Editing The Time Machine (section)

=== Film adaptations ===

==== 1949 BBC teleplay ====
The first visual adaptation of the book was a live teleplay broadcast from [[Alexandra Palace]] on 25 January 1949 by the [[BBC]], which starred [[Russell Napier]] as the Time Traveller and Mary Donn as Weena. No recording of this live broadcast was made; the only record of the production is the script and a few black and white still photographs. A reading of the script, however, suggests that this teleplay remained fairly faithful to the book.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |last2=Day |first2=Martin |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |title=The Classic British Telefantasy Guide |page=7 |date=30 July 2015 |publisher=Orion Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-575-13352-5}}</ref>

====1960 film====
{{main|The Time Machine (1960 film)}}

In 1960, the novella was made into a US [[science fiction film]], also known promotionally as ''H.G. Wells's The Time Machine''. The film starred [[Rod Taylor]], [[Alan Young]], and [[Yvette Mimieux]]. The film was produced and directed by [[George Pal]], who also filmed a 1953 version of Wells's ''[[The War of the Worlds (1953 film)|The War of the Worlds]]''.  The film won an Academy Award for [[time-lapse]] photographic effects showing the world changing rapidly.

In 1993, Rod Taylor hosted ''[[Time Machine: The Journey Back]]'' reuniting him with Alan Young and Whit Bissell, featuring the only sequel to Mr. Pal's classic film, written by the original screenwriter, David Duncan. In the special were [[Academy Award]]-winners special effect artists [[Wah Chang]] and [[Gene Warren]].

====1978 television film====
{{main|The Time Machine (1978 film)}}
[[Sunn Classic Pictures]] produced a television film version of ''The Time Machine'' as a part of their "[[Classics Illustrated]]" series in 1978. It was a modernization of the Wells's story, making the Time Traveller a 1970s scientist working for a fictional US [[defence contractor]], "the Mega Corporation". Dr. '''Neil Perry''' ([[John Beck (actor)|John Beck]]), the Time Traveller, is described as one of Mega's most reliable contributors by his senior co-worker Branly (Whit Bissell, an alumnus of the 1960 adaptation).  Perry's skill is demonstrated by his rapid reprogramming of an off-course missile, averting a disaster that could destroy [[Los Angeles]]. His reputation secures a grant of $20 million for his time machine project. Although nearing completion, the corporation wants Perry to put the project on hold so that he can head a military weapon development project.  Perry accelerates work on the time machine, permitting him to test it before being forced to work on the new project.

====2002 film====
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{{main|The Time Machine (2002 film)}}
The 1960 film was [[The Time Machine (2002 film)|remade]] in 2002, starring [[Guy Pearce]] as the Time Traveller, a mechanical engineering professor named Alexander Hartdegen, [[Mark Addy]] as his colleague David Philby, [[Sienna Guillory]] as Alex's ill-fated fiancée Emma, [[Phyllida Law]] as Mrs. Watchit, and [[Jeremy Irons]] as the Uber-Morlock. Playing a quick cameo as a shopkeeper was [[Alan Young]], who featured in the 1960 film. (H.&nbsp;G. Wells himself can also be said to have a "cameo" appearance, in the form of a photograph on the wall of Alex's home, near the front door.)

The film was directed by Wells's great-grandson [[Simon Wells]], with an even more revised plot that incorporated the ideas of [[paradox]]es and changing the past. The place is changed from Richmond, Surrey, to downtown [[New York City]], where the Time Traveller moves forward in time to find answers to his questions on 'Practical Application of Time Travel;' first in 2030 New York, to witness an orbital lunar catastrophe in 2037, before moving on to 802,701 for the main plot. He later briefly finds himself in 635,427,810 with toxic clouds and a world laid waste (presumably by the Morlocks) with devastation and Morlock artifacts stretching out to the horizon.

It was met with mixed reviews and earned $56 million before VHS/DVD sales. The Time Machine used a design that was very reminiscent of the one in the Pal film but was much larger and employed polished turned brass construction, along with rotating glass reminiscent of the [[Fresnel lens]]es common to lighthouses. (In Wells's original book, the Time Traveller mentioned his 'scientific papers on optics'.) Hartdegen becomes involved with a female Eloi named Mara, played by [[Samantha Mumba]], who essentially takes the place of Weena, from the earlier versions of the story. <!-- Mara may be either the 2002 film counterpart to Weena or a distinct character. We'd like to see reliable sources one way or the other. --> In this film, the Eloi have, as a tradition, preserved a "stone language" that is identical to English. The Morlocks are much more barbaric and agile, and the Time Traveller has a direct impact on the plot.