The Million Pound Note

"Great fun... you can bank on it!"

1954 1h 30m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 86

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An impoverished American sailor is fortunate enough to be passing the house of two rich gentlemen who have conceived the crazy idea of distributing a note worth one million pounds. The sailor finds that whenever he tries to use the note to buy something, people treat him like a king and let him have whatever he likes for free. Ultimately, the money proves to be more troublesome than it is worth when it almost costs him his dignity and the woman he loves.

“Great fun... you can bank on it!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Shout! Factory Amazon ChannelSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Gregory Peck
Henry Adams
Ronald Squire
Oliver Montpelier
Joyce Grenfell
Duchess of Cromarty
A.E. Matthews
Duke of Frognal
Maurice Denham
Jonathan Reid
Reginald Beckwith
Rock
Brian Oulton
Lloyd
John Slater
Parsons

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ronald Neame
Writers: Jill Craigie, Mark Twain
Languages: Italian, English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

72 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ronald Neame, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by William Alwyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Clive Donner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gregory Peck and Ronald Squire and Joyce Grenfell carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Great fun... you can bank on it!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ronald Neame directs. Geoffrey Unsworth behind the camera. William Alwyn scores. Clive Donner cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in Italian, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
272 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Italian, English.
4Directed by Ronald Neame, shot by Geoffrey Unsworth. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by William Alwyn. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Clive Donner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Gregory Peck and Ronald Squire and Joyce Grenfell carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Great fun... you can bank on it!".
9IMDB entry: tt0046072 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Released under 18 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth
Original score: William Alwyn
Editing: Clive Donner
Makeup / hair: George Blackler
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Million Pound Note (1954)

Also by

Ronald Neame

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-29
★ 7/10
When two wealthy old buzzards - Ronald Squire and Wilfrid Hyde-White espy the poverty stricken American "Adams" (Gregory Peck) they invite him into their home and give him an envelope. He is promised it contains money and so he promptly sits down to a much needed meal. When payment is duly demanded, he reveals the contents of the letter. A £1,000,000 pound note. It's real, but nobody can cash it. Nobody has the change. Indeed, quite quickly he discovers that the very sight of the thing is sufficient to open doors of credit at just about everywhere in London. A swanky hotel, fine tailoring and dining all beckon. High society welcomes him with open arms and that might even provide him with an opportunity to court the otherwise inaccessible "Portia" (Jane Griffiths), thd daughter of the haughty "Duchess of Cromarty" (Joyce Grenfell). His deal with his two sponsors, so to speak, is that he must keep the note intact for one month and if he does, well there's a real glittering prize awaiting him. It's all going really rather well but he's overlooked one small thing. The previous owner of his hotel suite - the "Duke of Frognal" (AE Matthews) was none to pleased about being relegated to lesser accommodations, and so enlists the help of an housemaid to purloin said banknote. When "Adams" and his loyal, mute, retainer cannot present it to their creditors, well let's just say all the goodwill evaporates and things all start to look distinctly dodgy! This is quite a cheery and enjoyable adaptation of the Mark Twain story that sees Peck on jovial form amidst a fine cast of British character actors. The narrative takes an unswerving, but light-hearted, swipe at the hypocrisy and venality of society - at all levels as well as at the double standards that prevail across the board when those who have money (or are perceived to) don't really need it and those who are desperate for the stuff can't get near enough to it to buy basic essentials. The shallowness of many of these characters is writ large and entertainingly and though I did find the denouement a bit rushed, I did rather enjoy the irony of the conclusion. Peck looks like he enjoyed making this, as did the permanently sozzled Matthews and the on-form Grenfell and I did quite enjoy watching it.

Production companies