Customer Reviews

Man Who Could Work Miracles [VHS]

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

 

 

A quirky British comedy wherein the Olympian gods grant miraculous powers to a nebbish from Essex, one Mr. Fotheringay, who at first is quite modest in his use of reality-bending, and eventually succumbs to the temptations of (near) absolute power. The prewar concerns of war, peace and the polite class politics of the UK are at the heart of this film; nice cameo by Ernest Thesiger (of James Whale horror film fame) as Mr. Maydig, a Bertram Russell-style swords-into-plowshares peacenik intellectual who is as quickly seduced by the lure of ultimate power as are his Establishment counterparts. Odd film; worth checking out.

This is an interesting and very entertaining film, which still holds up well after more than 60 years. The angels decide to bestow miraculous powers upon a common, little man. He can make things change, move, appear, or disappear at will. In addition to providing for some very comedic episodes, it raises some though-provoking questions as to the use of such power.

The special effects are executed quite well, and one can only speculate as to what a remake would be like, given today's cutting edge special effects technology. But don't wait for the remake; this film is well worth seeing.

IF EVER A MOVIE NEEDED TO BE REMADE THIS IS THE ONE.WITH TODAYS SPECIAL EFFECTS AND A TERRIFIC CAST TO EQUAL THE 1937 ENSEMBLE OF GREAT ACTORS IT WOULD BE A SMASH.I FIRST SAW THIS MOVIE WHEN I WAS QUITE YOUNG AND IT IMPRESSED ME GREATLY.NATURALLY YOU WOULD EXPECT A DIFFERENT REACTION WHEN VIEWING IT AS AN ADULT BUT TO MY SURPRISE IT HELD UP AS ONE OF THE MOST IMAGINATIVE FANTASY FILMS I HAVE EVER SEEN.TRY IT ,YOU'LL LIKE IT!

One of my favorite movies, based on an H.G. Wells short story. I only wish I could find this on DVD, but tape is OK. This is a clean, sharp, bright reproduction version. I highly recommend this movie.

I like old movies and this is just a good one. No sex, gore, killing, or real violence, but thought provoking and a good story. Well acted for its time. be sure to have some popcorn and cold coke for this one.

As we attempt to harness the power of (you supply a word),
it is useful and (with this flick)enjoyable to speculate about
what the results would be.

Remember, "Measure twice, cut once."

Roland Young fudges his way nicely through any movie, but to imagine him as a vindictive man with unwieldy power is a bit of a stretch. Ralph Richardson, another man who seemingly can do no wrong, is badly miscast as the threatened retired British officer who becomes flummoxed when his weapons collection is transformed to ploughshares by the title character Young. The movie has a bright attitude, very spry, but the story is tired and the characters aren't able make up for it. A nice conceit but with nothing much to say in the end, other than, "Power draws calamity, well-intentioned or not."