What year did this movie take place in? - Mouse Hunt (1997) Discussion

[–] Dutch90 17 years ago

I believe it was just present day (1997), with the references to the oncoming 21st century, the look of the security camera in the animal pound and Ceasar's gadgets. Some stuff looked really retro though, like the Zeppco guys with their hats and coats.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] ilovedan2010 17 years ago

It reminds me of the Series of Unfortunate Events movie; both confuse you, timewise. I'm pretty sure that both of them aren't meant to be stamped with a certain decade, so they just throw in what fits.

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[–] ExplorerDS6789 17 years ago

In modern day, it's just meant to have a fairy tale look.

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[–] djishema 17 years ago

It must be after 1972 because when they flip the coin for who sleeps in the bed, the coins stays upright and the year says 1972. . .

"Well, Your The Doc, Doc." - Marty McFly, Back To The Future

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[–] syildirim89 17 years ago

it doesn't have a specific timeline, it was done like that on purpose to make it look like a fantasy film or to make it look 'artsy'...

'And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high saying, O Lord bless this thy hand grenade'

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[–] hobwuzzle 17 years ago

It can't be 1972 becuase Ernie says the mouse is "The Omen" with whiskers made in 1976, but everything looks like late 40's to early 50's but there's a color TV in that diner.

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] mohamedsid7 17 years ago

When Earnie pulls out the blueprints of the house, he sees that it was built in 1876 and says that a centeniall house might actually be worth something.

So it takes place at least from 1976 on but the mismatch of technology is there for the feel of the movie and for some plot deatils only.

Ceaser's plasma screen, the cars, the huge flashbulb cameras, the ancient answering machine, the nail gun, the wardrobe and the nurse uniform April was wearing are all from different times.

Best not to think about it.

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[–] Lbar11 16 years ago

I've watched this movie like 20 times i've always felt that it was very similar to The Borrowers in terms of what year it takes place in. For example some of the characters in the film clearly are dressed for the 1930's along with the old fashioned camrea's that are used in the beginning of the film. Ernie and Lar's car is definately from the 40's/50's as well. Yet other peices of technology used are obviously present day. The entire film has kinda an ambiguous time era thing going on, very much like a fantasy. The time setting is one of the many things that make this great film very unique.

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[–] ginnov 13 years ago

i think the centennial part simply means it was bit 100 years after the founding of the United States, not that it was built 100 years in the past. 1876 is the centennial year, while 1976 is the bicentennial.

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[–] thdanlee 13 years ago

Because the humour is universal, it isn't given an era. The picture presented is supposed to seem literary and as such is timeless.
Lemony snickets is perfect example because it's an earth based, yet entirely new universe where the story can be whatever it needs to be.
.....that's what I think anyway.

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[–] PhillipTraum 12 years ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anachronism

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[–] Planet-man77 11 years ago

The Zeppco guys mention bringing the factory into the 21st Century. It's like Anton Furst's version of Gotham City from the Tim Burton Batman films - ostensibly modern-day, but with an old-fashioned industrial era style and atmosphere. Classic.

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[–] Mart-13 9 years ago

It's like Anton Furst's version of Gotham City from the Tim Burton Batman films - ostensibly modern-day, but with an old-fashioned industrial era style and atmosphere. Classic.

I like that take.

My view is that visually, the movie starts off with 1920's or even the beginning of the century at the earliest, and as the story progresses, goes through several decades and ends up near the end of the twentieth century.

In many ways, the late Rudolf Smuntz (the father of the two brothers) represents the second part of the XIX century and early 20th century, as exemplified by the large framed portrait of the factory owner.

The old string factory, the painting, and Rudolf Smuntz himself represent an era of industrialization during the second part of the 19th century in the U.S. The portrait painting implies as much, given that this was the most common and traditional way before photography to memorialize oneself, but also as a means to convey status.

The traditional American 'haunting house' horror genre typically employs in its storytelling a person of substantial wealth, who is usually a male industrialist; the house is always his house, which very often presents a prominent portrait painting that features the master of the estate.

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