The History of Mr Polly (1949)

The British film, The History of Mr. Polly (1949), was based on H.G. Wells’ comic novel of the same name and directed by Anthony Pelissier. After losing his job at a draper’s shop where his father had arranged for him to apprentice, Alfred Polly struggles to find work elsewhere. Upon receiving news of his father’s passing, he returns home and inherits £500. While pondering his future, a family friend named Mr. Johnsen suggests investing in a shop, an idea that doesn’t sit well with Polly. During a leisurely bike ride in the countryside, he has a brief fling with a schoolgirl named Christabel before eventually marrying his cousin Miriam Larkins. Fifteen years later, the couple runs a draper’s shop in Fishbourne but their marriage has devolved into constant arguing.

As Polly strolled through the countryside, he made a difficult decision to end his life. In an attempt to secure Miriam’s future, he sets fire to his shop, counting on the insurance money. However, things do not go as planned and instead of perishing in the flames, he saves an elderly neighbor and gains some local recognition. Despite this newfound fame, Polly remains dissatisfied and eventually leaves his wife. He finds work at a rural inn as a handyman and ferryman, but soon realizes that the job only became available because the innkeeper’s brother-in-law Jim is a tyrannical drunk who forces other men out of their positions. Constantly at odds with Jim, Polly’s conflict comes to an end when Jim accidentally drowns while chasing him through a weir.