1985 @ Future Features

TRILOGY CHRONOLOGY

1885	1955
1985	2015
Real History of BTTF	BTTF References

OCT 25 FRI

OPENING CREDITS

Back to the Future

The opening sequences of Robert Zemeckis' films go someway to defining the film as a whole. Contact (1997) is probably the quintessential example of this. Simple and effective, it defined one of the themes of the film - if there are no other intelligent species out there, then that's an "awful waste of space."

The opening sequence of Back to the Future sets up much of the film and, by extension, the trilogy, with a slow pan across Doc Brown's collection of clocks, photographs and miscellania.

The clocks, all set to the same time, show a dependence on or an obsession with time. We later learn these clocks are part of an experiment by Doc Brown.

We are also given a glimpse into history, with cuttings from the HILL VALLEY TELEGRAPH and photographs of notable scientists. Already, the story is being set in context. We will later discover that this place we are in used to just be the garage to a large mansion - the mansion in the newspaper clippings.

In comparison to the opening sequences of Part II and Part III, the credits sequence of the original film tells a lot of story. Here we are shown the box of plutonium under Doc's bed and a news report about that very same plutonium being stolen. The credits sequences of the other two parts evoke a mood or a place over plot.

By this time, Marty has entered, though we don't see all of him until his is ready to strum his guitar. With just the simple gestures of Marty plugging his guitar in and turning everything up full, we get a sense of his character.

The sequence ends with Marty strumming his guitar and getting blown back into the shelf.

PART 1

8:18 AM

The many clocks in Doc Brown's house read 7:53

PART 1

NOTE

FROM THE CINEMA

There is a man hanging from the minute hand of one of Doc Brown's clocks

PART 1

Not only is the man hanging from the clock a visual portent for the end of the film, it is also a reference to the 1923 film Safety Last, starring Harold Lloyd. The straw hat and the glasses are straight out of that film, also. Also note: Harold Lloyd is not related to BTTF star Christopher Lloyd

PART 1

H.V. TELEGRAPH

Thursday August 2, 1962
BROWN MANSION DESTROYED

PART 1

H.V. TELEGRAPH

Thursday August 2, 1962
BROWN ESTATE SOLD TO DEVELOPERS

PART 1

NOTE

Photographs of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton and Ben Franklin that Doc Brown owned in 1955

PART 1

NOTE

JVC Camcorder on the bed

PART 1

NOTE

Radio ad for Statler Toyota. The Statler family have been a part of Hill Valley since at least 1885 when they sold horses - long before they started selling cars.

PART 1 & 3

NOTE

TV News report - Libyans claim responsibility for Plutonium Theft

PART 1

8:22 AM

Marty enters Doc Brown's home

PART 1

NOTE

Plutonium Box under bed

PART 1

FROM THE CINEMA

The number on the speaker under the on switch key is CRM114, which was the name of the message decoder on the B-52 in Dr Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1963) and the serial number of the Jupiter explorer in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Both films were directed by the late Stanley Kubrick

PART 1

8:25 AM

Clocks begin to chime 8:00. Marty rushes out of the Doc’s home/garage on John F. Kennedy Drive, Hill Valley. Next to Burger King

PART 1

FROM THE CINEMA

The chiming clocks are a reference to the 1960 time travel movie The Time Machine (1960) based on H.G. Wells famous novel in which there is a similar scene of synchronized clocks chiming in the house of the inventor of a time machine. Where they chime at 8AM in BTTF, they chime at 8PM in Time Machine.

PART 1

NOTE

While we don't know what Doc was trying to accomplish in this experiment (re: the clocks all being 25 minutes slow), it is about synchronicity - a nice way to set up Marty and Doc's relationship early in the film

PART 1

MUSICAL NOTE

"Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News

PART 1

NOTE

Marty skateboards past Texaco (near Hill St) and past Aerobics studio (near Town Hall/Clock Tower).

The Aerobics studio is called "Lou's Aerobic Fitness Center" - so it seems the owner of the cafe in 1955 that stood on that same corner has changed professions!

PART 1

NOTE

Campaign Truck - Re-Elect Mayor Goldie Wilson. Goldie is seen in his earlier profession in 1955, his son becomes mayor in the early 21st century and his grandson is a local business man in 2015.

PART 1 & 2

NOTE

Graffiti on wall at the High School includes a big 'BOB' - an obvious nod to creators Zemeckis and Gale

PART 1

QUOTE

Principal Strickland: "No McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley."
Marty: "Yeah? Well, history is going to change."

PART 1

NOVEL APPROACH

CUT!

The October 1984 draft of BTTF was the shooting script when the film first went into production. This is also the draft that the novelisation by George Gipe most closely resembles. The opening of the film is altogether different from the opening of the script (and, by extension, the novelisation).

