Motion Pictures: Back to the Future
.: FILM REVIEW :.
.: DVD REVIEW :.
.: BRIEF PLOT SYNOPSIS :.
A teenager is transported from 1985 to 1955 and prevents the first important meeting between his parents. Now, he has one week to make his parents fall in love and to get himself back to the future. Read an extremely detailed synopsis here.
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.: GENERAL FILM INFORMATION :.
GENRE: Comedy/Science Fiction
TAGLINES:
- 17 year old Marty McFly got home early last night. 30 years early.
- He was never in time for his classes, he wasn’t in time for his dinner. then one day, he wasn’t in his time at all.
- Marty McFly’s having the time of his life. The only question is – what time is it?
- Meet Marty McFly. He’s broken the time barrier, busted his parent’s first date, and, maybe, botched his chances of ever being born.
- Marty McFly just broke the time barrier. He’s only got one week to get it fixed.
SETTING: Hill Valley, California; USA (1985, 1955)
FILMING LOCATIONS:
- Arleta, California; USA (Exterior of the McFly House)
- Copley, Ohio; USA
- Gamble House; Pasadena, California; USA
- Puente Hills Mall; City of Industry, California; USA
- Victory Boulevard; Burbank, California; USA
- Whittier high School; Whittier, California; USA
U.S. RELEASE DATE: July 3, 1985
RUNNING TIME: 116 Minutes; 1 hour 56 minutes
RATING: PG
OPENING WEEKEND GROSS: $11,332,134 on 1435 screens (USA)
TOTAL GROSS USA: $210,609,762
TOTAL GROSS OUTSIDE OF USA: $140 million
.: CREW AND OTHER TECHNICAL INFORMATION :.
WRITER: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale
DIRECTOR: Robert Zemeckis
PRODUCER: Neil Canton, Bob Gale
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg
EDITOR: Harry Keramidas & Arthur Schmidt
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Dean Cundey
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Lawrence G. Paull, Ted Hallowell
ORIGINAL MUSIC BY: Alan Silvestri
SPECIAL EFFECTS BY: Industrial Light & Magic
OPTICAL EFFECTS: Movie Magic
COSTUME DESIGN: Deborah L. Scott
MAKE-UP BY: Ken Chase
HAIR STYLIST: Dorothy Byrne
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Amblin Entertainment, Universal Pictures
DISTRIBUTOR: Universal Pictures
ASPECT RATIO: 1:85:1
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.: CAST :: CHARACTER NAME…ACTOR NAME :.
Marty McFly…Michael J. Fox
Doctor Emmet L. Brown…Christopher Lloyd
Lorraine Baines-McFly…Lea Thompson
George McFly…Crispin Glover
Biff Tannen…Thomas F. Wilson
Jennifer Parker…Claudia Wells
David McFly…Marc McClure
Linda McFly…Wendie Jo Sperber
Sam Baines…George DiCenzo
Stella Baines…Frances Lee McCain
Mr. Strickland…James Tolkan
Skinhead Jeffery…Jay Cohen
3-D…Casey Siemaszko
Match…Billy Zane
Marvin Berry…Harry Waters, Jr.
Goldie Wilson…Donald Fullilove
Babs…Lisa Freeman
Betty…Cristen Kauffman
Clocktower Advocate…Elsa Raven
Pa Peabody…Will Hare
Ma Peabody…Ivy Bethune
Sherman Peabody…Jason Marin
Peabody Daughter…Katherine Britton
Milton Baines…Jason Hervey
Sally Baines…Maia Brewton
Dixon…Courtney Gains
Terrorist…Richard L. Duran
Terrorist Van Driver…Jeff O’Haco
Scooter Kid #1…Johnny Green
Scooter Kid #2…Jamie Abbott
Lou Caruthers…Norman Alden
Cop…Reed Morgan
Bystander #1…Sachi Parker
Bystander #2…Robert Krantz
Guy #1…Gary Riley
Girl #1…Karen Petrasek
Red…Buck Flower
The Starlighters…Tommy Thomas, Granville ‘Danny’ Young, David Harold Brown, Lloyd L. Tolbert
The Pinheads…Paul Hansen, Lee Brownfield, Robert DeLapp
Newscaster…Deborah Harmon (uncredited)
High School Band Judge…Huey Lewis (uncredited)
Stunt Co-Ordinator…Walter Scott
Michael J. Fox’s Stunt Double…Charles Croughwell
Stunt Crew…Rrichard E. Butler, Loren James, Max Kleven, Bernie Pock, Spiro Razatos, Robert Schmeczer, John-Clay Scott, Per Welinder, Bob Yerkes
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.: SOUNDTRACK :: SONG TITLE…COMPOSER/LYRICIST…PERFORMER :.
The Power of Love…Huey Lewis & Chris Hayes…Huey Lewis & The News
Back in Time…Huey Lewis & Chris Hayes…Huey Lewis & The News
Heaven is One Step Away…Eric Clapton…Eric Clapton
Time Bomb Town…UNKNOWN…Lindsey Buckingham
Mr. Sandman…UNKNOWN…The Four Aces
The Ballad of Davy Crockett…Tom Blackburn and George Bruns…Fess Parker
The Wallflower (Dance With Me Henry)…Johnny Otis & Etta James…Etta James
Night Train…UNKNOWN…The Starlighters
Pledging My Love…UNKNOWN…Johnny Ace
Earth Angel…Curtis Williams…Marty McFly & The Starlighters
Johnny B. Goode…Chuck Berry…Marty McFly & The Starlighters
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.: TRIVIA :.
