Customer Reviews

Amazing Adventure [VHS]

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Not many people enjoy watching "old black and white" movies anymore. The claims I hear most are that there isn't enough action, there are no special effects, and the plots are boring. Many of those same complaints can be made about modern movies as well. The biggest difference is that you can't take your whole family to see those films because of all the swearing, violence, and sex whereas a family can enjoy watcing an old film together without any worry of having to blind the youngsters eyes and cover their ears.

AMAZING ADVENTURE is not a great movie; it's just the usual run of the mill love story. However, there is one exception that makes the movie a par above the rest: Cary Grant. I have yet to see a bad movie in which he acted. Not only that, but Grant had the rare ability to take even the most mudane movie moments and transform them into cinematic magic. Such is the case with AMAZING ADVENTURE. The plot of the movie revolves around a rich young man who has inherited a tremendous fortune. He finds himself becoming ill and seeks the help and advice of a doctor. The doctor tells him that he is physically fit, but is affected by the disease of money. He places a bet with the young man, challenging him to work for one year by his own means and not by using his inherited fortune. What follows is the "amazing adventure" as Grant moves from one job to the next, learning lessons of humility, and falling in love. Youngsters may find the movie boring, but adults will probably enjoy it and the lessons the film instills can't be heard enough in contemporary society.

If I was ever amazed by an inexpensive DVD, this was the one. Sure, time has taken its toll on the film print. Sure, the transfer to DVD could be better, in fact it could have been much better. But, IF you are able to ignore some natural degradation, a little grain, and a couple of minor skips(not enough to interfer with continuity) YOU ARE IN FOR A REAL TREAT !

With its "Depression Era" overtones, this movie exemplifies many forgotten attitudes, ambitions and values of the 1930's. It presents clear character lessons that are timeless in relevance. View it once, and then view it again with your grandparents/grandchildren. You may be surprised by their comments.

For some real comedy pay particular attention to the apartment fight scene. You might have to push the "pause" button until you stop laughing.

My guess is that this DVD will be highly enjoyed by all ages under 10, over 50, and all those between 11 and 49 who are able to look beyond the purely superficial.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BY Jim & Veda

If you like old movies, and you like Cary Grant, this is definitely one you should see. Cary Grant, who plays Ernest Bliss, starts out as an unhappy, unsatisfied rich man with no meaning or direction in his life. Thinking he is ill, he seeks professional help from a doctor who seems to have become cynical towards his wealthy patients. The doctor prescribes that Ernest start over with no money and work and live on his own using none of his inherited fortune for himself for an entire year. The doctor, of course, doesn't think that rich Ernest can handle that so Ernest makes him a bet that he can.

What follows, is Ernest's "amazing adventure" with different jobs that teach him the lessons of life. He meets average ordinary people on his journey and learns that there is definitely more to happiness than money. Sometimes, it is the people with the least or the people you least expect who end up giving the most.

The movie is only about an hour long so it doesn't feel like parts of it get dragged out. I got the Alpha Video DVD release which was OK. The visuals definitely looked like an old movie with scratches and blacked out sections of frames that go by in a split second here and there. There are even a couple of minor skips which don't take away from the movie, but they were a little distracting to me. The audio was slightly muffled in spots but again, not enough to deter me from this film. If anything, these minor flaws add to the charm of this old movie. Of course, if the visuals could be made crisp and clear and the audio cleaned up enough to sharpen the sound, I wouldn't complain.

Cary Grant is what makes this film very enjoyable. The supporting cast is alright but it is Cary Grant who you can see emerging as the legendary star. When he smiles, he warms your heart and this movie's overall lessons are things all of us can be reminded of often.

Ok, so I bought this DVD because one of my all time favorite actors is in it (I'm a huge Jimmy Stewart fan too!). While this movie was a good back drop for Cary Grant, the plot was a bit bland...spoiled rich man must make his own living for a year to win a bet. Some of the meetings with his "monied" crowd, while he's a working stiff, are entertaing, but not really memorable. Maybe I'm used to his later movies where he really shined, but this movie just didn't grab me. Or maybe it was the quality of the DVD. I might have gotten more out of it if I had turned the sound off, the sound track was that bad. There were a few skips and the usual "old film" wrinkles in the visual, but they wouldn't have been so hard to deal with if I didn't have to keep adjusting the sound....even then, some of the dialogue still sounded like gibberish. Could be that I've just got a really bad bootleg copy. I advise against purchasing the DVD whose cover case shows CG from the shoulders up in front of a car and stone house.

Cary Grant plays modern day Buddha in this classic movie set in London (1937) during the post depression era. Ernest Bliss (Cary Grant) temporarily gives up his riches to become working poor to understand his apparent illness, and seek enlightenment. He rents an apartment in from an old lady who is compassionate and understanding. He works for a limousine service company as a driver where he meets a caring worker. He falls in love with a young woman named Frances Clayton (Mary Brian), and learns a crucial thing in life; to be in love, the lady doesn't have to be beautiful or wealthy, but all heart will do. During his adventure; he sees life, people, poverty, suffering, and sadness. He understands that people in spite of all uncertainties in life find happiness with what they have, and they care about another human being. He gradually realizes that his wealth is an obstacle in pursuit of happiness and to have peace in eternal life. Cary Grant has performed brilliantly with his usual caliber and charm, but I was impressed most with the performance of Mary Brian, who is loving, yet so vulnerable in life. My favorite scenes are when she interviews Ernest Bliss for his first job and later when he proposes to her on the steps of the building Frances works. This is a heart warming movie which doesn't have Christmas theme or set in Christmas time, but very appropriate for Christmas time viewing.

I enjoyed this movie. It's Cary Grant, after all! The plot was predictable, the sound was sometimes difficult to distinguish, and it was often unrealistic. However, I still enjoyed watching it, mostly to see a bit of the 1930s, with the cars, clothes, and styles. It has a great fight scene that is so staged it's fantastic. For under $10, if you like old movies, this one is worth seeing.

Me and my husband loved this movie. Some of the things done by Cary Grant are things one wishes they could do if they had money. The acting is really good in this movie...and it is really enjoyable. A must see for a Cary Grant fan!!

I can't believe no one discover the free movie that is on this disk!? It is not listed on box or in descriptions but when I went to put disk in, in very fine print it said Side A... side B. Penny Serenade. Did no one else see this??? Well I put the disk in to watch side A "Amazing Adventures" Feel good movie :) I enjoyed it much and now I flipped the disk and I'm watching Penny Serenade.
It would be easy to overlook the second movie but if you own this disk and I bought it "new" and sealed from Amazon, flip your disk over!
The quality of the movies could be better and I wish it had subtitles but for 5.99 I can't beat the deal of both movies.
I wonder how this happened.. mistake in marketing?? Like I said it says nothing on the DVD artwork about another movie.. I love getting stuff for free.

There are better Cary Grant movies out there to watch. This one is just about ok. The movie DVD is released by various companies. I had the BFC edition, and was not very thrilled by the print.

The Amazing Adventure was a most enjoyable film.
Unfortunately, the quality of the cd was very poor indeed, which made it difficult to follow the theme. At one stage the film became hugely distorted, and remained that way for quite a while.