The Man Who Could Work Miracles (1936)

Second viewing; first viewed on March 9, 1997.

Based on the 1898 short story by H.G. Wells.

A man is suddenly given extraordinary powers over the material reality around him (but not over other people's minds). He goes around consulting various people on what to do with his newly acquired powers, and in the process his own mind matures about it.

Amusing fable about power, which, by disturbing the state of things, analyzes its many aspects. There are excellent special effects, and the performances are very good too. On the negative side, there is a bit of repetitiveness about the proceedings, and also the development is not exactly full of surprises (I hope my having seen it before has not conditioned me into this perception). It is never unpleasant though, and its insights into human nature and the workings of society are mostly correct. As for the phenomenon of concentration of excessive power in a single individual, it finds alarming parallels in present-day reality and its power-wielding billionaires, who far surpass in political influence those of the time this film was made.

Rating: 65 (up from 50)