Load of rubbish!!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

I first saw this film a number of years ago and had never forgotten it. I took the opportunity to watch it again recently and realised what a little masterpiece it is, based on a timeless premise of rags to riches. Each member of the cast is faultless and the direction is superb, Guiness shows what a consummate actor he was admirably supported by some of the fine character players of the time. Glynis Johns plays manipulation and seductiveness to perfection ably supported by Valerie Hobson and Petula Clark as the other central women working to the finely crafted screenplay. To me it ranks along with the finest Ealing comedies. The Card is an example of British film making at its best.

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.

This is a wonderful film. That's it. There is nothing else to be said. Really. It's gentle, charming, witty and just about perfect in every way. (Ok, if you are a hard-core slasher / zombie movie fan you aren't going to like it - but anyone into grown up movies will be charmed.)The script is light and flawless, there isn't a wasted shot, and Guinness is superb. After a few minutes I had forgotten it was Alec Guinness on the screen and was hooked. I especially loved the way Guinness couldn't dance at his first lesson - a wonderful piece of physical acting - and I was genuinely squirming with apprehension as the gauche young solicitor's clerk marched through the ballroom to ask the Countess of Chell for a dance.A beautiful gem of a film.