- Marty is in class. He is supposed to be watching a film about nuclear testing, but he is listening to his walkman. He is sent to Strickland's office.
- Strickland asks if its the third time Marty has been sent out of class for listening to his walkman. Marty admits it was the fourth. Strickland sentences him to detention.
- Marty is desperate to get out of detention. He sets off the fire alarm by using paper and a magnifying glass so he can get to the band audition on time.

But even in a direct comarison of novel and screenplay, there is one major difference. In the novel, Marty takes a phone call from Doc between the classroom and Strickland's office. In the screenplay, Doc stops to talk to Marty at the Courthouse Square after his audition. And after Marty has spoken to the Clock Tower lady

PART 1

The major change to the screenplay happened after Eric Stoltz was replaced by Michael J Fox. The streamlined opening in Doc's garaged was scripted at that point because, as Bob Gale says, "it was cheaper to do and economically better storytelling."

Of the three scenes described above, only the one in Strickland's office was ever committed to film - with Eric Stoltz as Marty. Of all the hidden footage of Stoltz as Marty, this scene would be the only one where you couldn't make a direct comparison to the finished version with Fox. It would be interesting to see for that very reason.

Finally, there is a photograph of Strickland in his 1985 office - taken during the shooting of this scene - on the DVD.

PART 1

MUSICAL NOTE

Marty's band plays a instrumental version of "Power of Love"

PART 1

QUOTE

NOTE

Teacher with Megaphone: "I'm afraid you're just too darn loud."

PART 1

The teacher with the megaphone at the High School Band auditions is played by Huey Lewis

PART 1

NOTE

The personalised number plate 'FOR MARY' on one of the cars in the parking lot is a tribute to Mary Radford, personal assistant to Executive Producer (and Second Unit Director) Frank Marshall

PART 1

QUOTE

Marty: "I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection."

George McFly says something similar to his son in 1955.

PART 1

NOTE

The 4X4 that Marty wants to buy is on sale at Statler Toyota

PART 1

NOTE

There is a Miller Lite truck next to the Texaco station.

When Marty travels back to 1955, there is a Miller truck there, too

PART 1

NOTE

The sign on the bench is for Zale's Jewellers at Twin Pines Mall. Back in 1955, the Zale's Jewellers was at the courthouse square. While this is most likely a comment about small stores growing into chains and moving away from strip shops and into shopping malls, I wonder if this real chain of stores was chosen because the name is an amalgamation of Zemeckis and Gale

PART 1

QUOTE

Marty: (about his mother) "I think the woman was born a nun."

PART 1

NOTE

The lady with the SAVE THE CLOCKTOWER pin, flyer and collection can. Marty gives her a quarter to help preserve the clock as it is and not allow Mayor Wilson to replace it

PART 1

NOTE

Marty skates past the Lyon Estates' entrance - which will become an important clue in his time travelling to 1955

PART 1

QUOTE

Biff: "Hello? Anybody home? Think, McFly, think. I have to have time to get them re-typed. Do you know what would happen if I handed in my reports in your handwriting?"

PART 1

QUOTE

NOTE

George: "I'm just not very good at confrontations."

PART 1

George flexes his hand... just as he does in 1955 before history changes and he hits Biff

PART 1

NOTE

The "Welcome Home Joey" cake. Joey is seen as a toddler in 1955.

PART 1

QUOTE

Lorraine McFly: "When I was your age I never chased a boy or called a boy or sat in a parked car with a boy."

PART 1

NOTE

The history of Marty's parents. Lorraine's dad hitting George with the car. The dance they go to... All important for understanding what goes wrong later in the film

PART 1

OUT OF THE BOX

George is watching "The Honeymooners" (1955), starring Jackie Gleeson

PART 1

OCT 26 SAT

12:28 AM

Marty, asleep in his clothes, is woken by a ringing phone. It's Doc Brown. He asks Marty to pick up the camcorder at his place before coming to the Twin Pines mall

PART 1

MUSICAL NOTE

"Time Bomb Town" by Lindsey Buckingham ... is playing on Marty's radio

PART 1

1:16 AM

Marty arrives at the Twin Pines mall

PART 1

1:18 AM

Video begins recording temporal experiment number one

PART 1

1:19 AM

Doc demonstrates that his watch and Einstein's watch are in perfect synchronisation

PART 1

1:20 AM

Temporal displacement occurs

PART 1

QUOTE

Marty: "Are you telling me you built a time machine out of a De Lorean?"
Doc Brown: "The way I see it, if you're going to build a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?"

PART 1

1:21 AM

Einstein arrives one minute after he left

PART 1

CLOSER INSPECTION

The side of Doc Brown's truck reads:
DR E. BROWN ENTERPRISES 24 HR. SCIENTIFIC SERVICES

PART 1

QUOTE

Doc Brown: "It's cold. Damn cold."

