The History of Mr. Polly

Name: The History of Mr. Polly
Genre: Drama
Released: 1950-09-15
Duration: 1 h 35 min
Rating: 6.7
Cast: John Mills, Sally Ann Howes, Betty Ann Davies

1949
Approved
1h 35m

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

692

YOUR RATING

Finlay Currie and John Mills in The History of Mr. Polly (1949)

Drama

With an inheritance after his father's death, Alfred Polly finds love in the arms of a schoolgirl but marries an unattractive cousin and opens a shop, which leading him to unhappiness, arson... Read allWith an inheritance after his father's death, Alfred Polly finds love in the arms of a schoolgirl but marries an unattractive cousin and opens a shop, which leading him to unhappiness, arson, suicide attempts, and escape.With an inheritance after his father's death, Alfred Polly finds love in the arms of a schoolgirl but marries an unattractive cousin and opens a shop, which leading him to unhappiness, arson, suicide attempts, and escape.

Director
- Anthony Pelissier
Writers
- H.G. Wells
- Anthony Pelissier
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

692

YOUR RATING

Director
- Anthony Pelissier
Writers
- H.G. Wells
- Anthony Pelissier
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
An earlier Hollywood version starring Charles Laughton went into production, but was cancelled following the outbreak of World War II.

Goofs
When the first fight between Polly and Jim starts, Polly moves quickly to the left and in so doing the shadow of the camera falls briefly full on his back.

Quotes
The Innkeeper: I want an odd man about the place.
Alfred Polly: I'm odd all right.

Connections
Remade as The History of Mr. Polly (1959)

User reviews17

Review

Featured review

9/10

Mr Polly and the idylls of the king

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.