I can think of only a few movies where the remake is better than the original and this one, at least in my opinion, is one of them. Of course, it helps that the star is another favorite of mine; I adore Tyrone Power! I'd say his performance (as well as the film) is more down-to-earth, less ethereal, than its predecessor, though this one does have a touch of its own magic, as the realistic scenes from the contemporary time (in this movie, the 1950's), which include an atomic laboratory and nuclear experiments, are in black and white, while the fantasy like 18th century scenes are in vivid color. It gives you a sense of where life is really being lived.
While the premise is the same, (American Peter Standish is living in his ancestors' Georgian era house in London, talks of time travel, transposes with his lookalike/namesake 18thc ancestor, and while flirting with his distant cousin, Kate (Beatrice Campbell), whom the original Peter later marries, finds himself altering the past by falling for Kate's younger sister, Helen (Ann Blyth, who's more earthy and believable than Heather Angel), and must let head rule heart so as not to change history, Tyrone's performance is more controlled and on guard than Leslie's. Though he makes mistakes, he appears less careless and covers better, he doesn't deliberately insult (aside from a snarky remark here and there), and (a change for the better from the original) there are scenes of 18th century London life, as Peter tours the city with Kate and Helen's brother, Tom (Dennis Price), that make him disillusioned with the era and give background and reason for his opinions, that were absent in the previous film.
There's also his being a scientist and conducting a few experiments that become the reason for people turning against him, rather than just the strange things he says and does, which makes this version more realistic.
And this one has more potential for a "Happily Ever After".
Enough said! I recommend this one; you can even skip the first one. (Sorry, Leslie!)
While the premise is the same, (American Peter Standish is living in his ancestors' Georgian era house in London, talks of time travel, transposes with his lookalike/namesake 18thc ancestor, and while flirting with his distant cousin, Kate (Beatrice Campbell), whom the original Peter later marries, finds himself altering the past by falling for Kate's younger sister, Helen (Ann Blyth, who's more earthy and believable than Heather Angel), and must let head rule heart so as not to change history, Tyrone's performance is more controlled and on guard than Leslie's. Though he makes mistakes, he appears less careless and covers better, he doesn't deliberately insult (aside from a snarky remark here and there), and (a change for the better from the original) there are scenes of 18th century London life, as Peter tours the city with Kate and Helen's brother, Tom (Dennis Price), that make him disillusioned with the era and give background and reason for his opinions, that were absent in the previous film.
There's also his being a scientist and conducting a few experiments that become the reason for people turning against him, rather than just the strange things he says and does, which makes this version more realistic.
And this one has more potential for a "Happily Ever After".
Enough said! I recommend this one; you can even skip the first one. (Sorry, Leslie!)