The History of Mr. Polly (1949) User Reviews

The Adventures Of A Mr Timid

[apaglia · 7/10 · 19 September 2006]

This film is something of a family favourite. John Mills is almost always good value, and he doesn't disappoint here. In Alfred Polly we have the average little man who dreams of great adventure, but is neither intellectually equipped, nor has the emotional stature to see past his uneventful march to the grave. He is a social misfit; unable even to pass for a success in mediocrity. And it's because he desperately wants to be something different, but doesn't know how to be. And so, despite little opportune moments, Alfred Polly begins his journey to the cemetery. Until he gets the idea to kill himself - and it's the making of him. Polly finds he can change his life, or at least make it a damn sight more interesting. Set with a renewed vigour our misfit begins an adventure to fit his limited ambitions. And so he finally finds contentment.

It's not the journey that entirely makes this film work. Indeed, watchers may become fidgety at the film's smallness of story, and the accent on the human peculiarities. But it's this quirky nature of the film; the little detailed bits that have undoubtedly been left in from the original novel that preserve the flavour and make this film ultimately so enjoyable. The manner is which Polly comes out with occasional words that he's read in books, which might otherwise indicate a wide understanding and vocabulary if he didn't completely goof up the pronunciation. The little fabrications of stories he tells other people; and the occasional references to a Little Dog, when he is under great stress in certain situations.

Ultimately, do we like Polly? Is he a character who we want to succeed? This is crucial to our liking of the story. There will be those people who will lose patience with Polly, just like some of the characters in the film. And there will be those willing him on to his adventures and finally, sharing in his own contentment.

a charming but simple tale saved by the brilliant music

[frascud · 6/10 · 25 September 2006]

HG Wells was one of the most successful novelists of the early 20th century, particularly famous for his science fiction. But earlier his tales of life among the ordinary people won him great success and eventually a wide reputation as a thinker and commentator as well as a writer. He wrote from personal experience - his mother was a domestic servant in a great house called Uppark, now one of the showplace of the National Trust. Mr Polly was a typical Wells characters - easy-going, unambitious, an innocent in a wicked world. John MIlls, one of the best-loved of British actors, captures perfectly the character of this harmless, well-meaning man, destined to be pushed hither and thither by a variety of females. But the film lack a strong story line and is often aimless and boring. THere are some hilarious scenes - the funeral of his father, which was more like a wedding party than a wake, with young women circling the newly rich innocent like sharks round a seal. Best of all was the scene where Mr Polly tries his hand at punting, struggling with his passenger and throwing them both in to the water. The music here was brilliantly written for the wind of the orchestra and played by a team of virtuosos with an outstanding clarinettist - who were they? The composer William Alwyn was probably the most prolific film composer of his or any generation. His work here saved the film from well-meant but earnest tedium. There should be a celebration of Alwyn's contribution to the art of film.

Worth A Punt

[writers_reign · 7/10 · 1 February 2010]

Tony Pelissier was something of an oddity. He wrote six films and directed seven then more or less threw in the towel. Two of the seven were portmanteau entries - three one-act plays by Noel Coward and three short stories by Somerset Maugham - which suggest that he may have felt more at home with brevity, a theory supported by this, his directorial debut which is essentially a short story that has been padded out none too successfully. For better or worse John Mills wormed his way into the affections of the movie-going British public and enjoyed a long celluloid career. Here he is called upon to do little more than daydream, trap himself into marriage, walk away from it and finally find contentment. None of this is beyond his acting skills and if you like this sort of thing you'll no doubt enjoy it.

John Mills did get deserved credit!

[tombancroft2 · 9 November 2007]

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.

Whimsical

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 15 June 2018]

THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY is a famed black and white adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells, a whimsical, character-based comedy that's nothing like the science fiction fare that the author is justly best known for. As a film, it's certainly well made and quite quirky, with John Mills delivering a typically winning performance as the titular character. I found it all rather slight and dated, although it is charming and has some good cast members popping up here and there; best of the lot is the frightening Finlay Currie, repeating his turn from GREAT EXPECTATIONS to, well, great effect.

