Brewster's Millions (1935)

Director:

Thornton Freeland

Writers:

Douglas Furber (writer)
Paul Gangelin (writer)

Release Date:

5 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical

Plot:

Jack Brewster is a pennyless English lad who learns that he has inherited 6 million pounds sterling from a recently deceased relative...

Plot Keywords:

Millionaire | Mayor | Inheritance | Inheritance Challenge | Based On Adaptation

Cast

Jack Buchanan	...	Jack Brewster
Lili Damita	...	Rosalie
Nancy O'Neil	...	Cynthia
Sydney Fairbrother	...	Miss Plimsole
Ian Maclean	...	McLeod
Fred Emney	...	Freddy
Alan Aynesworth	...	Rawles
Laurence Hanray	...	Grant
Dennis Hoey	...	Mario
Henry Wenman	...	Pedro
Amy Veness	...	Mrs. Barry
Sebastian Shaw	...	Frank
Anthony Holles	...	Ferago, the Mayor

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Herbert Wilcox Productions

Movie Connections:

Version of Brewster's Millions (1945)

Awful but watchable

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

The basic idea that someone must spend a million to get even more as the terms of a legacy has been described as "the most ridiculous plot ever invented." I agree.

Added to the stupid plot is the state of the British film industry at the time: tinny orchestras, cadaverous makeup, wooden acting, puerile dialogue.

The jokes in this so-called comedy must have been threadbare at the time the film was made, let alone now.

it is no exaggeration to say that the entire cast is totally out acted by Damita (even is the makeup department does manage to add about 30 years to her age), but then again, she has no opposition. Of the rest of the cast only Fred Emny looks comfortable in front of the camera. Leading man Jack Buchanan is - apart from the Scottish accent - typical of the overdressed fop of leading man in British pictures at the time. In this film i am afraid he is not only fop but flop.

The standard of the jokes is a man being given a pair of opera glasses to look at a girl on stage. he remarks that she is very small. The man next to him turns the opera glasses round the other way for him. It really is that bad.

There are some redeeming features about this film. One is that the music is performed by Geraldo and his orchestra: the music is not only listenable, it's good. There are some pretty good dance sequences, especially in the scenes set in Corsica, where Damita is dressed as Santa Rosalia, who embodies the features of St George and St Joan of Arc.

Alas, the Corsica scenes are the best that it gets, and the film finishes as a poor farce.

Geraldo and Damita are the only good things about this film.