The Man Who Could Work Miracles

Okay, much has already been discussed about the philosophical merits of this film and the deep, profound underlying morals within and the gentle yet omni-present humour laced throughout The Man Who Could Work Miracles. I agree it is there but to varying degrees of success. Who knew H. G. Wells did the script himself(I didn't know he was even still alive then). Because he did, you knew it would have some kind of social message - and it does. What would we do if given complete, absolute power? Can mankind given this power effectively change? Will mankind come to some communal consent as to the betterment of the species as a whole? Well, being the true Machiavellian at heart philosophically that I am - I knew the answers to these questions as posed by Wells who by this time in his life seeing Europe yet again on the fringe of war in 1936 must have come to the same conclusions. But Wells to his credit leaves the viewer the opportunity to decide what he/she thinks with little prodding from the script. While the movie has a lot of hokey dialog and contrived plot sequences, I enjoyed it overall and its message of - whatever it is to you goes here. The acting is charming at the very least. Roland Young is always good and he portrays Mr. Farthingay with great affability and anonymity. Young is one of the best things about the movie as he stumbles in his fashion through the dialog and the scenes with calculating indifference as only he can do. The supporting cast is ably aided with the likes of Ralph Richardson, Joan Gardner, Joan Hickson, George Zucco, and as two godlike spirits watching earth - George Sanders looking incredibly young and Torin Thatcher(from The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad fame). The best outside of Young is Earnest Thesiger from The Bride of Frankenstein and The Old, Dark House fame playing a minister named Mr. Maydig who wants Young to do only good, beneficial things for mankind - at least it appears so ostensibly. No one and I mean no one can deliver a line like Thesiger! Words from his mouth are music to my ears. There are some problems with the film. Much of it comes off as forced and not very amusing. The script ends really in a muddle of a mess. How about the ridiculous music and the title sequence at the beginning of the film. What was up with that huh? But despite these shortcomings, see The Man Who Could Work Miracles for what it is - a thought picture that has a message presented in a light-hearted fashion.

H.G. Wells' lighthearted fantasy about an unassuming draperies assistant granted the ability to make his every dream come true might be the best film never made by Frank Capra. Normally a very sober thinker, Wells found the perfect balance between philosophy and whimsy for this original screenplay, in which a trio of cosmic gods conduct an experiment to see how the selfish inhabitants of this trifling world might cope with the possibility of total wish fulfillment. Astounded by his unexpected gift (which he believes to be a simple matter of will power), the meek and mild Mr. George McWirter Fotheringay soon finds himself besieged by friends and strangers offering opinions, advice, and partnership offers in lucrative business ventures. Should he use his miracle making for strictly personal gain, or for the benefit of all mankind? There are, of course, unexpected pitfalls to even the best intentions, but the consequences, while hardly optimistic, are never less than entertaining.

This is a nice little film that I'd never heard about but should have, as it's a nice little film. In many ways it's a lot like the "Twilight Zone" episode with Burgess Meredith where aliens give him extraordinary strength as an experiment. Here, however, angelic beings are talking in the heavens and one of them decides to pick a random person on Earth and give them practically limitless power--to see what effect this would have on the person and planet.

Ordinary Roland Young (sporting a toupee) is the guy chosen for this gift. However, unlike what you'd expect, he is slow to exploit this power and only does mostly simple tricks with it at the beginning. However, when it comes to making bigger changes in his life and to the planet, he's hesitant and seeks out advice from respected members of the community on what to do with his powers. One, a vicar, wants Young to do good with the power--but what, exactly, should this be and what are the repercussion? Another, played wonderfully by Ralph Richardson, is a pompous caricature of an English "gentleman" and wants Young to use his powers to kick butt! Others have various ideas and ultimately Young gets in well over his head.

Overall, the film is quite funny (particular in Richardson's scenes) as well as thought-provoking--an interesting combination. It makes you wonder what you might do if given god-like powers. An interesting portrait of human nature and our obvious foibles.

I first saw this movie when I was a kid in the fifties. The movie stands out in my mind just as if I saw it yesterday (in fact I am going to see it in the next few days, whenever I can find a place that rents it.) It was interesting and entertaining just as most movies based on H. G. Wells stories are.

The film, almost seventy five years after its release as this review is written, still provides a dilemma that could be endlessly discussed on the human condition.

A man is given unlimited power by three deities as they look down on the earth. The mind of Wells is highly visible as the plot develops.

It is approached in a tongue in cheek manner and the special effects of the time must have been very labor intensive in relation to the genius of todays computer graphics.

The moral questions could employ any philosopher in endless discussion. A relatively young Ralph Richardson portraying an old character gives us a glimpse into the early career of a classic British actor.

In a strange way it is a kind of feel good movie and very thought provoking. It may also intrigue the present day viewer as they consider the possibility of the cinema goer in the 1930s wondering how the camera tricks were performed.