''The Amazing Mr. Blunden'' is a 1972 British

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

involving ghosts directed by Lionel Jeffries. It was based on the 1969 novel ''

The Ghosts ''The Ghosts'' is a children's fantasy novel written by Antonia Barber in 1969. It was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. It was filmed twice, first in 1972 as ''The Amazing Mr Blunden'', with a second adaptation produced in 2021. After being ...

'' by

Antonia Barber Antonia Barber (real name Barbara Anthony; 10 December 1932 - 4 April 2019), was an English author of books for children and adults. Barber resided in Kent and Mousehole, Cornwall. Her book '' The Mousehole Cat'' was adapted as an animated film ...

. It stars Laurence Naismith, Lynne Frederick, Garry Miller, Rosalyn Landor, Marc Granger,

Diana Dors Diana Dors (born Diana Mary Fluck; 23 October 19314 May 1984) was an English actress and singer. Dors came to public notice as a blonde bombshell, much in the style of Americans Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Mamie Van Doren. Dors was p ...

, Madeline Smith, and James Villiers.

Plot

In 1918, war widow, Mrs. Allen ( Dorothy Alison) and her children, Lucy ( Lynne Frederick), Jamie ( Garry Miller) and baby Benjamin are reduced to living in a squalid

Camden Town Camden Town (), often shortened to Camden, is a district of northwest London, England, north of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Camden, and identified in the London Plan as ...

flat. Just before Christmas, 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 The home counties are the counties of England that surround London. The counties are not precisely defined but Buckinghamshire and Surrey are usually included in definitions and Berkshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Kent are also often included ...

named Langley Park, which was gutted by fire years before, and is now in the charge of the solicitors. Mrs. Allen takes the post despite rumours that the house is haunted, her instructions to care for the property until such time as the heirs to the estate can be traced. The air of mystery deepens when the children see a portrait at the solicitors office of a man they believe to be Mr Blunden. The solicitor confirms this, but reveals that the portrait is of a man called Mr Blunden, who has been dead for a hundred years, the present Mr Blunden being his great-grandson. After they have settled into the new post, Lucy and Jamie see two ghostly figures in the grounds of the house: a teenage girl, Sara Latimer ( Rosalyn Landor), and her younger brother, Georgie (Marc Granger). They are 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 dissolute and hapless Uncle Bertie ( James Villiers) and the solicitor Mr Blunden, until Georgie comes of age. Bertie marries a music hall performer, Bella Wickens ( Madeline Smith) and her parents then move into Langley Park, ostensibly as the housekeeper and game keeper. The children come to suspect that Mrs. Wickens (

) and her disturbed violent husband ( David Lodge) are plotting to kill them to get hold of Georgie's inheritance. Sara and Georgie find a book with instructions for travelling through time, so that they can get help. Lucy and Jamie agree to travel back with them; 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 to find a gravestone marked with the names of both Sara and Georgie. The sexton explains that the two children died in a fire, whose anniversary turns out to be exactly a hundred years ago tomorrow. The children meet Mr Blunden who admits he has been tormented for over a hundred years because of the events but promises if they both help no harm will come to them. Lucy and Jamie drink the potion and travel back to 1818 in the hope of preventing the tragedy. There they meet Thomas the gardener who believes they are from America, and tells Lucy and Jamie that he wants 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 starts a fire in the library, trapping the children. Jamie helps Tom to save Sara, but when he tries to return for 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, with Blunden perishing in the fire as the staircase gives way, a serene smile on his face. The Wickens perish in the fire. Lucy and Jamie both return to 1918, but Jamie is unconscious and Lucy cannot tell their mother what has happened. At the graveyard, Lucy discovers that the children's gravestone has been replaced by another: that of Frederick Percival Blunden, the "Good Shepherd" who "died to save the children in his care". Jamie soon awakes and is overjoyed to hear that they have succeeded. Shortly after, the lawyer, Mr Clutterbuck ( 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 car pulls up. When Mr Clutterbuck opens the door, sitting inside is Mr Blunden! But which one? The enigmatic phrase he greets them with ("We three kings of Orient are") is one they recognise from their first encounter. They have all the answers they need. The film ends with the cast saying goodbye to the audience one by one as their names are shown on-screen.

Cast

* Laurence Naismith as Frederick Percival Blunden * Lynne Frederick as Lucy Allen * Garry Miller as Jamie Allen * Rosalyn Landor as Sara Latimer * Marc Granger as Georgie Latimer *

as Mrs. Wickens * Dorothy Alison as Mrs. Allen * James Villiers as Uncle Bertie * Madeline Smith as Bella Wickens * David Lodge as Mr. Wickens *

Stuart Lock Stuart may refer to: Names *Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile * Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally * Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory North ...

as Thomas Mortimer * Deddie Davies as Miss Meakin * Graham Crowden as Mr. Clutterbuck * Erik Chitty as Mr. Claverton * Reg Lye as Sexton * Paul Eddington as Vicar

Production

Casting

Lionel Jeffries originally promised

Sally Thomsett Sally Thomsett (born 3 April 1950) is an English actress who starred as Phyllis in the film ''The Railway Children'' (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom ''Man About the House'' (1973–1976). She also appeared as Janice in the film '' Straw Do ...

the role of Lucy. She had been cast in the film but shortly before production began she was forced to withdraw from the film due to personal problems that she was dealing with at the time and Lynne Frederick replaced her. Rosalyn Landor and Lynne Frederick had both just come off of auditioning and being turned down for the role of

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

in ''

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'' (1972) before being cast in this film. Diana Dors had a key support role.

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

Gert Fröbe Karl Gerhart "Gert" Fröbe (; 25 February 1913 – 5 September 1988) was a German actor. He was best known in English-speaking countries for his work as Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film '' Goldfinger'', as Peachum in ''The Threepenny Ope ...

Gene Wilder Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...

, David Tomlinson, Peter Cushing,

Christopher Lee Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee (27 May 1922 – 7 June 2015) was an English actor and singer. In a long career spanning more than 60 years, Lee often portrayed villains, and appeared as Count Dracula in seven Hammer Horror films, ultim ...

, Donald Pleasence and Robert Helpmann were all considered for the role of Mr. Blunden.

Filming

The film was shot at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

in 1971 with location filming around the village and church at Hedgerley, Buckinghamshire. The fire-ravaged derelict stately home was in fact Heatherden Hall, on the estate of which the studios are located and which at that time served as administration offices for the production facilities.

Release

Certification

The film was passed uncut by the

British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national clas ...

with a U certificate (Suitable for all ages).

Awards

Lynne Frederick won the ''Evening Standard'' British Film Award for "Best New Coming Actress" in 1973 in part for her work on this film.

Home media

Limited edition bluray was released in the UK on 9 December 2019 by Second Sight.

References

External links

*
Interview with Rosalyn Landor about ''The Amazing Mr. Blunden''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amazing Mr. Blunden 1972 films 1970s fantasy films 1970s English-language films British children's fantasy films British mystery films Films based on children's books Films based on British novels Films directed by Lionel Jeffries Films scored by Elmer Bernstein Films set in 1918 Films set in London 1970s historical films British historical films Films shot at Pinewood Studios 1970s British films Historical mystery films