Eric Stoltz was originally cast as Marty McFly and much of the film was shot with Stoltz. However, the film makers believed he was playing the part too intensly and went after Michael J. Fox for the part. After Fox was cast, Marty’s costume was completely revamped and all of Stoltz’s footage was re-shot.
Eric Stoltz later played Martin in the film The Fly II. Therefore, he played Martin the Fly. (Yeah, that’s a stretch, but I found it kind of amusing.)
The time machine went through several variations. In the first draft of the screenplay the time machine was a laser device that was housed in a room. At the end fo the first draft the device was attached to a refrigerator and taken to an atomic bomb test. In the third draft of the film the time machine was a Delorean, but in order to send Marty back to the future the vehicle had to drive into an atomic bomb test. Another consideration was to make the time machine a refrigerator. In an interview, Robert Zemeckis stated that the idea was scrapped because he and Steven Spielberg did not want children to start climbing into refrigerators and getting trapped inside.
Main Street in Hill Valley is the same set that is used in Gremlins (1984).
The script never called for Marty to repeatedly bang his head on the gull-wing door of the Delorean. This was improvised during filming as the door mechanism became faulty.
The driver of the Jeep at the beginning of the film was Kevin Pike, the special effects supervisor of the film.
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.: GOOFS :.
Continuity Errors
When the Delorean goes one minute into the future, the fire goes between Doc’s legs, but when the camera switches angles, it no longer does.
When Marty is escaping from the Lybians, the time circuit is already on when he moves his hand from the ignition to the gearshift. However, when he shifts the second time, the time circuit is off until he bumps its power switch.
In the Skateboard chase scene, the skateboard suddenly gains modern wheels and trucks.
When Marty pretends to be Darth Vader, the hair dryer in his belt appears and disappears at random.
When Marty returns to 1985, the “Last Time Departed” showing on the time ciruits says October 26, 1985 1:21 AM. It should read November 12, 1955, 10:04 PM. The former time was the time Einstein got back from his trip.
Anachronisms
The episode of “The Honeymooners” that the Baines family is watching on November 5, 1955 was, in reality, not shown until December 31, 1955.
In 1955 Marty plays a Gibson ES-345, a model of guitar which didn’t exist until 1959.
**NOTE: I previously had stated that the guitar Marty used was the ES-355 model (also made in 1959). The correct model was pointed out to me by site visitor ‘Matt.’ Thanks, Matt!)
In 1955, when Marty tells Doc that Ronald Reagan is President in 1985, Doc exclaims, “I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady!” However, Reagan had already divorced Jane Wyman and remarried to Nancy Davis.
Incorrectly Regarded as Errors
In the opening scene, Doc’s invention overflows Einstein’s food bowl. When Marty enters, an empty bowl is seen. However, this is Einstein’s water bowl.
After Marty returns to 1985 he runs two miles in under 10 minutes. However, these two miles are road miles. Marty took a short cut.
Although not widely used until after the establishment of the SI in 1960, the metric prefix ‘giga-’ was invented in 1951, so it is very possible that Doc would have known of it in 1955.
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.: EXTRAS :.
Back to the Future Quotes
You don’t have a chance; you’re too much like your old man. No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley.
Yeah, well, history is going to change.
–Principal Strickland and Marty McFly
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This is heavy.
Weight has nothing to do with it!
–Marty McFly and Doc Brown
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Why are things so heavy in the future? Is there a problem with the Earth’s gravitational pull?
–Doc Brown
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Why don’t you make like a tree..and get out of here.
–Biff Tannen
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Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn’t take Lorraine out he’d melt my brain.
–George McFly
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.: AWARDS AND HONORS :.
Academy Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Charles L. Campbell & Robert R. Rutledge
CATEGORY: Best Sound Effects Editing
RESULT: Won
NOMINEE: Johnny Colla, Chris Hayes & Huey Lewis
CATEGORY: Best Song: “The Power of Love”
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: William B. Kaplan, B. Tennyson Sebastian II, Robert Thrilwell & Bill Varney
CATEGORY: Best Sound
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis
CATEGORY: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
RESULT: Nominated
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British Academy Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Harry Keramidas and Arthur Schmidt
CATEGORY: Best Editing
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Neil Canton, Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis
CATEGORY: Best Film
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis
CATEGORY: Best Original Screenplay
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Lawrence G. Paul
CATEGORY: Best Production Design
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Kevin Pike & Ken Ralston
CATEGORY: Best Special Visual Effects
RESULT: Nominated
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Golden Globe Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Back to the Future
CATEGORY: Best Comedy or Musical Motion Picture
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Johnny Colla, Chris Hayes & Huey Lewis
CATEGORY: Best Original Song in a Motion Picture: “The Power of Love”
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Michael J. Fox
CATEGORY: Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical Motion Picture
RESULT: Nominated
NOMINEE: Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis
CATEGORY: Best Screenplay for a Motion PIcture
RESULT: Nominated
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Hugo Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Back to the Future
CATEGORY: Best Dramatic Presentation
RESULT: Won
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The People’s Choice Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Back to the Future
CATEGORY: Favorite Motion Picture
RESULT: Won
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Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis
CATEGORY: Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
RESULT: Nominated
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Young Artists Awards, 1986
NOMINEE: Back to the Future
CATEGORY: Best Family Motion Picture; Adventure
RESULT: Won
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.: POSTER ART :.
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