The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss

This inter-war comedy-drama is centred on Ernest Bliss; he is a millionaire but still isn't happy. A friend advises him to see Sir James Aldroyd, a Harley Street consultant. Sir James tells Bliss that the problem boredom; he has so much money he doesn't need to do anything. The two end up making a bet; Bliss must live for a year without touching his financial reserves; if he loses he must pat £50,000, if he wins he gets an apology. He leaves his expensive flat in the hands of his butler the catches a tube to the East End with only five pounds in his wallet.

He struggles to get a job but eventually gets one at a struggling business but after using some of his own money to help the company he moves on so he can't be seen as benefitting from his wealth. He later gets a job working as a chauffeur but keeps in touch with the secretary from his former job. They develop a relationship but will she settle down with a man she thinks is almost penniless?

The story is simple enough but works nicely. The protagonist may be rich but the message to viewers, few of whom could aspire to his wealth, is that money doesn't buy happiness; that it is better to be poor and happy then rich and bored... not too subtle but not as patronising as it could be. Gary Grant does a fine job as Bliss and Mary Brian is likeable as his romantic interest, Frances. There are a couple of entertaining if not entirely necessary subplots; one involving a pair of crooks who think Bliss is merely somebody who looks like him and try to recruit him to rob himself and second involving an employee who is trying to take advantage of Frances. Overall this isn't a classic but it is fun enough, especially if you are a fan of Cary Grant or 1930s British cinema.

These comments are based on watching the shortened version of the film; I must say it did feel a bit rushed at times so it would be interesting to compare it to the full length version.

The Amazing Adventure (1936)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Ernest Bliss (Cary Grant) is a millionaire whose doctor says any ill-health would be because he's a spoiled person who doesn't know what hard work is. The doctor then makes a bet with Bliss that he wouldn't be able to live without his inheritance, which Bliss disagrees with. Soon the once millionaire is starting from scratch and trying to live like an average man for one year.

After several years in Hollywood, Grant returned to Britian where he made this film, which was originally released under the title of THE AMAZING QUEST OF ERNEST BLISS. Grant would return to Hollywood where he's start some of the most famous films of his career. However, when this film finally hit America, it did so under the title THE AMAZING ADVENTURE and its original 81-minute running time was cut down to just 61-minutes, which is the version reviewed here.

During this era there were quite a few movies that were about rich brats who took bets to live like your average poor man. The story certainly wasn't anything fresh or original and overall the quality of this movie isn't the greatest but if you're a fan of Grant then it's certainly worth watching especially since he turns in such a good and fun performance.

I thought he was extremely believable int he role of this rich man who finally and quickly sees how hard the working man has it. Grant brought the class to the role that you'd expect and he also handles the more charming moments perfectly and especially at the end. Mary Brian plays the love interest and she too is good in her role, although it certainly wasn't the best written in the film.

I'm not sure what's missing or whether or not it improved the film or not. With that said, the direction isn't the greatest and the film doesn't have much style going for it. What it does have is a charming story and the wonderful performance by Grant, which makes it worth watching to his fans.

In '36 the idea of being so wealthy you actually suffered must have seemed truly ludicrious. Many Americans were still struggling post the great market crash so wealth was more like what would fix rather than break one's quality of life. So when the young Earnest Bliss (Grant) finds his health in the doldrums he is challenged by his doctor to quit living like a millionaire as nothing else is wrong with him. Bliss being somewhat insulted decides to take the doctor up on a bet that he can't live like a regular person living paycheck to paycheck. Wanting to prove he can live without almost unlimited income Bliss finds a much different life.

In this movie there's lots of room for comedy as well as social and moral commentaries. One thing early on is that it often takes money to change things, but triffles like this aside Bliss finds meaning in his brushes with poverty. It often makes people too desperate even criminal. There is much that needs balancing with good morals And what can a meaningful life be without love. Love is the way forward and has the power to trump compromised morals. Greed is a multi-faceted downfall of the human condition. It's all here and if not done stupendously it entertains and challenges some thought. A quite modest movie with a larger message? Maybe? Still worth a watch no matter. Early Grant shows promise no doubt.

This has a worthwhile story idea, plus Cary Grant in one of his earlier starring roles, and it has some good scenes. There are a number of other, better movies made in the 1930s that were based on similar ideas, but this one is a solid feature. The main thing that keeps it from being better is that the story and script do not always make the best use of their opportunities. As a result, there are some sequences that take up screen time that could have been used for something better, while some potentially fine moments are under-emphasized.

Grant plays a wealthy young man who has become jaded and spoiled by the company of other well-to-do idlers, and who sets out on a challenge to learn how to work for a living. This setup lends itself to a lot of good material, and the best moments are Grant's interactions with other everyday persons who don't know who he is.

Within a very short time after this was filmed, Grant became one of the best actors around at handling this kind of material, and he was then able to make this kind of story work even when it wasn't particularly well-written. Here, there are a number of times when his developing flair shows through, but he wasn't quite experienced enough yet to carry the whole load, so there are some sequences that lack the spark that they needed in order to keep moving. It makes the movie somewhat uneven, still worth seeing if you like the era and genre, but otherwise unremarkable.

The year 1936 marks the end of Cary Grant's long apprenticeship. Filmographies differ as to the precise order of the films he released in this period, so this film -- the only one he made in Britain in the '30's -- makes a convenient watershed. Of his films released that year, this one is probably the weakest.

Cary at this point has his mature mannerisms, but he still lacks the sparkle. Moviegoers would have to wait another year. He really comes into his own in 1937 with "The Toast of New York", "Topper", and "The Awful Truth" in particular.

This film's plot follows the conventional Depression formula of a man of affluence temporarily renouncing his wealth in order to become a man of the people, with predictable results.