John Mills superb in this minor classic

[g-hbe · 9/10 · 23 September 2006]

This novel was one of the books we had to read at my school back in the 60's. It was rather a 'dry' read for 13-year-olds, but I found parts of it stayed with me through the years. The film is better, being directed by the author of the screenplay, Anthony Pelissier with warmth and a kind wit. It is hard to imagine a better actor for the title role - John Mills gives Mr Polly just the right amount of lightness, never once veering into pathos or overstating Polly's 'feebleness', as his wife later calls it. My favourite part of this lovely film is the final half-hour, where Polly stumbles upon the Potwell Inn and finds work as an odd-jobber. The landlady (gently played by Megs Jenkins) not only needs someone to do the heavy work, but needs also protection from Jim, who terrorises her and her customers. After a few run-ins, Jim blows his head off with a faulty shotgun and Polly and the landlady settle down to a quiet life running the Inn. I don't really know why, but the final scene makes me choke a little. Perhaps it's that the story has come to a nice, gentle ending; perhaps it's the director's handling of this final, quiet scene; maybe it's the two actors quietly underplaying their lines; probably it's all three. And maybe it's the thought that no matter how we try nowadays, we just can't make them like this anymore.

Meandering, Light hearted Film

[geoffm60295 · 5/10 · 12 August 2019]

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.

A superbly crafted film of a man's mid-life crisis

[smyggy · 9/10 · 7 March 2011]

This is a great adaptation of the classic book by HG Wells which I read as a teenager and have since re-read a few times. An earlier adaptation was abandoned by the outbreak of WWII. A later TV adaptation starring Andrew Sachs (of Manuel fame)in the lead role was also lovely but you stand little chance of finding this anywhere on DVD.

Alfred Polly is a timid, daydreamer with an avid appetite for knowledge, mainly gained by reading. He loves to use the vocabulary he has gleaned from his books but often imagines as much of a word as he remembers. After the death of his father he dallies with a beautiful (trully Scrumptious in fact!) schoolgirl but instead marries a more sensible girl rather more of her choosing than his and tries to settle down. 15 years later he is married to an abusive, spiteful wife and is feeling trapped in his tedious 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.

The film is a very close adaptation of the book (something you rarely see in the modern era, sadly). The film successfully conveys the light comedic feel of the book combined with the true melancholy of Mr Polly. the combination sits well with the subject of a man's life and the journey makes.

Mills is great in the lead.If you cannot sympathise with Polly as he hears the giggles of Christabel's friends or as he is first scooted by Uncle Jim, you probably need to see a counsellor.

The actual moral of the tale is not straightforward and the answers are not black and white. Nor are they in the book, or in real life. Hollywood would not make such a film, especially today. Which is a shame.

I am really not sure what this film set out to do.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 3 January 2019]

"The History of Mr. Polly" is an odd British film. On one hand, it has some well respected and excellent British actors (notably, Sir John Mills). But, on the other, it has a story that really doesn't make a ton of sense and which creates a portrait of a guy who is often less than likable or honorable. I found the overall experience quite underwhelming.

When the story begins, Mr. Polly (Mills) is getting fired from a job because he's lazy. Soon, however, he is extricated from this predicament when he learns his father has died....and has left him a small inheritance. Polly then goes shopping for a wife, as he plans on getting married and opening a small shop. He marries a cousin and the film jumps ahead 15 years. Now, they are both pretty miserable and Polly comes up with a plan....run away. He soon finds a job and settles in to a new life...though a drunk bully promises to make this a very short life!

The hero in the film, Polly, is in so many ways an anti-hero. He's lazy, he's run away from his marriage and he's not much of a person. Yet, out of the blue, this all changes near the end...or at least changes enough that you don't quite know what to make of the guy. Overall, a mildly interesting film but far from Mills' best.

Fantastic!

[zanystreet · 10/10 · 22 December 2006]

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.

Interesting light tale but the style doesn't match the content

[bob the moo · 11 November 2002]

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.

