People are voting emotionally.

best movie i've ever seen.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Alec Guinness creates a wonderful lead character in this excellent satirical British comedy, which was so highly regarded when it came out that it was nominated for an Oscar. The film is based on a novel by Arnold Bennett, with a screenplay by Eric Ambler. It is set in one of Bennett's 'five towns', the potteries in the north of England. Guinness starts out as the son of a poor washerwoman, a complete 'nobody', but struggles ingeniously to hoist himself by his bootstraps, and succeeds over and over again. Valerie Hobson plays the Countess of Chell (no relation to the oil company?) who is the local grandee in a huge mansion, to whom all and sundry bow and curtsy. Hobson was a perfect choice for the role, and plays it with appropriate tongue in cheek. She finds Guinness most amusing, and indeed he is. Guinness too retains a subdued, almost subliminal, elfin quality throughout. The film is made with huge dollops of good humour, and Joey the donkey is actually played by Joey the donkey, who gets lots of laughs. This film is a wonderful cheering example of British comic entertainment at its best. Glynis Johns is simply marvellous as a scheming woman on the make, and Petula Clark (who began acting at the age of 14 and by now was a seasoned pro, despite still being a bright young thing) is absolutely charming. Everyone is good, everything is good, the film is good, and Ronnie Neame's direction is superb. What more could one want? Oh, and by the way, the title refers to Guinness being called 'a card', which is a now abandoned term meaning an amusing fellow who is getting on in life in ways which might be slightly questionable but are good for a laugh. No card games are played and all resemblances to cards living or dead is purely coincidental.

The Card (aka "The Promoter", 1952, Ronald Neame), which offers valuable lessons in social climbing, is a bundle of unrestrained optimism. Made when western societies were fairly open, and set around 1890, it depicts a British version of a Horatio Alger "rags to riches" plot-line. The central figure is clever, opportunistic, resourceful and has great courage in public. He responds to setbacks with new ideas that succeed. The idea that someone like this could rise in power is such a departure from modern times that it should be seen just to imagine when workers could become prosperous.Alec Guinness (seemingly young even though he was 38) is the world-beating Denry Machin. Denry lives with his mother, a washer woman, in poverty. With luck and guile Denry snags a job as a solicitor's clerk. He soon learns that his employer is managing the invitation list to the Countess Chell's eagerly anticipated ball. With only three liberties taken with the exclusive list Denry manages to attend (with two new friends). The ball scene is cinematic magic. Denry wastes little time upon arrival in asking three different woman to dance with him. Unfortunately, the ladies all have different ideas. A little stung, he stands in the vicinity of a group of leading bachelors who are all afraid to approach the lovely Countess (Valerie Hobson), who commands the attention of the room. Feeling inspired, Denry wagers that he will dance with her. He strides forward to her without hesitation. Everyone in the room stares at the unknown Denry—even the dancers stop their movement. Denry asks the beautiful Countess to dance with a confident voice that fills the chamber. There is a pause as we see the shocked faces of her inner circle, who know how she usually responds. She surprises many and agrees to Denry's invitation. Denry dances with her skillfully. The two enjoy themselves. There are not many movie scenes about dancing that top this. (BTW, the number three turns up several times here.)There are three fascinating women in Denry's world. Besides the Countess, there is Ruth Earp (Glynis Johns), initially a struggling dance instructor. She parallels Denry in many ways; she starts out poor and ends up wealthy. She'll also break a few societal rules along the way. (The implication is she marries a wealthy man after correctly predicting he will have a short lifespan.) The chattiest of the three, Ruth has a strong pull on Denry. She is constantly convincing him to spend on her like a queen. Ruth's chaperone Nellie (Petula Clark, who receives a Grammy twelve years later for "Downtown"), is a Cinderella figure. Initially no one gives her much attention. Eventually Denry discovers her beauty. The Countess is rich, beautiful and charismatic. Ruth is magnetizing. Nellie is pretty and fits the best with Denry's home life. So which one should it be? Denry's eventual romantic partnership invites debate over which one would have been the best for him. While the women have texture, Denry's economic climb is more unreal. He is a rent collector for wealthy clients and has to shake down the poorest of the poor. With modern eyes it is hard to imagine how Denry could collect from penniless people, how he could carry collected rents in a metal box alone on dark streets at night, how his new "thrift club" could succeed when he is essentially loaning money to the downtrodden, and do all these things while winning the hearts of everyone around him. The Gilded Age is a distant memory.Director Neame has an interesting way of conveying what is coming during the opening narration. We see an aerial view of "five cities" somewhere in England. Smoke is arriving from the right. The camera pans left and we see two boys in an alley, with one continually pushing the other. We see Denry's mom doing laundry on a rooftop. Then we see Denry as a baby in his crib, immediately crying out. The oppression that is identified visually in the early going will be altered by the man the crying baby becomes."The Card" has a lot of general appeal. If you haven't seen a movie in a long time that made you happy, consider changing your schedule and seeing this at the revival theater offering it. However, if you choose to arrive by a mule-drawn carriage, please make sure the mule does not encounter a moving baton.

Guinness made a number of fine British comedies in the 1950s, but this is not one of them. It starts off as mildly amusing as Guinness slyly climbs the social ladder through deceit. Soon, however, the events become totally random and the film starts to drag. This may be the longest 90-minute movie ever made! It just goes on and on for what seems like at least two hours. Although light-hearted, there's hardly anything funny here. A good supporting cast is wasted by an uninspired script. Interestingly, a coronation scene near the end features the "Colonel Bogey" march, a tune that was more famously whistled by Guinness's men in "The Bridge on the River Kwai."

A classic Alec Guinness performance, in this case as Denry Machin, a man who sees opportunity around every corner. Typified by his line 'I just do this to make money', Machin is likable as he sets up his 'Thrift Club' to entice locals into giving him money so he can purchase goods at a huge discount.One of the first entrepreneurs, Machin is a lovable rogue and his story is a fun one to watch. A great British classic which showcases Guinness (one of our best actors) alongside British movie luminaries Glynis Johns, Valerie Hobson, and Petula Clark.Much later this story was made into a musical, but sadly that has never yet been filmed. It will be fascinating if that ever makes it to the screen.