The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1937)

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Every time somebody somewhere publishes one of their 100 BEST FILMS OF ALL TIME, I look hopefully to see if this film made the list - finally? -- and have been disappointed so often that I no longer try. The good news? The production team took an HG WELLS classic -- a very tricky writer to bring to the screen, if you consider how many times they have fumbled his time machine story -- and nailed it the very first time. Yes, I know, it is Black and White, and the Special Effects are the best you can do for 1931, and the only real "name" is Richardson's, but PSHAW I say. These criticisms are trivial. The script, the adaption, is nothing short of brilliant. The direction is brilliant, bringing a sort of friendly whimsy to a story which on its surface more properly belongs in an AGENT OF SHIELD episode. After all, this is about a normal everyday man granted ABSOLUTE POWER. The acting is superb, Roland Young fit the bill perfectly. He was known for playing meek characters and through his career the only other major role that cinephiles remember him for is Topper. In case you have NOT seen this, I don't want to spoil it for you other than to say that this may be be the only chance you will ever get to enjoy this wonderfully presented morality tale in its purest form. The reason for this caution is that, to the best of my information, the Wells family has, over the years, consistently refused to sell the rights, no matter how much money was thrown at them. It appears they belong to the school of thought which suggests, if something is done right first time, there is no need to do it again. The scene in particular where Young's character becomes so befuddled dealing with the quirks of the world's leaders that he literally stops the planet from spinning is priceless and unforgettable. And BTW the way Young's character deals with his secret crush (Joan Gardner playing Ada Price) would be as irksome to the fairer sex today as it no doubt was then. The only difference is that, today, it is easier to voice your complaints. One of the best films ever done of one of the best stories ever written.

I can't add much to what has already been said of this wonderful film, but I would like to comment further on an observation made by an earlier reviewer vis-a-vis Ralph Richardson's superb portrayal of Colonel Winstanley.The earlier reviews stated that this character was the inspiration for David Low's immortal Colonel Blimp, but that could not be the case. By 1936 Blimp was a well known cartoon character, Low having begun drawing him for the "Evening Standard" some years before.Having said that, I have not the slightest doubt that the xenophobic, colonialist, anti-science and closed-minded Blimp was the inspiration for Colonel Winstanley.And I have no further doubt whatever that Winstanley was forefront in the mind of Powell and Pressburger when they brought him to life as the much more sympathetic Colonel (later General) Clive Wynn-Candy in the the masterpiece "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" eight years later.Having seen "Blimp" many times prior to seeing "The Man Who Could Work Miracles", my ears immediately went up in the scene where the character is first mentioned, thinking Hello, could it be? And then in the next cut, there is Winstanley in all his Blimpish glory and the little light bulb above the head goes off and you get that immensely satisfying moment of having put another film thread together...

I have to admit to a soft spot for this film, which is very probably the best movie version of an H.G. Wells story ever done. Not surprisingly, the writer was still around when it was made and was involved in the production.Today many people regard Wells as a "science-fiction" writer, but he was also a historian and philosopher. "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" is more of a fantasy/parable on the subject of power and the human condition than it is science fiction. Nevertheless, Alexander Korda had his production company go all out in the depiction of the film's "miracles". They are still effective despite the fact that this film dates from 1936.The story of what happens when an anonymous nobody is suddenly given absolute power to do anything still resonates. The setting may be 1930s England, but the attitudes of the sort of characters with whom the protagonist interacts would probably be little different today. After all, businessmen still think like businessmen, bankers like bankers, clergymen like clergymen, policemen like policemen, and soldiers like soldiers. In that regard the world hasn't really changed all that much, a fact that would have come as little surprise to Wells. Considering the plethora of special effects, it seems somewhat surprising that this film has never been re-made. That's not to say that this production could probably be bettered. Roland Young is spot on as the "common vulgar fellow" upon whom absolute power is suddenly and randomly bestowed. The only possible complaint with casting him in the part is that he may perhaps have been a bit too to play someone the other characters are constantly addressing as "Young Man". The other members of the cast are likewise excellent, particularly Ralph Richardson in a hilarious turn as "Colonel Winstanley", the character who inspired cartoonist David Low's "Colonel Blimp".To anyone who has never seen this movie, I can only recommend that you take the first opportunity that presents itself to see it. Despite the passing of years since it was produced, "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" remains unique.

What would a world without want be like? The answer has been the subject of countless stories, not a few movies, & every sensitive soul's nighttime sighing for ages. H. G. Wells poses the question by having godlike beings give a department store clerk, George McWhirter Fotheringay, that ability, & watching it evolve, as he bounces from adviser to adviser, from the sexy girl he desires to a retired British Army man.The film is a treat, especially for those of us accustomed to (& maybe a little bored by) the Star Trek treatment of absolute power conferred on lowly mortals. I don't know much about the history of science fiction in the movies, but Wells goes about everything (he wrote the script, based on his novel) with the fabulous in mind, while adding purely sci-fi touches, which I won't give away.Fotheringay is no bleeding-heart aching to turn the world into a painless utopia, nor is he a selfish, power-hungry perve, but a nondescript man who takes his time to figure out just what has happened to him before bringing everything to a head. In the meantime, we're given what amounts to a funny English comedy of manners, as well as a peek into a time (& place) where science fiction took a different direction. (For example: if you found out you had miraculous powers, would you tell anyone? I don't think I would. & if you told anyone, wouldn't you imagine the authorities pouncing on you at the first opportunity? Not so in 1930's Essex!)The ending seems Gene Roddenberry-esque, & perhaps the Star Trek creator admired & shared Wells' humanism; but the film shines with neat-o special effects (some cool stuff, for the time) & a wonderful performance by Roland Young. A must-see for those who like their sci-fi earthbound & thought-provoking.(My subject line, by the way, refers to anarchy as a form of government in which there are no governments, just self-government; I don't mean it in the common usage of disorder or chaos. The movie touches on the idea that, without their lives being controlled by those in power, who have a vested interest in people needing money & goods, people might find other ways to spend their time - like, for example, in creation.)