The History of Mr. Polly
1949 Comedy / Drama
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Summary
A dreamer and bibliophile, Alfred Polly prefers to live in the world of
his imagination than in the drab England of the late
1800s. His daydreaming costs him his job as a
draper’s assistant and he realises how unfit he is for the life Fate
has thrown his way. Unemployment brings on a period of
depression, which isn’t helped by the death of his father. With
his inheritance he buys a small tailor’s shop in a seaside town.
Perhaps too hastily, he also decides to marry his cousin
Miriam. Fifteen years later, on the threshold of
middle-age, Mr Polly realises that his life has been for nothing.
He hates his wife, he hates his shop, he hates everything. With
nothing to lose, Mr Polly resolves to kill himself. When he
botches a dramatic suicide, he has a change of heart and decides to
make a fresh start. Leaving Miriam, he heads for the countryside,
where a whole set of new experiences await him...Review
This faithful film adaptation of H.G. Wells’s popular
novel The History Of Mr Polly
has retained much of its homespun charm, even if its modest production
values and Anthony Pelissier’s overly cautious direction date it
somewhat. The main attraction is John Mills's understated
yet very effective portrayal of the tragicomical Mr Polly, which brings
both substance and pathos to the somewhat nebulous character of the
H.G. Wells novel. Some well-staged comedy-action set-pieces
liven up a lacklustre plot, but between these things drag a little,
the vague and aimless character of Mr Polly being transferred to the
character of the film as a whole. It's a charming little film,
despite its imperfections, although it doesn't quite succeed in getting
across Wells's central message, that, however it may otherwise appear,
a man is always the master of his own destiny. "If the
world does not please you, you can
change it...."
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