THE HISTORY OF MR. POLLY

UK, 1949, 95 minutes, Black and white.
John Mills, Betty Ann Davies, Megs Jenkins, Finlay Currie, Gladys Henson, Dandy Nichols, Sally Ann Howes, Edward Chapman, Juliet Mills.
Directed by Anthony Pelissier.

An entertaining version of H.G. Wells's story. Unlike his science fiction stories, it has far more in common with his story of Kipps, the shop assistant who won some money, embarked on a career enjoying it but found disillusionment.

Mr. Polly is an ordinary young man, comes into a small amount of money, marries unwisely and sets up business unwisely. Eventually he leaves his wife and business and seeks a simple kind of happiness. Wells seemed to be making comment on the expectations of 19th century society: business, marriage, money. He is clearly advocating the simple life. There is an optimism about Wells' stories that indicates that, given the right situation and attitude, the simple life in possible. One might wonder whether Mr. Polly is meant to be a model for us all - or a symbol of being true to oneself. Whatever the message, the film is very well done with a host of British character actors in support of John Mills, who produced the film as well an starred in it. It is a very good performance indeed. The film shows the qualities of modest British film-making in the forties and is all the more successful for that.

Juliet Mills, age seven, can be seen to advantage in some amusing scenes with her father.

1. H. G. Wells's outlook on 19th century society, wealth, expectations, business and marriage, the simple life, being true to oneself? His social optimism and the possibility of its fulfilment? As illustrated by the history of Mr. Polly?

2. The qualities of British film-making, black and white photography, the strong supporting cast, John Mills's performance?

3. How entertaining a story? How authentic did it seem? A true story? The title with the emphasis on the history of an ordinary man and the ironies about his name? The basic message about society and human nature?

4. The quality of John Mills's tour-de-force as Mr. Polly? An ordinary young man, his reading books, the humour of his being searched for at the opening, the suddenness of his getting the sack? The effect of the death of his father and his wishing he had known him better? The funeral and the advice? The meal? The visitors and their incessant chatter, eating? His respect for his father at the funeral and what was expected of him for mourning? His decision to buy the bike? The encounters with Christabel and giving vent to his romantic flair - and his feeling a fool with the girls behind the school wall? The courting of the various sisters? The decision to marry Miriam? On what was it based? The marriage ceremony and his absentmindedness, the knight in armour in the church window? An ordinary man setting out on a successful ordinary life - and the irony of its failure?

5. The incidentals of the opening with the search for Mr Polly, the manager and his harsh giving Polly the sack? The comment on shop managers?

6. The satire in the showing of the relations, to many women? Their chatter, eating? Mr. Polly and his inability to cope?

7. The romantic interludes with Christabel - her attractiveness, school girl and giggling? An ideal for Mr. Polly?

8. The passing of the 15 years and his hating the shop, his way of life, neighbours, Miriam, himself? Miriam and her work, her worn out look, nagging? His supposedly being bone lazy? Picking fights with his neighbours? The accident in the street with his bike? The decision to light the fire, cut his throat? Sending Miriam to church? The building up of the fire? Its getting out of control? His rushing to get the fire brigade (and the local British comedy about,the inefficiency of the brigade, the locked door), the rescuing of the old lady and the incidental comedy of her deafness? His becoming a hero and acclaimed by his neighbours and remembering that he forgot to cut his throat?

9. His decision to leave and the happiness that it gave him?

10. The placid English countryside, the vision of the thatched cottage, the lady of the house and her warm welcome. his attempt to punt and his taking over of the ferry, the encounter with the little girl and her strong talk, Jim and his recurring visits? The build-up to the clashes with Jim, the gun? The chasing of Mr. Polly through the fields and Jim's death? The irony of his wearing Mr. Polly's trousers and the evidence of death?

11. The conscientiousness of his return, his looking at the cafe. encountering Miriam on the stops, their both smiling in recognition and the possibility for ignoring each other for the future?

12. The happy ending in seclusion at the riverside? The friendship with the woman at the house? The little girl and her devotion?

13. The particularly British tone and style of the film? Its moral about happiness and seclusion within the 19th and 20th century British context? The validity of H. G. Wells's vision of life?