The Amazing Quest of Mr Ernest Bliss | BFI Most Wanted BFI National Archive

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The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss

Directed by Henry Edwards, 1920

A much acclaimed mini-serial showcasing the talents of Henry Edwards and Chrissie White, both major contributors to the success of the Hepworth production company.

Ernest Bliss (Henry Edwards) takes up driving buses

Credits

Director Production Company Producer Based on a book by	Henry Edwards Hepworth Picture Plays Henry Edwards Edward P. Oppenheim
Cast: Henry Edwards (Ernest Bliss); Chrissie White (Frances Clayton); Mary Brough (Gloria Mott); Gerald Ames (Dorrington); Douglas Munro (John Masters).
6,000 ft, silent, black & white

Why are we so keen to find it?

According to a survey of silent British film series and serials by Alex Marlow-Mann, this is the only example of a British semi-serial, meaning that despite each episode being a self-contained story, the chain of events builds the development of the story until the final revelation in the last episode. It was re-released as feature film in 1921, presumably in a slightly re-edited form.

This London-set serial was a hit with public and press alike. Born of the fruitful partnership of Henry Edwards and Chrissie White (the darlings of British cinema in the early 1920s, who married in 1922), both of whom owed much to Hepworth, the series was acclaimed by The Bioscope as "perfectly delightful, with splendid acting, remarkable settings and brilliant photography".

This was the only serial produced after The Hepworth Manufacturing Company was reorganised as Hepworth Picture Plays before its demise in 1924. Tragically, all the negatives and a large amount of prints were destroyed when the company was sold, making it difficult for historians to build an accurate picture of its works.

What's it about?

Most contemporary reviews describe the story as a modern fairy tale:

Ernest Bliss, a millionaire living off his money, falls ill through lack of occupation. His doctor bets £25,000 that Bliss cannot earn his own living for six months. Bliss takes the bet and works in turn as a salesman, a greengrocer, a chauffeur, a bootblack and a bus driver. Each job sees him successfully thwarting plots, saving businesses and, more importantly, falling in love with and rescuing Frances, who he met in his first job as a commercial traveller. When the six months come to an end, Bliss, now cured and happy, marries Frances, who ultimately discovers that she has married a millionaire, and the doctor receives the £25,000 even though he has lost his bet.

Last seen?

First shown as a five-part serial, it was re-released in 1921 as a feature film. But it's very likely the film was lost when Hepworth's entire film material was sold and melted to recover the silver.

What else do we know about it?

Part of the serial's success derived from the popularity and originality of the source novel by Edward Phillips Oppenheim, a prolific author who dubbed himself 'prince of storytellers'. The same novel was filmed in Hollywood as The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (aka Romance and Riches, 1936, with an up-and-coming Cary Grant in the lead role.

It was not uncommon for serials to be adapted from literature; the same month, Pathé released a very successful serial, The Third Eye, based on Edgar Allan Poe, while later in the decade, Britain's most celebrated serials were derived from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's 'Sherlock Holmes' and Sax Rohmer's 'Fu Manchu' stories.

Does anything survive?

Eighty-five production stills are being held by a private owner but are also held in the BFI Stills, Posters and Designs.

Reviews

An extremely enthusiastic review in The Bioscope rates the serial "one of the most engaging screen entertainment yet made by any producer, British or foreign." It describes the story as "full of original incidents" and "a model of deft craftsmanship". As a comedy, it imparts "genial humour", "honest, sunshiny laughter" and at times "almost pure Charlie Chaplinism". In both The Bioscope and Kinematograph Weekly there is praise for the "extraordinarily clever" sub-titles, which are "in themselves responsible for a great deal of the humour".

Kinematograph Weekly's review of the 1921 reissue is more reserved. It praises "its atmosphere and its artistes", and particularly compliments Henry Edwards' acting and the "good Thames scenes and glimpses of familiar London". Nevertheless, the reviewer concludes, the film "still appears rather more like a series of isolated incidents than a dramatically perfect story".

Sonia Genaitay, Curator (Fiction), BFI National Archive

You can find more about Henry Edwards' films as both director and actor - including entries on surviving films and video clips for users in UK schools, colleges, universities and public libraries, at BFI Screenonline. You can also view other Henry Edwards titles at the BFI Mediatheques.