The Million Pound Note (1953) - film review

1903, London.  Stranded in England and without a penny to his name, American Henry Adams is surprised when two wealthy brothers invite him into their house and give him an envelope containing some money.  When he opens the letter at an agreed time, Adams can hardly believe what he sees: a bank note for one million pounds.  There is also a message telling Adams that if he returns the banknote in a month’s time he will be given a well-paid job.  What he doesn’t know is that he is object of a curious experiment.  Just as one of his benefactors predicted, the mere fact that Adams possesses the banknote convinces people to extend him credit and treat him as though he were a millionaire.  He gets a new wardrobe of clothes and the best suite in an exclusive hotel without parting with a farthing.  Even the aristocracy looks kindly on him and he has soon won the heart of the niece of the Duchess of Cromarty.  Can there be no end to Henry Adams’s good fortune...?

In an early comedic role, Gregory Peck appears to relish every moment in this quirky social satire from director Ronald Neame.  The multi-talented Neame had only recently turned to directing having established his reputation as a cinematographer and screenwriter, notably on some of David Lean’s early films.  Neame’s keen visual sense is apparent in the film’s lush colour photography and design, which make this one of cinema’s gaudiest depictions of Edwardian England.

Although Peck is not a natural film comedian and occasionally looks uncomfortable when called upon to play physical comedy, his charm and charisma carry him through.  It helps that he is has a talented supporting cast, which includes such well-loved British performers as Joyce Grenfell and Wilfrid Hyde-White, who manage to warm the cockles of anyone’s heart.  Inspired by a little-known story by the great American writer Mark Twain, the film  is both an entertaining divertissement and an effective satire on the absurdities of capitalism.

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