The Amazing Mr Blunden
Encyclopedia
The Amazing Mr. Blunden is a 1972 family mystery film directed by Lionel Jeffries
, based on the novel The Ghosts
by Antonia Barber
.
) and her three children, Lucy (Lynne Frederick
), Jamie (Garry Miller) and baby Benjamin are living in a tiny, squalid, Camden Town
flat
. A mysterious old man, Mr. Frederick Percival Blunden (Laurence Naismith
) visits the family, introducing himself as a representative of a firm of solicitors. The family are told there is an opportunity to become the caretakers of a derelict country mansion in the Home Counties called Langley Park, which had been gutted by fire years before, and is now in the charge of the solicitors. Mrs. Allen's brief is to stay there until the heirs of the original owners can be traced. Out of desperation, Mrs. Allen agrees to take up the post. There are rumors that the house is haunted, and as a result few locals venture up to the property.
One day while wandering the grounds, Lucy and Jamie see the ghosts coming towards them: a teenage girl, Sara Latimer (Rosalyn Landor
), and her younger brother, Georgie (Marc Granger), the two children who lived in the house a century earlier. Sara tells them that she and her brother are orphans, under the care of their drunken and incompetent Uncle Bertie (James Villiers
) and the solicitor Mr. Blunden until Georgie comes of age. They suspect that the housekeeper Mrs. Wickens (Diana Dors
) and her disturbed and often violent husband are plotting to kill them in order to get her hands on Georgie's inheritance. They live at the house because Arabella, Mrs Wickens's attractive but dim-witted daughter, is Uncle Bertie's wife. Sara and Georgie have found a book with instructions for travelling through time, so that they can get help. Lucy and Jamie agree to travel back with them, and they arrange to meet Sara the next day.
Jamie searches the graveyard, in the hope of finding nothing and being able to go back to help, knowing in advance that they will succeed. He and Lucy are shocked and distressed to find a gravestone marked with Sara's and Georgie's name. The sexton explains that the two children died in a fire a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, Lucy and Jamie still drink the magic potion, which Sara has helped them to make, and travel back to 1818, in the hope of preventing the tragedy. There they meet Thomas, the gardener (Stuart Lock), who believes they are from America
, and tells Lucy and Jamie that he wishes to go there one day and make his fortune. Mr. Blunden is visiting the house that night, but refuses to listen to Sara's pleas for help.
That night the children are locked in a room above the library, and given a sleeping potion. Mr. Wickens (David Lodge
) starts a fire in the library, trapping the children. Jamie helps Tom to save Sara, but when he tries to save Georgie, he finds himself unable to get through the flames. Mr. Blunden appears, and tells Jamie that they will go together, holding hands. Jamie is kept safe from the fire, but Mr. Blunden suffers the pain that Jamie would have felt. Jamie and Mr. Blunden save Georgie. Mr. and Mrs. Wickens perish in the fire. Lucy and Jamie return to 1918, but Jamie is unconscious and Lucy cannot tell their mother what had happened.
At the graveyard, Lucy discovers that the children’s gravestone has been replaced by that of Frederick Percival Blunden, who died to save the children in his care. Jamie soon awakes and is overjoyed to hear that they succeeded. Shortly after, the lawyer Mr. Clutterbug (Graham Crowden
) visits them and informs them that recently-discovered documents show that Sara Latimer married Thomas and that their great-grandson was the late Mr. Allen. This makes Jamie the rightful heir to the Langley Park.
At the end a carriage arrives: When the door opens Mr Blunden emerges, but which one?
in 1971 with location filming in the countryside surrounding nearby Iver Heath. The fire-ravaged derelict stately home was in fact Heatherden Hall
, on whose estate the studios are located and which at that time served as administration offices for the production facilities.
, the film has been a family favourite in Britain since its release. It has often been featured on "Top 100" movie lists on television programmes. It has often appeared on British television over the years (especially during the Easter and Christmas holidays).
Lionel Jeffries
Lionel Charles Jeffries was an English actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life and career:Jeffries attended the Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wimborne Minster, Dorset. In 1945, he received a commission in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry...
, based on the novel The Ghosts
The Ghosts
The Ghosts is a novel written by Antonia Barber in 1969. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was filmed in 1972 as The Amazing Mr Blunden with Laurence Naismith as Mr Blunden and Diana Dors as Mrs Wickens.-Plot summary:...
by Antonia Barber
Antonia Barber
Antonia Barber is an English author of the books for children and adults. Barber resides in Kent and Mousehole, Cornwall. Her award winning book, The Mousehole Cat has been made into an animated film and is being adapted as a stage musical. Her real name is Barbara Anthony...