PART 1

NOTE

NOVEL APPROACH

Doc Brown suggests going back to Dec 25, 0000 to witness the birth of Christ. Of course, there is no year 0000 in our dating system - the year before 1 A.D. was 1 B.C.

PART 1

Further to the above note, the actual date of December 25 was decided upon long after the birth was supposed to have happened. In the novelisation (and an early draft of the script), Doc notes that the date may or may not be right. And then, Doc Brown says: "But assuming 12-25-00 is correct, all we'd have to do is find our way to Bethlehem," which explains away the problem with actually witnessing the birth of Christ

PART 1

NOTE

Doc Brown enters the date that he "invented time travel" - November 5, 1955 - which, of course, is the date Marty is sent back in time to because the time read-out is not altered after this

PART 1

NOTE

There are two signs on the flux capacitor. One, just above it, reads: Disconnect Capacitor Drive Before Opening. The second one, on the flux capacitor casing itself, reads: Shield Eyes from Light

PART 1

QUOTE

Doc Brown: "Things have certainly changed around here. This was all farmland as far as the eye could see. Old Man Peabody owned all of this. He had this crazy idea about breeding pine trees."

PART 1

QUOTE

Marty: "Plutonium? Are you saying this sucker's nuclear?"
Doc Brown: "No, this sucker's electrical. But I need the plutonium to create the 1.21 jigowatts..."

PART 1

NOTE

There are two vials of plutonium gone from the case. One was for Einstein's first trip. The other is unaccounted for

PART 1

DRAFTED!

One draft of the BTTF script had Doc Brown praising the work of news anchor Charles Kurault here. It is a reference to the journalist telling stories about normal people doing unusual things. One reference to Kuralt did make the trilogy though, the photograph of Doc being commended on front of the HILL VALLEY TELEGRAPH in Part II

PART 1 & 2

NOTE

Doc Brown packs a suitcase. He plans on going to the future and is taking cotton underwear because he is allergic to all synthetics

PART 1

NOTE

Doc mentions he will be able to check out the winners of the next 25 World Series'. This is similar to Marty's plan of using sports stats in Part II, though Doc doesn't suggest he'll use the information for financial gain

PART 1 & 2

NOTE

When Doc Brown shoots at the Libyans, his gun jams. Why? Maybe because he's owned the weapon since 1955 - he fires it at the drive-in theater as Marty heads for 1885

PART 1 & 3

1:24 AM

Marty arrives back in 1985 after his trip to 1955. He appears near the clocktower

PART 1 END

MULTIPLICITY

After Marty arrives back from his trip to the past and until 1:35 AM, there are two Martys in 1985 and two De Loreans - one at Lone Pine Mall and one outside the Clock Tower

PART 1 END

CLOSER INSPECTION

OUT OF THE BOX

The TOWN complex is hosting 'Assembly of Christ' and the Essex cinema, now an XXX rated cinema, is showing Orgy American Style

PART 1 END

The name of the adult film is a play on the title of the TV Series, "Love, American Style" (1969)

"Love, American Style" was an anthology series which featured an episode that inspired the series "Happy Days". It included some the characters of from that series, including Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham. Footage from that episode of "Love..." was later used as a flashback in "Happy Days"! This series, of course, was set in the 50s.

PART 1 END

MUSICAL NOTE

"Heaven is One Step Away" by Eric Clapton ... playing on the radio next to the bum

PART 1 END

NOTE

Marty refers to the bum on the bench as Red. The ex-mayor of Hill Valley (from 1955) was Red Thomas

PART 1 END

NOTE

The Delorean, which is damn cold after time travel, won't start. Marty has to run back to the mall. The Libyans pass him in their van on their way to the mall.

PART 1 END

NOTE

Doc is shot in front of Marty's eyes

PART 1

1:33 AM

Marty (who has already been on his adventure back in time) arrives at the Mall, just as the Libyans shoot Doc Brown

PART 1 END

NOTE

The Twin Pines mall is now the Lone Pine mall, after the incident with the pines at Peabody's farm back in 1955

PART 1 END

NOTE

Marty watches as the following unfolds...

PART 1 END

1:35 AM

Marty leaves Twin Pines Mall at 88mph, after being chased around the parking lot by Libyans - going back to 1955

PART 1

NOTE

The DeLorean must be at least 3 years old as the car went out of production in 1982

PART 1

NOTE

Notice the De Lorean's speedometer. It goes up to 95 miles-per-hour. Due to US government regulation, the speedo in a real De Lorean only went up to 85 - too slow for what Doc needed!

PART 1

NOTE

Marty runs up to Doc Brown, who was wearing a bullet proof vest...

PART 1 END

QUOTE

Marty: "How did you know? I never got a chance to tell you."
(Doc Brown pulls out the letter Marty wrote in 1955 warning him that his life was in danger)
Marty: "What about all that talk about screwing up future events, the space-time continuum?"
Doc Brown: "Well, I figured. What the hell?"

