The Time Machine (1960)

Based on H.G. Wells’ groundbreaking 1895 novel of the same name, this science fiction adventure classic was a favorite of film buff and collector Jay Duncan, the former Plaza Classic program advisory committee member who left us this year. It stars Rod Taylor as George, the eccentric inventor who builds a machine capable of traveling through time. Journeying hundreds of thousands of years into the future, George discovers a seemingly idyllic world inhabited by the peaceful Eloi post-humans. However, beneath the surface lurks a dark secret involving the subterranean Morlocks, who threaten the future of humanity itself. This was only the second feature film for producer/director George Pal, who’d previously built a successful career as a claymation cartoonist. He brought these skills to help develop the film’s Oscar-winning visual effects. — Jack Fields