History Film / TheTimeMachine1960

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In London on August 19, 1966, an atomic explosion causes a volcanic eruption, a natural disaster that could never occur in reality due to a) there being no active volcanoes in the United Kingdom and b) the British Isles being nowhere near a tectonic plate boundary.

There are many changes from the novel, with Wells's socialist critique reimagined as an anti-war parable. After the Time-Traveler, who in this version is called "George" (Creator/RodTaylor), demonstrates his invention, most of his colleagues criticize him for inventing something which they consider to have no practical value and wonder why a man of his genius isn't [[ArmsDealer inventing weapons]] for Britain to use in UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar like a good patriotic citizen should be. Only David Filby (Alan Young) shares George's idealism, though he warns him to destroy the time machine before it destroys him.

* AdaptationExpansion: In the book, the traveller doesn't make any stop and goes directly to the very far future without learning about the World Wars (which the 1895 book hadn't anticipated, while the traveller in the film first assumes that World War II is the still ongoing World War I that he learned about in 1917).

George sets off for the future, stopping to see the effects of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Blitz of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and finally the nuclear holocaust of WorldWarIII. George's arrival in the year 802701 plays out similarly to the original, though with the Eloi [[EternalEnglish speaking English]] and Weena (Yvette Mimieux) being PromotedToLoveInterest. The BackStory of the Eloi and the Morlocks is altered, with both being the descendants of people who survived in bunkers during World War III. When the war ended after three centuries, some people chose to remain underground, becoming the Morlocks, while others chose to take their chances on the surface, becoming the Eloi. The Morlocks are, of course, portrayed in the typical 1950s monster movie fashion.

-->'''Talking ring:''' The war between East and West, which is now in its three hundred and twenty sixth year...* FishOutOfTemporalWater: George is entirely out of place in the future society. They're nearly all apathetic, such that one of his first sights is several placidly watching while another drowns (who he rescues). Since in their time everything is given to them by the Morlocks, they spend all of their time just relaxing and eating. He's disgusted at first, feeling they've given up everything inventors like him worked to build, but then realized it's not their fault as they're kept this way by the Morlocks. After he finally realizes what the Morlocks [[ImAHumanitarian use the Eloi for]], George fights against this and resolves to change their ways for the better.

* ArtisticLicensePhysics: If the protagonist were really so close to a nuclear blast, he'd likely be vaporized. Even aside from that, the radiation sickness would soon kill him. The EMP the blast had also would burn out his time machine. Much of these effects were probably unknown to the public at the time.

* FishOutOfTemporalWater: George is entirely out of place in the future society. They're nearly all apathetic, such that one of his first sights is several placidly watching while another drowns (who he rescues). Since in their time everything is given to them by the Morlocks, they spend all of their time just relaxing and eating. He's disgusted at first, feeling they've given up everything inventors like him worked to build, but then realized it's not their fault as they're kept this way by the Morlocks. After he finally realizes what the Morlocks [[ImAHumanitarian use the Eloi for]], George fights against this and resolves to change their ways for the better.

* TheGreatPoliticsMessUp:
-->'''Talking ring:''' The war between East and West, which is now in its three hundred and twenty sixth year...

[[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/170b8c4a0d9d419f8a7e878b6a64f16ec00e26fb_The-Time-Machine_9315.jpg]]

''The Time Machine'' is a 1960 film adaptation by George Pal of Creator/HGWells' science fiction novel ''Literature/TheTimeMachine''.

There are many changes from the novel, with Wells's socialist critique reimagined as an anti-war parable. After the Time-Traveler, called "George" in this version, demonstrates his invention, most of his colleagues criticize him for inventing something which they consider to have no practical value and wonder why a man of his genius isn't [[ArmsDealer inventing weapons]] for Britain to use in UsefulNotes/TheSecondBoerWar like a good patriotic citizen should be. Only David Filby shares George's idealism, though he warns him to destroy the time machine before it destroys him.

George sets off for the future, stopping to see the effects of UsefulNotes/WorldWarI, the Blitz of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and finally the nuclear holocaust of WorldWarIII. George's arrival in the year 802701 plays out similarly to the original, though with the Eloi [[EternalEnglish speaking English]] and Weena being PromotedToLoveInterest. The BackStory of the Eloi and the Morlocks is altered, with both being the descendants of people who survived in bunkers during World War III. When the war ended after three centuries, some people chose to remain underground, becoming the Morlocks, while others chose to take their chances on the surface, becoming the Eloi. The Morlocks are, of course, portrayed in the typical 1950s monster movie fashion.

* HumansAreWhite: In the future, all Eloi (one offshoot of modern humanity) are uniformly white and mostly blond. This might seem plausible as it's set in the former London (yet even then the blondness doesn't) but they also are living in what looks like a pretty hot climate to judge from the lush jungle that sprung up. So you would expect the Eloi to have darker skin and hair eventually as a result (granted, it isn't clear how long the climate's been that way).

