We've probably all fantasized about what we would do with a lot of money. But absolute power? H.G. Wells attacks this question in "The Man Who Could Work Miracles," from 1936, with a screenplay written by Wells himself.This British film stars Roland Young, who played Topper in the movies and also "Uncle Willy" in one of my favorite films, The Philadelphia Story. The gods, Indifference (George Sanders), PLayer (Ivan Brandt) and Observer (Torin Thatcher) discussing the lowliness of humans, wonder what would happen if man had absolute power. One of the gods, to prove a point, points a finger at George McWhirter Fotheringay (Roland Young) out at night, en route to a pub.George, frankly, doesn't do much with his new gift. He turns a lamp upside down, makes kittens and rabbits and fruit appear, cleans up his station at the haberdashery where he works, takes away a coworker's (Joan Hickson) freckles, dresses the beautiful Ada (Joan Gardner) in jewels -- his goals don't seem very lofty. The only thing he can't do is change people.George seeks advice from several people; his boss, who wants George to harness his power only for the store; Ada who believes he should heal people; and finally a vicar, Maydig (Ernest Thesiger) who says, "We'll start the Golden Age tomorrow afternoon" - an age in which there would be no disease, no want for funds, no war. To which George asks, yes, but what will people DO?This is a delightful film that raises obvious questions which the viewer has to answer for oneself. The god at the end of the film sums up my feeling. Nothing changes overnight, if they change at all.Standouts in the film are Young, Thesiger, and of course, Ralph Richardson as a colonel whom the vicar wants stripped of his sword collection and his alcohol. When he finds out that he's sober because of George, he wants to kill him. George Zucco is his butler, uttering the immortal words, "Oh, sir, I'd sooner poison a baby than tamper with the alcohol."Joan Hickson, known to millions as Miss Marple, was a young character woman here and plays Effie. Joan Gardner was discovered by the film's director, Alexander Korda, and actually married his brother Zoltan in 1930. She retired shortly after this film and stayed married to Korda until his death in 1961.Roland Young does an excellent job as a common man in an extraordinary circumstance. He has a slightly confused, vulnerable quality.Wells was prescient in many things, and his ideas always thought- provoking. "The Man Who Could Work Miracles" is no exception. Exceptional special effects for its time and an intriguing story make this film something to see.

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 saw this movie a couple of years ago when I couldn't get to sleep. I stuck the TV on and this film was just starting.It's about a guy who gets the power to do whatever he wants, except change peoples feelings or minds.Think Bruce Almighty made in the 1930's.I would give this movie a 10, but nothings perfect and the fact that it wouldn't appeal to a mass audience today has forced me to put an 8.Please watch this film if you ever get the chance. HG wells does a brilliant job on writing this one, most of his stories were way before their time, and this is no different.This film really captured my heart, and I really hope it gets a DVD release.

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.)