.
Plot
The film is set in 1918, in which a war widow Mrs. Allen (Dorothy AlisonDorothy Alison
Dorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.She was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved to London, England in 1949 to further her career...
) and her three children, Lucy (Lynne Frederick
Lynne Frederick
Lynne Maria Frederick was an English film actress. In a career spanning ten years she made about thirty films or television drama appearances, but she is best remembered as the last wife of Peter Sellers. She was married twice after his death.-Early life:Frederick was born in Hillingdon,...
), Jamie (Garry Miller) and baby Benjamin are living in a tiny, squalid, Camden Town
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
flat
Flat
In music, flat, or Bemolle , means "lower in pitch"; the flat symbol lowers a note by a half step. Intonation may be flat, sharp, or both, successively or simultaneously...
. A mysterious old man, Mr. Frederick Percival Blunden (Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith
Laurence Naismith was an English actor.Naismith appeared in films such as Carrington VC , Richard III , Sink the Bismarck! , Jason and the Argonauts , and Diamonds Are Forever . He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden...
) visits the family, introducing himself as a representative of a firm of solicitors. The family are told there is an opportunity to become the caretakers of a derelict country mansion in the Home Counties called Langley Park, which had been gutted by fire years before, and is now in the charge of the solicitors. Mrs. Allen's brief is to stay there until the heirs of the original owners can be traced. Out of desperation, Mrs. Allen agrees to take up the post. There are rumors that the house is haunted, and as a result few locals venture up to the property.
One day while wandering the grounds, Lucy and Jamie see the ghosts coming towards them: a teenage girl, Sara Latimer (Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor is an English film, television, and stage actress and audio book narrator.-Early life:Landor was born in London. She began her career at the age of seven, when she appeared in the Hammer Horror film The Devil Rides Out .-Career:In 1970 she appeared with Susannah York in Jane Eyre,...
), and her younger brother, Georgie (Marc Granger), the two children who lived in the house a century earlier. Sara tells them that she and her brother are orphans, under the care of their drunken and incompetent Uncle Bertie (James Villiers
James Villiers
James Michael Hyde Villiers was a British character actor and a familiar face on British television...
) and the solicitor Mr. Blunden until Georgie comes of age. They suspect that the housekeeper Mrs. Wickens (Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
) and her disturbed and often violent husband are plotting to kill them in order to get her hands on Georgie's inheritance. They live at the house because Arabella, Mrs Wickens's attractive but dim-witted daughter, is Uncle Bertie's wife. Sara and Georgie have found a book with instructions for travelling through time, so that they can get help. Lucy and Jamie agree to travel back with them, and they arrange to meet Sara the next day.
Jamie searches the graveyard, in the hope of finding nothing and being able to go back to help, knowing in advance that they will succeed. He and Lucy are shocked and distressed to find a gravestone marked with Sara's and Georgie's name. The sexton explains that the two children died in a fire a hundred years ago. Nevertheless, Lucy and Jamie still drink the magic potion, which Sara has helped them to make, and travel back to 1818, in the hope of preventing the tragedy. There they meet Thomas, the gardener (Stuart Lock), who believes they are from America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and tells Lucy and Jamie that he wishes to go there one day and make his fortune. Mr. Blunden is visiting the house that night, but refuses to listen to Sara's pleas for help.
That night the children are locked in a room above the library, and given a sleeping potion. Mr. Wickens (David Lodge
David Lodge (actor)
David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
) starts a fire in the library, trapping the children. Jamie helps Tom to save Sara, but when he tries to save Georgie, he finds himself unable to get through the flames. Mr. Blunden appears, and tells Jamie that they will go together, holding hands. Jamie is kept safe from the fire, but Mr. Blunden suffers the pain that Jamie would have felt. Jamie and Mr. Blunden save Georgie. Mr. and Mrs. Wickens perish in the fire. Lucy and Jamie return to 1918, but Jamie is unconscious and Lucy cannot tell their mother what had happened.
At the graveyard, Lucy discovers that the children’s gravestone has been replaced by that of Frederick Percival Blunden, who died to save the children in his care. Jamie soon awakes and is overjoyed to hear that they succeeded. Shortly after, the lawyer Mr. Clutterbug (Graham Crowden
Graham Crowden
Clement Graham Crowden was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric 'offbeat' scientist, teacher and doctor characters.-Early life:...
