MovieChat Forums > The History of Mr. Polly (1950) Discussion > Very good but would it have worked with ...

Very good but would it have worked with Laughton?

posted 17 years ago by lola_cherrycola
9 replies | jump to latest

I have just seen this film for the first time (as I'm a big fan of John Mills' work) and found this very enjoyable.

I particularly liked the attempted suicide which was put off because he'd set the house on fire too early. lol

And the country scenes with the most aggressive tramp I think I've ever seen in the history of British film!

It's interesting Laughton was scheduled to play this part though. I'm not sure he could play timid as well as Mills. I think Richard Attenborough could have done a good turn in the Polly part too.

[–] anniejr 16 years ago

I have just read HOMP for the 6th or 7th time. I love the turn of the
century details and the story line. I want very much to see this version
but cannot find it anywhere so I have ordered the new version (2007) on DVD.
Hope you have seen Hobson's Choice. made about the same time and also starring
John Mills and Charles Laughton. Kipps is an HGW book similar to HOMP
and equally good. I think Attenbourgh would have been fine in the part
of Polly but in the book he is near middleage when the bulk of the story takes place...

[–] lola_cherrycola 15 years ago

yes but my question was -

Would the film have worked as well with Charles Laughton in the part of Polly instead of John Mills?

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] musicbytes 12 years ago

Charles Laughton would have been equally splendid, John Mills is perfect in the role and perhaps my favourite film of his. I like cats !

[–] coleen31415-564-580197 12 years ago

watching it now seen it befor yrs ago john mills is one of my fav actors charles laughton is good too but not for this roll

[–] simonrosenbaum 10 years ago

At 40 John Mills was already stretching credibility playing a 25 year old. As Charles Laughton was 9 years older I think it would have been a spectacular piece of miscasting!

[–] marktayloruk (2378) 3 years ago

To be fair- Polly ages from early 20s to early 40s. Laugh ton wouldn't have looked right.

[–] naguerea 11 years ago

I am currently watching it for the 10th time at least.
Sheer joy, every moment. (Speaking as a cyclist).

'Some beef, and a pint of ale'.
Bless you John Mills.l

[–] hugh1971 9 years ago

I thought the film did good justice to the book, which contains a lot of deep themes difficult to get across on screen.

Eg, a line I remember well from the book was about how every night, Polly's wife turned her back to him in bed (obviously intended to have a deeper meaning which couldn't be written at the time) and how he had come to loath the sight of her back in bed. In the film the camera lingers on her back in bed. A nice touch.

'Monsters? We're British!'