After viewing the two different film versions, the most important thing that stuck out to me was the symbolism provided by the ever present clocks in each. The clocks were in every scene of each film. The characters always seemed to be aware of the time. In the 1960 version, the men were concerned that their host was late for dinner and that they had other, more important things to attend to. In the second film, the main charcter was late for a meeting with his gilfriend and this caused all of the events of her death to be set in motion. More than once in each film, the phrase "Time controls us or makes us prisoners, etc" was noticed. This is so true. It was true for both time periods in which these films were created and it still holds true today. We are controlled by time everyday, especially as Americans. It is always "how fast can we get this job done" and "how long will you have to give workers for breaks" etc.
Americans live fast-paced lives, more so than most other countries. Therefore, the thinking of technology did change somewhat between films. In the first, the characters saw no use for a time travel machine. They even questioned how one could market such an invention. However, in the second film, the use for time travel becomes much more obvious. Second, I found the technology portrayed in the films to be very similar. The modes of transportation (horse and buggy) were present in each film. This only changed slightly in the newer film version when the main character sees an automobile for the first time. Of course, when he travels to the future, we as viewers see the presence of technology and how it changes throughout time. This shows how our view of the world as a society changed. We became a society intrigued by the "next big thing." We want everything and we want it fast. Hence the slogan in the second film-"the future is now." We have to have the future at our fingertips, there is no waiting for it to arrive