The Amazing Mr. Blunden

A fondly remembered film from my youth and one I've re-visited more than once since, it still charms me today. A delightful and thrilling fantasy, it plays almost as well to adults as to its no doubt target audience of children.

The Dickensian-styled story is well-wrought with a nice blend of mystery, enchantment and adventure throughout. Sympathetically and winningly directed by British character actor Lionel Jeffries who gives himself a brief expository scene too, it's a perfect example of family entertainment.

All the principal characters are well-played, especially Laurence Naismith as the twinkle eyed title character, out to right wrongs from a hundred years before and Diana Dors as an over-the-top scheming harridan figure whose plans the amazing Mr B thwarts with the help of two young children from the future. All the child-actors act very well and for the most part avoid the usual wooden-ness in similar portrayals.

I won't give away any of the ingenious plot but it all resolves and revolves around a race to save a young heir and his sister from being murdered in a deliberately-set house fire in a plot devised by Dors and acted upon by her simpleton husband. In fact the film just tails off a little after its fiery climax, although it redeems itself with a happy ending and an unusual but warm-hearted end-credit sequence wholly in keeping with what has gone before. There's a fine understated score by Elmer Berstein too.

It probably helps that this film evokes my happy child-hood but watching it again forty years on, I'm pleased to say I enjoyed it just as much as I did in a Glasgow flea-pit in 1973.

Saw this film when I was a child, and it still gives me the same lil shudders and I STILL giggle in the right places... its a good old story with the sweetest ending EVER.

It really encapsulates the film genre of the 1970's and the old way of telling ghost stories which seems to have been lost in modern films.

This film is good for the whole family and actually deals with death and the afterlife in a manner that makes you talk about it afterwards

The very first time I saw The Others my mind rushed immediately back to this gem...very much a similar premise, people from different periods of time appear to each other as ghosts. It's a nice little film. It's long been my wife's favourite, and its available on DVD from Feb 24, 2003 in the UK which is ooh so cool :)

Like many films made by the British film industry at it's nadir in the 1970s, the Amazing Mr Blunden could be overlooked, but those willing to make the effort will find a gem. There's the wonderfully English setting of the film, mixing the nostalgia of a Georgian England of Mr Blunden and Langley Park, with the Edwardianism of Jamie and Lucy's world. Mixed with good background music and wonderful setting amongst a stately home and a traditional village and the film is playing to all the traditional strengths of British film and drama. Adults will perhaps prefer these aspects to the plot, but children will enjoy the 'good vs. evil' aspect of the children's fight to save the lives of Georgie and Sara against Mrs Wickens (played excellently by Diana Dors who steals the film). Sadly, the film misses much 'fun' that could be made out of the stark characters of Mr and Mrs Wickens and the rest of the cast (particularly the dandy-ish uncle played by James Villiers). There's also one cringe-worthy moment too - when all the actors and actress wave goodbye at the end. They don't make things that this anymore....

The Amazing Mr. Blunden is directed by Lionel Jeffries who also adapts the screenplay from Antonia Barber's novel The Ghosts. It stars Lynne Frederick, Garry Miller, Rosalyn Landor, Marc Granger, Laurence Naismith, Diana Dors, Madeline Smith and James Villiers. Music is scored by Elmer Bernstein and cinematography by Gerry Fisher.

1918, London, England, and Mrs. Allen and her three children are visited on Christmas Eve by mysterious old solicitor Mr. Blunden. He offers them a way out of their impoverished surroundings in Camden Town. There's a housekeeping opportunity at a derelict country mansion called Langley Park, the place having been gutted by a major fire previously. There's a reason for the two eldest Allen children, Lucy and Jamie, being there, their help is needed....by child ghosts from 1818!

It has one of the worst posters ever made for a movie, a poster that hints at some guy called Blunden being some superman type magician! Which when coupled with the title of the film really sets up a bum steer for new viewers. To those in the know, the nostalgic Brits like myself, it's a lovely ghost/fantasy story about cross time redemption, resplendent in period flavours whilst operating from an intelligent script. The complex story is delicately crafted by director Jeffries (The Railway Children), this is never about scares, it's a Dickensian type drama that features ghosts of children clutching in the future for help in the past. Relationships are well formed, villains (Dors unrecognisable and immensely vile like) are afforded time to not be of the pantomime kind, and it all builds to a dramatic last quarter where sitting on the edge of your seat is a requisite. And then comes a moment to put warmth into the coldest of hearts.

A beautiful movie, directed and acted with appropriate skill from all involved. If you're looking for a family friendly period ghost story, this is for you. 8/10