* ArbitrarySkepticism: George's colleagues (except Filby) don't believe his story, despite his having returned all beaten up, and the fact that the flower he brought doesn't exist yet and could not have grown during the winter.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Time Traveller is addressed as "George", and his full name is visible on a plaque on the machine (that's H. George Wells).[[note]]He's named for author Creator/HGWells, as the "G" stands for George. Presumably the "H" stands for Herbert here, like Wells' real first name.[[/note]]

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Time Traveller is addressed as "George", and his full name is visible on a plaque on the machine (H. George Wells).[[note]]He's named for author Creator/HGWells, as the "G" stands for George. Presumably the "H" stands for Herbert here, like Wells' real first name.[[/note]]

* NubileSavage: Weena.

* AdaptationalBadass: While nowhere near are powerful as the Morlocks from the 2002 movie, the Morlocks are nevertheless considerably tougher here than their novel counterparts.

* ApatheticCitizens: The Eloi are this to a T, ignoring one of their own drowning, their cannibalization by the Morlocks. George helps them learn to fight back again.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Time Traveller is addressed as "George",[[note]]Possibly a reference to author Creator/HGWells, as the "G" stands for George[[/note]] and his full name is visible on a plaque on the machine.
* NextSundayAD: The Time Traveler witnesses a nuclear holocaust... ''in 1966''. This could even border on TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, with 1966 London full of skyscrapers and having shiny monorail, not to mention "tubeless TV" on window display.
* NoNewFashionsInTheFuture: The Eloi women love their FiftiesHair. Weena, whose attitude and interests are akin to a child, even calls attention to it by asking George how the women of his time wear their hair.

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The Time Traveler goes forward in time at the speed of thousands of years every second, yet he can still see the wall behind him being built, block by block. Travelling this fast, he should barely be able to see any building ''last'', considering the lifespan of most structures mankind built.

* StrandedWithEdison: Implied by the ending. When Wells leaves after telling his friend Filby about his adventures, he takes three books from his vast library. Filby asks Mrs. Watchett (and the audience), "Which three books would you have taken?" in order to restart civilization.

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: George mistakes Filby's son James for his father in 1917.
* UndyingLoyalty: Filby, executor of George's estate, firmly refuses to sell the house and has it shut even after his death, believing the traveller would return some day. His son similarly decides to honour his father's [[LastRequest wishes]] and has the plot turned into a park after the house was destroyed in the Blitz, dedicating it to their friendship.

* PromotedToLoveInterest: Former TropeNamer, by way of both the 2002 film and this one. In the novel, the time traveler forms a bond with an Eloi woman named Weena, who, like all Eloi, is a child-sized androgynous-looking creature mentally on the level of an eight-year old. However, the film turns Weena into a love interest, looking human.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Time Traveller is addressed as "George",[[note]]Possibly a reference to author HGWells, as the "G" stands for George[[/note]] and his full name is visible on a plaque on the machine.

* NamedByTheAdaptation: The Time Traveller is addressed as "George", and his full name is visible on a plaque on the machine.

* AdaptationalIntelligence: The Eloi are far more intelligent here than in the novel, being able to speak perfect English and having more awareness of their surroundings than their book counterparts.

* LiteraryAgentHypothesis: Though the Time Traveler is referred to as "George", the machine's date indicator plate clearly reads "Manufactured by H. George Wells" meaning the Time Traveller's actual name is... Creator/HGWells.[[note]]Wells' middle name really was George, though he typically went by "Bertie."[[/note]]

* AdaptationalIntelligence: The Eloi are far more intelligent here than in the novel, being able to speak perfect English and having more awareness of their surroundings than their book counterparts.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In 1966 London an atomic explosion causes a volcanic eruption, a natural disaster that could never occur in reality due to a) there being no active volcanos in the United Kingdom and b) the British Isles being nowhere near a tectonic plate boundary.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: In 1966 London an atomic explosion causes a volcanic eruption, a natural disaster that could NEVER occur in reality due to a) there being no active volcanos in the United Kingdom and b) the British Isles being nowhere near a tectonic plate boundary.

* ReunionShow: In 1993, [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0300555/ a documentary]] was made about the 1960 Time Machine movie. While most of the documentary focused on the director and on the making of the movie props, there was a 15 minute segment where the actors who played George and Filby reprised their roles. (The action in the segment took place in George's house and--from George's point of view-- 30 years after the events of the original story.) Remember how in the main movie Filby was fated to die in World War I? Well, George has come back to 1916 to [[SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong try to put a stop to it.]] The documentary is included in some DVD versions of the movie.
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Time Traveler goes forward in time at the speed of thousands of years every second, yet he can still see the wall behind him being built, block by block. Travelling this fast, he should barely be able to see any building ''last'', considering the lifespan of most structures mankind built.

* StrandedWithEdison: Implied by the ending. When Wells leaves after telling his friend Filby about his adventures, he takes three books from his vast library. Filby asks the housekeeper (and the audience), "If you were going to start civilization over again, which three books would you choose?"

* UncannyFamilyResemblance: George mistakes Filby's son for his father.

* WorldWarThree: George arrives on the day it begins, in 1966, and barely escapes being burned by lava. It is what creates the world of 802701, with Morlocks being the descendants of those who ended up in air raid shelters, and Eloi being the ones who ended up staying above ground.