) visits them and informs them that recently-discovered documents show that Sara Latimer married Thomas and that their great-grandson was the late Mr. Allen. This makes Jamie the rightful heir to the Langley Park.
At the end a carriage arrives: When the door opens Mr Blunden emerges, but which one?
Cast
- Laurence NaismithLaurence NaismithLaurence Naismith was an English actor.Naismith appeared in films such as Carrington VC , Richard III , Sink the Bismarck! , Jason and the Argonauts , and Diamonds Are Forever . He also starred in a children's ghost film The Amazing Mr Blunden...
as Frederick Percival Blunden - Lynne FrederickLynne FrederickLynne Maria Frederick was an English film actress. In a career spanning ten years she made about thirty films or television drama appearances, but she is best remembered as the last wife of Peter Sellers. She was married twice after his death.-Early life:Frederick was born in Hillingdon,...
as Lucy Allen - Garry Miller as Jamie Allen
- Rosalyn LandorRosalyn LandorRosalyn Landor is an English film, television, and stage actress and audio book narrator.-Early life:Landor was born in London. She began her career at the age of seven, when she appeared in the Hammer Horror film The Devil Rides Out .-Career:In 1970 she appeared with Susannah York in Jane Eyre,...
as Sara Latimer - Marc Granger as Georgie Latimer
- Diana DorsDiana DorsDiana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
as Mrs. Wickens - Dorothy AlisonDorothy AlisonDorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.She was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved to London, England in 1949 to further her career...
as Mrs. Allen - James VilliersJames VilliersJames Michael Hyde Villiers was a British character actor and a familiar face on British television...
as Uncle Bertie - Madeline SmithMadeline SmithMadeline Smith is an English actress and comedienne. She was a model in the 1960s, and appeared in many comedy films Madeline Smith (born 2 August 1949 in Hartfield, Sussex) is an English actress and comedienne. She was a model in the 1960s, and appeared in many comedy films Madeline Smith (born 2...
as Arabella Wickens - David LodgeDavid Lodge (actor)David William Frederick Lodge was a British character actor.Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown...
as Mr. Wickens - Stuart Lock as Thomas Mortimer
- Deddie DaviesDeddie DaviesDeddie Davies is a Welsh character actress.She is most familiar to television viewers for comedy roles in a host of series, including The Rag Trade, That's My Boy and Chance in a Million. She usually appears in meek, spinsterish roles...
as Miss Meakin - Graham CrowdenGraham CrowdenClement Graham Crowden was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his many appearances in television comedy dramas and films, often playing eccentric 'offbeat' scientist, teacher and doctor characters.-Early life:...
as Mr. Clutterbug - Benjamin SmithBenjamin SmithBenjamin Smith was the 16th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1810 to 1811.Smith was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina into a socially prominent family...
as Benjamin Allen - Erik ChittyErik ChittyErik Chitty , was an English film and television actor.-Early life:Chitty was the son of a flour miller. He attended Dover College and Jesus College, Cambridge where he was one of the founders of the Cambridge University Mummers, before training at RADA and becoming a professional actor...
as Mr. Claverton - Reg Lye as Sexton
- Paul EddingtonPaul EddingtonPaul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:...
as Vicar - Aimée Delamain as Elsie Tucker
- Paddy Ward as Bus Driver
Filming
The film was recorded at Pinewood StudiosPinewood Studios
Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, approximately west of central London. The studios have played host to many productions over the years from huge blockbuster films to television shows to commercials to pop promos.The purchase of Shepperton...
in 1971 with location filming in the countryside surrounding nearby Iver Heath. The fire-ravaged derelict stately home was in fact Heatherden Hall
Heatherden Hall
Heatherden Hall is a grade II Victorian Country House located in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England. It stands in the grounds of Pinewood Studios and is used as offices, movie sets, and as a wedding venue....
, on whose estate the studios are located and which at that time served as administration offices for the production facilities.
Awards and recognition
Although not as well known as its counterpart, The Railway ChildrenThe Railway Children
The Railway Children is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in The London Magazine during 1905 and first published in book form in 1906...
, the film has been a family favourite in Britain since its release. It has often been featured on "Top 100" movie lists on television programmes. It has often appeared on British television over the years (especially during the Easter and Christmas holidays).