Customer Reviews

Once upon a Time

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

 

 

I watched this film a long time ago, when I was a kid, and now being 35 years old, it made just the same effect on me, I was thrilled all the same. It is an innocent, naive little story from another time, that makes you feel like a child all over again!!

Grant's performance is excellent, as the cynical and self centered (at first) producer who, by chance, meets this little kid who states he owns a dancing caterpillar!! This child actor, Ted Donaldson, is absolutely believable as the kid, and gives a heart-wrenching performance, like an old pro.

James Gleason, once more, is all right as Grant's pal, and Janet Blair, a beautiful, lesser known actress from the '40s, is very good as the kid's elder sister, and besides, she's pretty, sexy and has a beautiful voice.

Apart from a couple of trailers, the dvd edition hasn't got any bonuses at all, and the picture quality is OK, but not as good as that of another Columbia Classic releases, but nevertheless, if you're a classic film buff, and you still got a kid's heart, hidden there inside, this movie belongs to your dvd collection.

Subtly effective fantasy drama - you never see the dancing caterpillar in the box, but the movie is about the people and how they react to the simple, almost insignificant miracle, and the relationship between the sneaky showman (unusually cynical role for Grant) and the boy who owns the caterpillar. Their relationship is wonderful except for one thing: Grant is trying to steal the boy's pet and sell it to Walt Disney, though he promised he wouldn't. For a mild, subtle story, the surprise ending is surprisingly satisfying. The DVD quality is fine.

Cary Grant had the uncanny knack for making even the most hollow of plots seem like high art. Consider the irrefutably light-hearted "Once Upon A Time" in which Grant is Jerry Flynn - a has-been Broadway producer who discovers an orphan with a dancing caterpillar. Flynn's savvy for creating a media event, turns the caterpillar into an off Broadway sensation. But when Jerry decides to sell his investment to the highest bidder, he must choose between fame and fortune and the respect and genuine love that the orphan has developed for him. The genuine surprise in this film is not how irrepressibly charming Grant is, but how willingly he steps into the unbecoming role of the villain who eventually chooses goodness over celebrity - a subtle bit of advice that most stars of today would do well to heed. "Once Upon A Time" is not high art, but it remains an enjoyable movie helmed by a finely wrought performance.
THE TRANSFER: Relatively clean for Columbia Tri-Star. The gray scale has been nicely balanced with solid blacks and nicely rendered contrast levels. There's a lot of age related artifacts for a picture that is inconsistent and not very smooth. However, once you've accepted these shortcomings, the film becomes reasonably enjoyable to view. Fine details are nicely rendered. There are no digital anomalies. The audio is mono but very well represented.
EXTRAS: Nothing of merit.
BOTTOM LINE: "Once Upon A Time" offers the chance to appreciate Cary Grant at his most subtly challenging and engagingly.

The large cast in this is wonderful, from Cary Grant to virtually every contract player who has a line; the production values as well. It would be impossible to cast a film like this with that kind of wall to wall talent now; its a small monument to the lost studio system. The problem is that with an intriguing premise and Cary Grant going for it, the film falls short in comparison to what Preston Sturges could have done with it in one direction or Frank Capra in another. It straddles being a children's tale or an adult's tale with a child at its center, probably for calculated economic reasons. It almost moves you, it almost becomes a giddy satire, it almost makes you believe the story, but just stops short. The ending is just right. And watching Cary Grant dance through the theatrical role makes you dream about what he could have done with "Twentieth Century". With a Sturges rewrite polish, this could have been...but it isn't.

Schmalzy story with a predictable ending. No need for a spoiler warning. Unless you're 5 years old - you already know how it ends within a minute of our introduction to "Curly" The Dancing Caterpillar.

Interesting Cary Grant vehicle as he doesn't play to his strengths in that this is more-or-less a children's movie. Quite possibly the only one he ever did, though he did adore children in real life. This is a proto-Disney film using a formula that Disney himself wouldn't realize for another half a decade, moving beyond animation for live action films.

And speaking of which...

Notable for having a rare Walt Disney onscreen performance, portraying himself.

There's something almost... sinister... in the way his "character" approaches the situation of Moke and Curly. The opportunistic dealing, Disney casually wants what he wants, using money as the grease to get things to swing his way. I'm not knocking the man - but this short screen appearance reflects the drive and energy that the early Disney Company displayed in becoming the modern 21st century corporate goliath it is today.

Overall a decent film for fans of Grant as he delivers a decent performance being a manipulative shyte-heel who realizes the errors of his ways and, like the unseen multiped hero, transforms into the truly nice guy that was hidden underneath the hardened business shell.

"Once Upon a Time" is a charming and very entertaining movie.

This vintage 1944 movie stars Cary Grant and that great child star
Ted Donaldson.

Cary Grant is again in fine form as he usually is whether it be light
comedy or an Alfred Hitchcock thriller. He has that rare ability to
take something ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary,
a feat that he again achieves in this movie.

"Once Upon a Time" is the simple story of a boy (Ted Donaldson) and his
pet dancing caterpillar which 'down and out' showman (Cary Grant)
promotes for his own selfish reasons and to do so he befriends the boy
purposely to exploit and deceive him.

The ending where Cary Grant finally comes to his senses and realizes
what he is doing to the boy is wrong, is touching and heartwarming.

In a few words - great enterainment.