Maggie Smith in them are worth watching, and this movie has both of them. I also like Pauline Collins since her role way back in the Jurassic era playing in No Honestly. I am not into the supernatural or ghost movies, so I don't know what is normal, but it seems like this script takes a few liberties by having the ghosts visible or not visible inconsistently as the story moves on, but the writers seems to realize that as one of the characters even comments on it. And overall it works so I overlooked it with ease. Oh and did I mention Hugh Bonneville is in it, and very good, as you'd expect. The ending was rather predictable to me, but I write novels so perhaps that was why I foresaw the plot twists. I like that Tolly, the teenage the lad who is main character, shows some growth as a person due to his experiences. I don't expect to feel the urge to watch the movie again, but neither do I regret my time spent watching it.
CinemaSerf2023-01-01
★ 6/10
Julian Fellowes has assembled quite a stellar cast here for this rather charming, if formulaic, ghost story set in an English stately home. The young "Tolly" (Alex Etel) comes to live with his aristocratic grandmother "Mrs Oldknow" (Dame Maggie Smith) - who is having to think carefully about remaining in their fire-damaged family home. Once in situ, the young man discovers that he is able to revisit a time in the house's history when things were different, and there were big secrets being kept. Soon he is embroiled in trying to alter history saving those in both timelines before it is too late. To be fair, the story is pretty derivative, but it looks good - the costume and set designers have fun with the two periods of history - and there are plenty of familiar faces - Timothy Spall, a fine effort from Pauline Collins and a few brief cameos from Hugh Bonneville to keep this amiable story bubbling along nicely for ninety minutes. It's not likely a film you will recall seeing for long afterwards, but it has a gentle charm to it and the young Etel works well with his more illustrious co-stars to create a feel-good film that is worth watching.