Across the Sea of Time (1995)

Dear Mr. Gillis; I'm an actor, but not writing to you as one. I recently saw the above film, "Across the Sea of Time," that you wrote in 1995 and just wanted to tell you that I absolutely loved it. It was a beautiful film and you should be very proud of it.Too bad more people haven't had the opportunity to see it. Loved seeing the old photos of New York in the early 1900's, the young boy actor and the theme of the story. After seeing it I called the casting director to see if I could get some kind of a work address to send a "thank you" to you, but they would not give me anything which, I guess, is the right thing to do! Wish there were more films like this today. Thank you!Best wishes, A fan

This is a beautiful film, enhanced by John Barry's fabulous score (although some parts were written for a previous movie.) I have seen this film 3 times. Sydney Imax, Adelaide Imax and Melbourne Imax. At Melbourne, the right eye image was OUT OF FOCUS!! No, it was not me having had a few too many, and it was not the glasses. Changing them made no difference. I wrote a letter of complaint to Melbourne Imax but guess what? They didn't reply. All too hard I suppose. Considering the technology of the move projection (IE only one projector not two) it is hard to understand how one image was out of focus and not both. Someone else can explain this to me. Apart from all that, the 3D in this movie, the stereo cards, and the music - everything is just wonderful.Yes, the story too! Being a collector of stereo cards (and also having been to NYC) this movie has special significance for me. I took a friend who is also a stereo photography guru and he was totally overcome by the total experience. Now....... I made a very big mistake of buying the VHS video tape last week. One word or advice - DON'T - unless you only have one eye and/or never have and never will see the 3D version!! Such a let-down and so disappointing. If you like the music you can get the CD. Question: When will Sony Picture bring it back? It is timeless - way beyond the bounds of fashion or modernity. At least they should release it on a 3D DVD!! (Polarised glasses too...?) Maybe the technology is already here, but I haven't heard about it. Tomas Minton well done! PS. I had already posted this then I read John Frame's comments: "Blending the best 3D imagery from 1916 and 1995, 4 January 2003" John, just to add to your nice review, the WTC towers DO feature quite prominently in at least two scenes in the movie. A jolt to bring us back to modern times hey!

I was curious how that format - so impressive at th IMAX theaters - would translate to the regular television screen, so I rented the VHS of this. My answer: it doesn't. One needs a big screen, I guess.....a very big screen, especially when the visuals aren't that good to start with as was the case here.This is simply a little documentary about New York City, comparing how some intersections and buildings looked back in he early part of the 20th century as compared to when this movie was made in 1996. Interwoven in the presentation is a little Russian immigrant kids story. It's quite boring for the most part. If you grew up in NYC, especially in spots where this was filmed, this would be a lot more interesting.

I went along to this one in the now defunct Adelaide cinema just to try out the IMAX experience and was blown away by the brilliance of this piece. Not only was it my first visit to this particular theater, but also my first experience at 3-D IMAX. What a breathtaking introduction. The New York images were stunning, and beautifully presented around the story of the Russian boy's adventure. In particular, the historical shots of daring construction workers, dangling hundreds of feet in the air to put together New York's skyscrapers were gut wrenching. It's historical value, presenting the beginnings of one of the most exciting cities in the world, is immeasurable.A genuine, chance-viewing - I'm grateful for my good fortune at discovering it. I only wish I could get a copy for my collection.