Alicia
I love this movie so much
RipDelight
This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
paxveritas
Yes, agreed, this is a light-hearted, feel-good film. Events roll pleasantly along, and Guinness crashes through the class barrier using a wily prudence and opportunism.The problem is, Guinness is always Guinness. That works delightfully in "The Ladykillers" and "The Lavender Hill Mob." Not so much in "The Card." Guinness' constant, somewhat smug semi-smirk gives Denry more of an air of cynicism than suits the general purpose of this movie.The casting director should've hauled George Cole into this role. Cole was twenty-seven in 1952. He would've brought the proper note of innocence/cleverness/playful joy into Denry.By the way, the author of the book this film is based on, Arnold Bennett, gave Denry his own birthdate, and was also a rent-collector for a time (while in the employ of his father).
writers_reign
I had several opportunities to watch this over the years but I could never work up much of a sweat for 'period' pieces, especially period pieces set in the Midlands and points north, to put it another way things like Hobon's Choice, Hindle Wakes, Love On The Dole and their ilk were anathema to me, and in the interests of fair play even something more 'southern' like The History of Mr. Polly also lacked appeal. Finally I spotted a DVD of The Card with a bonus in the shape of a TV play written for Guiness by John Mortimer so I shelled out two quid and found The Card to be a pleasant diversion with competent performances and a left-handed charm going for it. It would seem that better late than never hits the spot.
thos40
This is another superb British comedy of the early '50s. The story (based quite closely upon the Arnold Bennett novel) is fun, the script by Eric Ambler spot on, and the production well done. The black and white photography is truly beautiful, and captures the sense of time, place and atmosphere better than any amount of glossy colour could have. I gather that some of the exteriors were shot in Burslem ("Bursley" in the film) and Llandudno, but even if they were not, they feel as though they could have been. The only time the illusion of reality was lost was during some clunky back-projection when Denry was driving his new car.The performances were superb, as one expects of a British film of the period, from the principals, especially Alec Guinness and Glynis Johns -how beautiful she was, how grating her voice, and what a character she created - to extras with a few lines, e.g., Michael Hordern as a sympathetic bank manager.In all, this film is a total delight.
sol-
Apparently a comment on transcending class boundaries, the message seems to get lost amidst the gags, however the film can still be enjoyed as a light comedy. It has a number of amusing moments and ideas, and the introductory narration is wonderfully descriptive. The film suffers from predictability and a rather mundane screenplay and plot, but Alec Guinness's charm and charisma save the day. Glynis Johns is however annoying whenever on screen, but the other actresses manage to do okay. Ronald Neame has done comedy better before - he seems to insert too much action into his vision of the material here - but it ultimately is an entertaining overall film nevertheless.