PART 1 END

2:00 AM

Doc Brown drops Marty at home and leaves for thirty years in the future

PART 1 END

DRAFTED!

At the beginning of the film, Doc mentions going 25 years into the future. Now, less than an hour later to him, he decides to go 30 years into the future. Why?

The fourth draft of the BTTF script includes this quote from Doc: "Funny... I had to wait 30 years to catch up to you. Now you've got to wait 30 years to catch up to me. Ain't life weird." Doc Brown leaves with a wink.

PART 1 END & 2

10:28 AM

Marty wakes up in his clothes to the radio

PART 1 END

NOTE

As the camera pans across the head of Marty's bed we can see a can of Pepsi Free, which is what Marty ordered in Lou's cafe in 1955, before being told "If you want a Pepsi, you'll have to pay for it."

PART 1 END

NOTE

On the wall of Marty's bedroom is a poster for Huey Lewis and The News' album Sports. Compare that to the poster that is on the wall in the alternative 1985 in Part II

PART 1 END & 2

MUSICAL NOTE

"Back in Time" by Huey Lewis and the News

PART 1 END

CUT!

NOVEL APPROACH

When Marty walks out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, he picks up a small manila envelope. As he jumps out, reacting to the new furniture etcetera, he puts the envelope down. What's in the envelope? According to the novelisation, the envelope contains Marty's audition tape - which he has now decided to send to the record company. Obviously this part almost made it to the movie, but didn't quite

PART 1 END

NOTE

The furniture in the McFly's living room has changed, Dave is having trouble keeping up with Linda's many boyfriends and he's wearing a suit to the office now...

PART 1 END

DRAFTED

The fourth draft of the script makes comment of Dave always working on Saturday, which explains why he's in the suit. Dave even offers to post Marty's audition tape from the office

PART 1 END

NOTE

Not only isn't Biff George's supervisor anymore, he's started his own company 'Biff's Auto Detailing' and the McFly's are his customers

PART 1 END

QUOTE

NOTE

Lorraine: "Look. Your first novel."
George: "Like I've always told you, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."

PART 1 END

The cover of George's novel "A Match Made in Space" includes a figure in a radiation suit - recalling the 1955 scene when Marty convinced George to ask Lorraine to the dance.

PART 1 END

QUOTE

NOTE

Jennifer: "You're acting like you haven't seen me in a week."
Marty: "I haven't."

PART 1 END & 2

Of course, for Jennifer, it's been about 19 hours

PART 1 END & 2

10:38 AM

Doc Brown arrives from the future

PART 1 END & 2

QUOTE

Doc Brown: "Marty, you've gotta come back with me."
Marty: "Where?"
Doc Brown: "Back to the future."

PART 1 END & 2

QUOTE

NOTE

Doc Brown: "Well, bring her along. This concerns her, too."
Marty: "Wait a minute, Doc. What happens to us in the future? Do we become assholes or something?" Doc Brown: "No, no, no, no, Marty. Both you and Jennifer turn out fine. It's your kids. Something's gotta be done about your kids."

PART 1 END & 2

The above dialogue was changed slightly for a network airing of BTTF in the U.S. - assholes was replaced with the word jerks. There was an alternate version shot for just this purpose.

There was no such additional shoot for the sequel, which replays this scene with Elisabeth Shue in the role of Jennifer

PART 1 END & 2

CLOSER INSPECTION

The barcode licence plate on the De Lorean reads:
Top Line: 20 - CALIFORNIA - 15 (representing the year, presumably)
Middle line: the actual barcode itself
Bottom line: 1 3 6 1 1 3 9 6 6

PART 1 END & 2

NOTE

While these opening scenes were re-shot for Part II when the part of Jennifer had to be re-cast, the insert shot of George and Lorraine is lifted straight out of the original. So while George is 'played' in this film by Jeffrey Weissman, in 2015, he is also seen as Crispin Glover at certain times

PART 2

CONTINUITY

Watch when the Doc pauses after Marty's question "Do we become assholes or something?" There is a different emphasis in the sequel.

The scene of Biff seeing the flying Delorean is introduced into Part II as a set up for this second film

PART 2

10:40 AM

Doc, Marty and Jennifer go to 2015

PART 1 END & 2

END CREDITS

MUSICAL NOTE

Back to the Future

The 'To Be Continued...' notation did not appear on the original release prints of the film. It was added to the film for the 1986 release of the video when Universal began to plan the sequels, which they hoped to have out in 1987. Part II did not appear until 1989

DVD alert! The DVD release of Part I replicates how this film looked during its original theatrical release, thus there is no 'To Be Continued' before the end credits.

PART 1 END

'Back in Time' by Huey Lewis and the News can be heard over the closing credits

PART 1 END

CONTINUED...