I have watched this several times now and I enjoy it more with each viewing. The acting was excellent all around with some of the minor parts (Boggis and Tweedle) being brief parts played with real depth. A very good cast with some famous performers and the younger actors holding their own.I was especially moved by the films treatment of death and Maggie Smith's (Mrs. Oldknow's)explanation of how a loss can be accepted if someone is truly loved.I cannot think of anything Julian Fellowes has done that has not been excellent (except possibly overdoing it in The Scarlet Pimpernel). His work is almost a guarantee of excellence.Although the film is emotional, it is not contrived. I think this is a good film that works both for children and adults.I highly recommend it.

It's 1944 Britain, and Tolly Oldknow (Alex Etel) is sent to live with his grandmother (Maggie Smith) in their ancestral country estate. For some reason, he finds that he can time travel to 1805 but nobody can sense him except for Susan (Eliza Bennett) who is blind. Both kids have their fathers away at war. Susan is tormented by her family while her protector father is away.This is like a slow poetic drama. The most compelling story has to be the one in the past. The present day story moves along too slowly and has very little to do in the first place. What I rather have is for Tolly to just stay in the past and we follow the story 200 years ago. The story in the past is just so interesting with blind Susan and her Negro child guide. I'm sure there's a lot more in the book to expand on.

When I saw the writer/director was Julian Fellowes, and the cast included his 'Downton' alumni Hugh Bonneville and the ever fabulous Maggie Smith, not to mention such great British actors as Dominic West(of 'The Wire'fame) and Pauline Collins ('Shirley Valentine' herself)and the perennially interesting Timothy Spall (Secrets & Lives) it seemed that all the omens were good....For me though it only went to show that success as a writer does not automatically translate into success as a Director. The great writer was unable to let go of the desire to tell the story as if it were being 'read'. Everything was articulated (Pauline Collins character at one point almost iterating her own movements out loud ('I think i will just move this cup from her'...we know, we can see you moving the cup!).The juvenile 'slave' character had an absurdly modern American accent (and a rather refined one for such a character) and only Maggie Smith seemed able to rise above the poor direction (naturally). The story idea has merit, but for Ghost story it lacked atmosphere, and the language was clunky. The characters were often stereotypical and one dimensional, no wonder this movie disappeared as soon as it was released!

This film is about a young boy who goes to stay with his grandmother's stately home during the Second World War. He finds the house's secret ability to transport him back in time."From Time to Time" successfully weaves together past and present events in a logical manner. Many time travel stories have major plot loopholes, but "From Time to Time" has a logical plot that even when people from present interacts with people in the past and alter events from the past. I particularly like the fact that bits of stories weave together, such as the "miracle light" and the jewels, so everything in the film happens for a reason. I enjoyed watching "From Time to Time" a lot.