From Time to Time

From Time to Time is the title of a 2009 British film based upon Lucy M. Boston’s 1958 children’s classic novel “The Chimneys of Green Knowe.”

Julian Fellowes, the creator and one of the writers of Downton Abbey adapted Boston’s story for the screen. He also directed this film.

From Time to Time is a fun and thoughtful ghost story for the entire family. It stars Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Alex Etel, and Timothy Spall.

Through word of mouth it has become a Sleeper hit and is well worth the watch.

It was shot on location at Athelhampton Hall in Dorset, England.

The Plot

The story is about a 13 year-old boy, Tolly who is sent to stay with his grandmother at the family estate in 1944 at the end of the Second World War.

His mother is busy looking for his father, who has been declared “Missing in Action.”

Tolly soon discovers that the family home has more than present-day inhabitants. He begins to see family ghosts that lived in the household in the early 1800s.

To his surprise his grandmother is aware and accepting of these otherworldly inhabitants, which provides a way for Tolly to form a more comfortable bond with her.

Tolly not only sees these ghosts he interacts with them. He also eventually becomes an active participant in their lives.

He embarks on an adventure that involves a young blind female relative, her faithful companion-- a black boy who her father has saved from slavery-- and a variety of staff and family from the past.

Both of these charming period piece stories run concurrent to each other.

The 1800s story involves several twists and turns including a terrible fire, stolen jewels, and an unscrupulous family butler.

In the end, Tolly saves the family fortune and his grandmother’s home by solving an intriguing mystery that the generations before him were unable to do.

This story leaves the viewer with a sad, realistic, but comforting ending.

This film can be watched on Google Play, Amazon, or Netflix.