The Adventures of Mark Twain (1944)

Sorry, this movie sucks

People are voting emotionally.

Don't Believe the Hype

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I sort of chuckled when I read a few of the other reviews. I didn't know anyone realistically expected biopics from the 1930s through 1950s to be accurate. I'm not sure I've ever seen one that was. What I realistically expect is to sometimes find biopics from that era to have a shade of truth and some good acting. From that perspective, this is pretty darned good! Frederick March is far from one of my favorite actors, but as he matured I found him to be quite good, and in this film, excellent. Most of the supporting actors do fine, including Alexis Smith, Alan Hale, and the always welcome Donald Crisp. The production values are surprisingly good, although as one reviewer pointed out, the ship Twain piloted couldn't have possibly had the gambling hall depicted. As one reviewer pointed out, the details of Twain's bankruptcy were botched, but in terms of being an entertaining movie, it was close enough to keep the plot moving forward. If you want an accurate biography, this isn't it (although it's certainly closer to the truth than, for example, the Cary Grant biopic of Cole Porter).

Arguably the gentleman born in Hannibal Missouri with the arrival of Halley's Comet named Samuel Langhorne Clemens at birth is America's greatest man of letters. Though his character was a great deal more complex than what you see in slightly over two hours Mark Twain, The Adventures Of Mark Twain presents the most positive aspects of his character as realized on screen by Fredric March.Warner Brothers did a fabulous makeup job on March and his skill as a player makes you really believe you're watching Mark Twain in action. At least this is the public image that Twain liked to convey that of a shrewd observer into the foibles of the nature of man.One of the things that does show is the love match that was made with Olivia Langdon and Sam Clemens. It's not much of a part in terms of something to work with, but Alexis Smith is a kind and loving help mate to March something the real Olivia was to Clemens. Mark Twain's private life contained not a hint of scandal in all of his 76 years on earth.In wartime especially American audiences liked to see those values affirmed. But with the deaths of Olivia and a favored daughter, the shrewd cynicism of Twain multiplied exponentially. What we don't see in the last several years of his life Twain becoming a brooding pessimist about life and the afterlife in general. The rollicking humorist that wrote about the Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County became an almost Stephen King like figure when his posthumous story The Mysterious Stranger was published. If there's a more pessimistic work out there, I'd like to know about it.When Alexis Smith says to March in the film that he's captured youth itself on page, she was referring to Tom Sawyer. In that and to an even greater extent in Huckleberry Finn, Twain was able to channel his Mississippi childhood into the book. It's not the adult Twain who observes human nature in either book, but it's the child Sam Clemens. That's the power both works have and they are what set Mark Twain's name firmly among literary immortals.The Adventures Of Mark Twain received three Oscar nominations, for Special Effects, for Art&Set Direction, and for its musical score by Max Steiner. Special mention should also go to Donald Crisp who plays Twain's literary agent especially for the lengths at which he goes to find the guy who published that jumping frog story under a pseudonym.The Adventures Of Mark Twain succeeds in capturing the public Mark Twain and the private Sam Clemens. I think the viewer will like both of them when they see the film.

I just graduated with a B.A. in History from The Ohio State University. I wrote a paper about the life of U.S. Grant. First, I read Grant's autobiography. Grant was a childhood horse expert. He wanted to be a math teacher, but his grades were too low. He went into the military. At West Point, he fell in love with and later married Julia Dent, the sister of another student.Our class covered the Civil War, Grant's presidency, then his business bankruptcy. Mark Twain enters here (as in this movie). Twain wanted to publish Grant's autobiography so Mrs. Grant could have an income. Grant was near death, but Twain persuaded him to finish writing just before the end.Twain saved Julia's life financially (the movie showed the check being made out to Julia Dent Grant), giving her the largest royalty check ever given to anyone. She later moved to New York City, becoming friends with Varina Howell Davis (widow of Confederate President Jefferson Davis), who had also moved to NYC after Davis' death. Newspaper stories talked about "the famous widows".I enjoyed seeing the Grant portrayal in this movie. I am glad they did not show the buffoonish-alcoholism associated with him, though Julia admitted he was certainly no teetotaler. How many other drunkards can say that their face is on the $50.00 bill?I enjoyed Fredric March as Mark Twain. I read "Tom Sawyer" during my childhood. In another college course, we had a lecture about Mark Twain the philosopher. Twain said that God exists, but He sends us evil to overcome so that we can be good again.15/10.

Mark Twain has always been my favorite author since I was a boy. I read voraciously but I always return to Mark Twain and if I was stranded on the proverbial deserted island and had to choose to take only books by one author, those books would be by Mark Twain.This movie is wonderful although it takes great liberties with Twain's real life story. I have seen it several times over the years and, in fact, I am writing this review now because I just saw the last 20 minutes of it on a classic movie channel. The ending has to be the corniest tear-jerker of all times but it is also wonderful. Being a big, tough male, I have a total aversion to touchy-feely things and I am not one to cry even at funerals but the ending of this movie always makes me cry like a baby. It is shamelessly emotional but it is gets to me every time. If you haven't seen this movie, do so. The only problem is that I believe it is out-of-print on VHS and I don't think it has been released on DVD. Perhaps your local video store or your library has it. Don't confuse it with two more recent movies of the same name. One of those stars James Whitmore and I have not seen that one so I cannot comment on it. The other one is a claymation movie, presumably for kids.Like another reviewer of this movie, Mark Twain changed my life. In fact, in many ways, he shaped my personality. That reminds me that I have not read any Twain works in a couple years so when I finish this review, I am going to start reading one again from my library. Those who only think of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn when they think of Mark Twain are missing so much. Many consider Twain to be the greatest American author of all time. I agree with those people. The world is a better place because of Twain.