The History of Mr. Polly

I have loved this film ever since I first saw it at approximately at the age of 6, 7 years on it's still one of my favourites. It's a heart warming tale that the whole family will love. Having never read the book I can't really compare but even so if the film's this good then I'm sure the book will be as good, if not better! I do not understand why the overall rating for this film is an average of 6.6. The people who vote obviously have no taste as this film is a masterpiece of acting. John Mills I credit as one of the best actors to have lived and one year after his death I don't think enough credit has been given to this man and his acting skills.

This is probably H.G.Wells' best story or at least his most human and charming one. It's a petty triviality, but in the small things you can find some golden traces of hidden treasures worth discovering, which is what Mr. Polly does. John Mills is perfect for the job, especially since he fails in all his official ones, while all he is good for is reading old tales of chivalry and dreaming of some faint ideal far beyond his reach. Accidentally he gets married, and she turns out to make the worst for him, so he plans to get away by suicide and fails completely even with that. But a great momentum is waiting for him.

Finlay Currie is equally perfect as the hooligan Uncle Jim, who is only good at making mincemeat of people and tries hard at it, (they were better partnered together just previously in "Great Expectations" as Pip and Magwitch,) but also he fails completely, leaving Mr. Polly out of breeches and in a strange situation with a lost body, which later turns up to most accidentally again save him from further trouble...

The small man finally finds his kingdom and the proper idylls to it, where he can at last get thorough in reading his tales of chivalry and enjoy some meditation and fishing.

It's an idyllic comedy with some hardship to it and a titbit as such, with excellent acting, enjoyable direction and tailor-made music to suit it all as well. I saw it the first time some 40 years ago but enjoyed the revenue even more.

I was underwhelmed by the tale of a simple and weak character, Alfred Polly, played by the stalwart of the British cinema, John Mills, who has had enough of being henpecked, so leaves her and his shop to seek fresh pastures. It has several amusing scenes where Mills encounters the drunken, oafish Uncle Jim, played by the wonderful Finlay Curry, but overall the film is disappointing, for it seems to drift aimlessly from one scene to another without a clear and cohesive thread. I loved the music which gives the film a carefree and whimsical dimension but the real problem with the film is it's central character. It's very difficult to sustain interest in Mr Polly, a meek and mild character, who's simply wishing to see a quiet life.

Alfred Poly is a timid young man who reads and enjoys a life of leisure. His daydreaming losses him job after job and he finds his daydreams all he's left with. After the death of his father he marries a girl because it seems the right thing to do and they plan to open a shop together. 15 years later he is married to an abusive spiteful wife and feeling trapped in his little life. Plans to burn his shop down and kill himself led him to become a hero and decide to strike out to make a new life for himself.

Based on HG Wells story (which I have not read) this classic film is a reasonable little tale that maybe suffers from being too short. The plot spans something like 20 years (most of which is covered by a subtitle) and doesn't give us enough time to really get to know Poly well enough to get behind him. Instead the film tries to have a sort of light comedic feel to it. However for me this doesn't sit well with the subject of a man's life and the journey he eventually decides to make.

Some of it is amusing enough but really I needed to feel more for Poly. The fast track and the set pieces prevented me knowing enough about him to care beyond the fact that he wants a mediating quiet life - but this fact is painted thick without developing character. The actual moral of the tale is difficult to reach but appears to be about overcoming personal weakness to have the life you want, as seen in Poly's final journey.

Mills is good in the lead but does lay on the whole `I want a quiet life' thing a bit thick and doesn't blend it well with the comedic touches (although he does do these well). The support cast are fine but do tend to drift in and out of Poly's history. Although they do help to know Poly better as they reflect his changing life and they all have an impact on who he is.

Overall this is very light when it should have had better character development and the comedy doesn't sit well with the heavier tale of Poly's search for the life he wants.

I echo all the good things said about this brilliant film. As for the contributor who claimed Mills did not receive enough credit in his career. . . the man was given a knighthood - how much credit does one need? As I write this comment, the film is being shown (yet again) on the Film 4 TV channel. It's one of those films (and there are many of them) which one can watch year after year and still find it entertaining, despite knowing each scene by heart. Since I discovered that a version of the film was planned and then abandoned in Hollywood with Charles Laughton in the title role, I can't help imagining Laughton speaking the lines as I watch the excellent John Mills.