Very well executed

Absolutely brilliant

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is great example of hagiography. Spencer Tracy makes a great Thomas Alva Edison and the story picks up from YOUNG TOM EDISON with him just this side of his dotage eating apple pie as in the earlier film and about to be feted for nearly sixty years of inventing new technology in the 20th Century. As he is about to be introduced we see him fondly recall his heyday as a young inventor strolling the streets of New York in search of a position.He finds there is always a position to be had for a man who can improve machinery. From there one thing leads to another new invention and before we know it we're with the Wizard of Menlo Park as he works on his latest project the electric light. This is all very interesting as we watch Edison juggle debts for requisitioned materials and a wife wanting to know when he is coming home as she is now with child. He assembles a very faithful team albeit Lewis Latimer is conspicuously absent as is a certain Nikola Tesla who did alright with alternating current. Fights over patent rights would have made for interesting highlights in suspense, but this version which continues extending the Horatio Alger story line is nonetheless inspiring and fit fodder for family viewing.Reading the reviewers fleshed out a lot about Thomas Edison that I did not know, but I was never credulous enough to think that The Wizard was spotless or without sin. This version of Edison's life is classic Golden Age of Hollywood, and besides, at this time our great inventor enjoyed the status of a National Hero something no one would dispute then or now. Probably the time is right for a more full bodied character presentation of this giant of innovation, but who can say that simply his trials with his various amazing inventions is not enough entertainment.The trial to defend establishing a grid for Public Lighting is exciting in its own right. The struggle to balance the energy transfer between two dynamos is also hair-raising and thrilling and makes for a great parting comment as the venerable old inventor accepts his award. This was a great vehicle to showcase the best of what Edison was about and I think watching Spencer Tracy march through the mists of time as the innovations and inventions roll by in montage makes you believe that we are moving onward and upward as the truth of technological progress marches on.On a personal note, I really would have liked to have seen Steve McQueen play the Wizard from Menlo Park, as his love of machines is well documented and observable in his films. There is plenty of room in the genre of Inventors for many more stories that highlight people attempting to improve life by creating new improvements and this would be a welcome relief from films about witty hit men and whores with hearts of gold. Perhaps next time there is an Edison biopic we'll see Latimer and Tesla in the mix as fully rounded characters and find out what Edison did to that elephant Topsy. We might also find out more about why he would not accept his Nobel Prize. A more fully rendered human Edison might win admiration for an entirely new age.

SPENCER TRACY is well cast as Thomas A. Edison, the prolific inventor who had many obstacles facing him before he became the successful inventor known all over the world for his achievements.MGM has created a simplified version of his life and times but filled it with interesting vignettes on his various inventions and obviously hired some good technical advisers to give the film a look of authenticity when it comes to Edison's laboratory experiments and all of the incidents paving the way toward new discoveries.A typical Hollywood touch is the romance between Tracy and RITA JOHNSON who plays his wife, but at least the incidents are a creative blend of fact and fiction with some humorous elements thrown in.GENE LOCKHART is outstanding as the wealthy Mr. Taggart who worries that his gas company will face bankruptcy if Edison's electric experiments are successful. Taggart is the man who first gives Edison support when he fixes the office stock indicator and is rewarded with a job at Western Union. CHARLES COBURN, FELIX BRASSERT and GENE REYNOLDS lend sterling support.Tracy gives his usual credible performance as the determined inventor, although the opening scene tends to be on the corny side as it leads to an extensive flashback of his life.By keeping the obstacles in the path of several of Edison's most noteworthy inventions, the story has all of the required conflict guaranteed to hook the viewer from start to finish.

Viewed this film a long time ago and enjoyed seeing the great acting performance that Spencer Tracy portrayed as Thomas A. Edison. Tracy must have put a great deal of study into Mr. Edison's life and his laboratory in Menlo Park, N.J. because he looked just like him. Tom Edison had a very rough times being without money and struggling many long hours with very disappointing results. Gene Lockhart,(Mr.Taggart) had a great deal of stock in the gas companies and was trying to stop Edison from producing the electric light. However, Charles Coburn,(General Powell) had great confidence in Tom Edison's inventions and he gave a great deal of financial support among the stock brokers in New York. This is a very nice story of a great inventor and many generations will enjoy this story.

I like the fact that Edison was nominated for the Oscar for best Original Story. How many biopics can claim that honour ?Spencer Tracy is excellent as the dynamic American inventor. Although he was a 40 year old playing a 25 year old he produced sufficient energy to overcome the obstacle of years. This is a fine piece of acting and is well supported by the bit-parts and by the director who clearly enjoys telling the story of Edison's finest achievements, the invention of the light bulb and of the recording device.The main problem with the film is its lack of balance. We don't hear enough about his theft of patents and his failure to give credit to his co-workers. Edison is a metaphor for America in the early twentieth century, exciting, inventive, thrusting, dynamic but also shallow and lacking in grace.