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.
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.