MovieChat Forums > Time After Time (1979) Discussion > Possibly a Dumb Question, but Asking it ...

Possibly a Dumb Question, but Asking it Anyways

posted 12 years ago by timws72
4 replies | jump to latest

How was Jack the Ripper able to time travel in the beginning of the movie without the key? When Wells time travels he is shown putting in the key. If it isn't necessary for time travel, then what is the point of it?

The other thing that I found odd was the article of Amy's death in the paper. The investigative crime scene unit must have been grossly inexperienced or didn't know what they were doing if they confused Amy with her friend. I know, it was her apartment and she lived alone, but come on, find out who really was murdered before releasing reports to the press.

I would love to hear what anyone has to say, as I found this film engaging and quite enjoyable.

[–] desertray40 12 years ago

Interesting questions, but there are some likely answers.

The key is primarily used to prevent the Time Machine from returning to it's point of origin. So it's not necessarily needed to make a one way journey.

As far as the murder goes, I believe crime scenes were handled much quicker in those days. Also, DNA testing wasn't issued into the USA legal system until 1987.
However, there should have been somebody called forth to identify the body. So yes, it was quite a sloppy investigation.

[–] sisterdebmac 12 years ago

On the topic of mistaking dead Carol for dead Amy, I would say that you have to remember a few things:

1. Carol looked a lot like Amy, with the same long, dark, curly hair. And they dressed similarly as well.

2. This is Jack the Ripper we're talking about here. In the real Ripper murders, he mutilated some of his victim's faces beyond recognition. Why would he stop doing that just because he was in a different locale?

3. Stevenson probably tortured Carol to death when he turned up at Amy's apartment and found her friend there instead of her --- either out of rage, or to try to extract Amy's actual location.

Do you recall the blood on the walls? The severed hand? How the first cop in the room has to leave and throw up? It must've been a horrific crime scene. They just didn't show us Carol's probably severely mutilated body because it was a PG-rated movie.

And also, that was probably a preliminary identification on the body. Maybe the papers were so hot to get a scoop on the new Ripper murders that they ran it before any verification was done.
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[–] 12 years ago

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[–] timws72 12 years ago

Thanks for explaining what the key is used for. After I posted this I watched the movie again and heard Wells mentioning its purpose.

I also appreciate you expounding on the murder investigation. I wasn't aware DNA wasn't used until '87. Another poster brought up the possibility that the Ripper disfigured Amy's friend to such an extent that it was impossible to identify.