Polly earns no crackers

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 8 November 2015]

I have to say I was a bit disappointed in The History Of Mr. Polly, I have always thought that H.G.Wells was better at writing science fiction than at social commentary. Many have said he's an early 20th century Charles Dickens, I think he falls short of the mark, especially here.

There's a lot of Walter Mitty in the interpretation that John Mills gives Alfred Polly. He's a dreamer who can't quite find himself, but gets the opportunity to do so when he inherits a large sum of money.

For a man in Edwardian Great Britain that usually meant acquiring a business and becoming a man of property. This Mills does, but it hardly brings him fulfillment. The film is his search to find some kind of place and some kind of fulfillment.

Mills and the rest of the cast do a creditable job in the roles, but I never really got the message of what Wells was trying to say or what his solution to Polly's problem was. Was it settling for peanuts or maybe even crackers?

Mr Polly and the idylls of the king

[clanciai · 9/10 · 11 May 2017]

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.

You will know within 5 minutes if you will get this film or not

[MarvellousMedicine · 9/10 · 29 July 2020]

Ever found yourself caught up in a daydream when you should be doing something more important? But just can't help it and prefer to live there than in reality?

Ever wondered what your place in the world is and tried so hard to fit in and follow convention? even though deep down you're not really sure if a conventional life is the one you'd really Belong in?

If you Can relate to these sentiments this is the film for you. You will instantly recognise yourself in Mr Polly. Otherwise I concede you will not understand the appeal of this film. Mr Polly is not meant to be a hero he is just a man who finally finds the courage to follow the beat of his own drum. He starts the film a work shy oddball, one of life's failures who has fallen into a domestic situation with his cousin and contemplates Suicide. But he can't even do this right. Realising that at nearly 40 that if you don't like Your life you can change it instead of ending it, he sets off into the countryside and finds his place in the world.

It's an unusual topic for a film and therefore as time has marched on It's peculiarity has helped to turn it into a minor gem.

John Mills plays the part of Mr Polly wonderfully. This is also the first film he produced and shows he was keen to flex his acting abilities. Apparently the audiences at the time didn't like him playing a middle-aged odd ball, but Modern audiences will be free to see his characterisation without the preconceptions of John Mills being the definitive military hero. The rest of the cast are good too, even Juliet does a good turn as Uncle Jim's Niece.

The musical score is very good and really adds to the comedy/action scenes of the fight with Uncle Jim and the Suicide Attempt. Sometimes the films scores In old films can be a bit too much for my liking, but not in this case.

Very quirky, but stick with it...

[AlsExGal · 8/10 · 2 April 2023]

... because in its entirety the film is very satisfying.

Mr. Polly (John Mills) is hard to root for. He is a lazy employee in a shop who gets fired for reading novels when he should be working. He spends months looking - not very hard - for another job when he gets news his father died. His father left him a small inheritance, and so he decides to open a shop himself, although he hated working in one. Then he decides he needs a wife. He falls for a schoolgirl ten years younger than himself, but it turns out she is just teasing him for the amusement of her friends, so he dispassionately marries a spinster cousin.

15 years later we are shown where Polly is - on the verge of bankruptcy, with his wife constantly nagging him about things that seem to be very true about himself. The shop is a failure, in part because it is chaotic - it does not seem to have a theme at all. So the unhappy Polly decides to commit suicide by burning his shop down with him in it while his wife is at church. Polly succeeds at burning the shop but not himself, and decides to hit the open road. And it is at this point he becomes a completely different kind of person than he has been for the first half of the film. In other words, he does become somewhat admirable - focused, not lazy. The odd thing is that Polly has no real basis for any of the actions he takes at any stage of his life. He certainly isn't doing anything because he wants to do so, and in some cases his actions make him unhappy, and in latter cases they lead to happiness.

The entire thing is very ironic as the first and second parts merge into a very ironic and short third act. It's definitely original, and John Mills always improves any film.

Nice film.about a nice chap

[marktayloruk · 8/10 · 7 May 2022]

He wasn't tough enough - hence his misery with Miriam. He was happy to sit back and watch the world go by and I'm glad he ended up basically doing that. I trust he didn't marry the landlady!