VividSimon Simply Perfect

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Richard Chatten Most of us feel dissatisfied with the time in which they are living (I was five in the year 1964, to which I have long felt a powerful desire to return when I have the time, and will this time be paying more attention); and the feeling that the past is still out there somewhere going about its business continues to resonate through such disparate works of fiction as 'Wild Strawberries' and 'Goodnight Sweetheart'.Through the medium of that authentic miracle of time travel, YouTube, having just watched the 1951 Technicolor version with Tyrone Power of John L. Balderston's West End hit of 1926 I was immediately able to summon up like magic the earlier version adapted by Balderston himself with the star of the Broadway production of 1929, Leslie Howard; which for many years was once a lost film. (As a visitor from the future, I was intrigued to discover that Howard's fiancée Kate Pettigrew was played by the British stage actress Valerie Taylor - also from the original Broadway cast - who I know as a middle-aged woman from 'Went the Day Well' in 1942.) The romance between Peter Standish and Helen Pettigrew engages the interest far more in this version, which has that pre-Code deftness of touch (Heather Angel as Helen also wears a chic thirties suit with a fur collar easily as eye-catching as her 18th Century creations).With the benefit of hindsight, it's sobering to be aware that Howard, Power and Christopher Reeve (star of 'Somewhere in Time') were all taken before their time; something only a visitor from the future - or a film viewer - could know.

wes-connors How many of us have wished that we might escape from the dull reality of the present into the glamor and romance of yesterday? But if we could journey back into the mystery of the past, should we find contentment - or unhappiness?" On a stormy night in 1784, new American noble Leslie Howard (as Peter Standish) arrives in London's "Berkeley Square" to seek a distant cousin's hand in marriage. After exiting his coach, Mr. Howard seems to vanish. Meanwhile, in the present (1933), his direct descendant and namesake "Peter Standish" (Howard, in a dual role) has inherited the same house. The modern Howard troubles his fiancée and friends due to his preoccupation with the past, especially the September 1784 day when his namesake arrived. Transported to the past, Howard invites suspicion when his "modern" manners and knowledge surface. Howard talks too much. More significantly, he becomes attracted to the wrong woman, beautiful but melancholy Heather Angel (as Helen Pettigrew)... This intriguing "time travel" film was unavailable for decades, but the story was revived often on stage and screen. It was based on an unfinished Henry James novel and inspired memorable imitations from horror mythos-makers H. P. Lovecraft ("The Shadow out of Time") and Dan Curtis ("Dark Shadows"). Howard recreates his performance from the stage well, but director Frank Lloyd and Fox don't take full advantage of cinema potential. Early examples are Howard's trip to the past. He could have appeared outside the door, wet, as both arrivals occurred in the rain. Howard also immediately knows how to sit in his 1784 costume, betraying a familiar comfort. Later, the film would have benefited from Howard visiting the actual grave mentioned in a letter... Solid impressions are made by lustful Colin Keith-Johnston (as Thomas "Tom" Pettigrew) and sensible sister Valerie Taylor (as Kate). Matriarchal Irene Browne (as Ann) played her role again in the 1941 re-make starring Tyrone Power. ******* Berkeley Square (9/15/33) Frank Lloyd ~ Leslie Howard, Heather Angel, Colin Keith-Johnston, Valerie Taylor

blanche-2 Leslie Howard stars in "Berkeley Square," also starring Heather Angel.Howard plays Peter Standish, who is fascinated by all the material he finds in his house from his 18th century ancestors, 146 years earlier. He believes that if he wants to, he can go back to that time. This film is the predecessor to many time travel films, including Somewhere in Time.His ancestor, also Peter Standish, visited his house from America on a particular date. Peter changes places with him on that date in the present.At first, all is well; then he starts slipping and speaking of things in the future to the extent that people begin to believe he is possessed b the devil. The only person who senses the real Peter is Helen Pettigrew (Heather Angel) a Standish cousin. He and Helen fall in love, and she is able to see the future through his eyes -- war, weapons of destruction, neon lights, cars - it all terrifies her. This is the best sequence in the film.Helen cannot go into the future with him -- and doesn't want to, given what she's seen -- and he's a pariah, and will make her one, if he stays.This is a charming film badly in need of restoration. Leslie Howard is perfect as Peter -- handsome, ethereal, and well-suited to the period aspects. Heather Angel, whom I've just gotten to know in the Bulldog Drummond series, is delightful, petite and pretty with a soothing voice and a fragility that lends itself well to the role.Berkeley Square was remade in 1951 as "I'll Never Forget You," starring Tyrone Power, which has a less sober ending - before it was released on DVD, it was in the TCM website's top ten of most requested films to be released as a DVD. There's something appealing about time travel - otherwise, there wouldn't be so many films about it. But there's also something appealing and modern about the premise of Berkeley Square - that all time runs parallel and is all happening at once. Quantum physics would agree that this is so.

Grady-8 "Berkeley Square" is similar in theme to Jack Finney's "Time and Again." A present day American is transported back to the home of his ancestors in London, during the American Revolution. He knows, of course, what will hap- pen and even falls in love with one of his female ancestors. An old film but a terrific one, with Leslie Howard and Heather Angel.