If I Had a Million was the granddaddy of later films that strung together little vignettes and drew all-star casts for box office appeal. This one has a pretty clever impetus in the plot: A dying millionaire doesn't want to leave his money to his family, so he picks out eight random people out of a telephone book and gives a million dollars to each of them. Each of the eight handles their check differently, most with tragic consequences but some with smart decisions. The overall lesson is that money changes people and most people don't know what to do with it. In the midst of the Great Depression, it was a very smart lesson to espouse. People in the audience could go home and dream about what they'd do with their million dollars, and then when they remembered they weren't getting a check from a mysterious benefactor they could relax and say, "The folks in the movie weren't any better off with the money."George Raft, Gary Cooper, W.C. Fields, Charles Ruggles, Richard Bennet, Mary Boland, Jack Oakie, Charles Laughton, May Robson, and Alison Skipworth make up the cast, but this collection of short stories isn't very good. Mostly it's depressing and cynical, so unless you're in the mood to watch something like that, you're better off renting O. Henry's Full House.

for idea and for its use. for performances and for the explore of social significations of an eccentric game. for the meet of great names of Hollywood. and for the inspired mix of humor and sadness and fresh air. because this is its basic virtue, against the passing decades. a film about the significance of money. and their use. and their importance. simplicity is the other good thing in its case. and, sure, the important key for define not only a good film but , in same measure, its period. so, a simple film. with precise message.

An early example of the pantechnicon entry this has dated badly but I accept that had I seen it in a movie theatre closer to the time it was released (32' 33'?) as many writing here seem to have done I may be more sympathetic. I have probably been frightened by other superior examples of the genre, Julien Duvivier's Un Carnet de bal especially, this was only four years after Million but in style and quality it is light years ahead. In the next decade England weighed in with Dead Of Night and two adaptations - Quartet/Trio - of short stories by Willie Maugham (a third, Encore, arrived in 1950), plus Easy Money and Train Of Events. Alas, there isn't much one can say about If I Had A Million but I'm glad I finally got round to seeing it.

simple story. a lot of characters. a piece of paper as axis of fundamental change in life of few people. and old flavor of classic film. it is part of a large chain of movies. nothing is new at first sigh. but the art to give force to each small story is its great virtue. that is all. nothing complicated but expression of perfect precision.few well-know actors and slices of existences and admirable science of detail. memorable scenes - the cars scenes remains extraordinary-, wise picture of society and the cinnamon of emotions.a film about crisis period in a delicate manner. and, sure, about people. and one of experiments who remains, for many, important dream.