mark.waltz It appears that many prints of this public domain British film has been greatly edited, possibly as much as 15 minutes. What remains is the shell of something already uninteresting even with a fabulous leading man in Cary Grant. The minuscule plot concerns a wealthy British man who makes a bet that he can live happily in poverty, leading to much confusion between the people he encounters on both sides of the tracks. . Grant is given an adequate leading lady in Mary Brian but the pacing so slow and the editing so choppy that the result, even cut, goes beyond boring. The misleading titles, as there appear to be three, confuses as the film is never amazing, adventurous or romantic.

rogaerial Cary Grant had a tough young life in Bristol so maybe some of this films story reminded him. Pity the version I saw was not the full 80 minutes it would have been better to judge rather than this 61 minute version which seems a bit rushed at the end when regrettably Mary Brian forgot her English accent and it became a bit 'stagy' - a pity because the supporting actors did a good job I thought. Cary Grant was capable of good dramatic rolls though rarely got them and in this film he wasn't able to show his ability enough. I'm glad; however this film was made in England rather than America as it did add something to the authenticity of the few exteriors and general atmosphere of the story.

MartynGryphon The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss, is not a mind blowing film by any stretch of the imagination. However, it is noteworthy as being the one and only film Cary Grant ever made in his native England for an English Studio.Grant plays Ernest Bliss, a wealthy London playboy with nothing to do but drink martini's in his posh west end club and wine and dine the female socialites of his class. Amazingly, he's still not a happy man, he's restless and short tempered and not knowing why, he visits the Harley Street Offices of Doctor Sir James Alroyd. (Peter Gawthorne). Sir James however, not only has his Harley Street practice, but is a great philanthropist who also helps the poorer people from the East End over come their ailments for little or no payment, and cannot disguise his visible contempt for Bliss.After examining Bliss he delivers his diagnosis to the shocked playboy, which turns out to be nothing more than a chronic case of boredom. He's bored because he's been spoilt and pampered all of his life without ever having to do a single thing for himself and hasn't anything constructive to do but live out his days spending his inheritance. Bliss in an attempt to prove there is more to him than what Sir James has said, bets him £50'000 that he can make an honest living for a whole year without touching any of his money for his own benefit.Incognito, Bliss sets off to the East End in an old suit and just enough money for the tube fare, but soon realises that his 'quest' is not as easy as he first thought. However, he also realises the strength and kindheartedness of the working classes. He's touched by the generosity of these people, good people who will give you what they have even though they haven't that much to give. Convinced that he is not using his money for HIS own benefit as his deal with Sir James stipulated, Bliss begins to use his inheritance to help these people out of certain situations, thus changing their lives for the better.As I mentioned earlier, it's not a great film but it's heart is certainly in the right place. and the movie is riddled with great and much missed British character actors/actresses of the 1930's and '40's. American Actress Mary Brian plays Frances Clayton, Grant's love interest.It such a shame that the movie runs just a little over an hour and has obviously been cut to shreds by a crazed studio editor somewhere, because there is/was an 80 minute print of this movie available at one time or another. So my 'amazing quest' is now to hunt down this elusive version if it still exists which sadly I doubt, as Empire Film Studios were never a major player in British movie making before or after the war. It's a genuine possibility that the original 80 minute print was destroyed in the blitz with only the 61 minute USA version still in existence. who knows?.Enjoy!!!

jpickerel As stated before me, this is a story that's been done before, most notably "Sullivan's Travels", made a few years hence. A rich young man takes a bet that he can live on a working man's wages for a year, and ventures forth to prove it. The most notable difference here is Cary Grant in the lead, vs. Joel McCrea. Now, I have nothing against Mr. McCrea. But there is a reason why Cary Grant became a mega star, and Joel McCrea didn't. Comparison of these two films makes the differences quite clear. Grant had a glib, polished presence that somehow translated into believability for most of us, and it shows through, even in this early film. The story is predicable, but not so as to make you want to stop watching. Spend the time, and enjoy the performances of Grant and Mary Brian.