The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1974)

As intriguing as Gothic ghost can be, this one ranks a "boo!" from me, slow moving and often static, with a ton of obnoxious characters who do nothing but bray. I give Diana Dors credit for becoming shrill and obnoxious from all those sexy vixens she played a decade before. But she's so nasty here that the most vile of Dickens characters are sympathetic in comparison. I didn't buy for a second the story premise of Lawrence Naismith bringing a poor widow and her two children to be caretakers for a remote country mansion. I had seen "The Railway Children" as a kid so hearing that this was a sort of followup (with hints of "Heidi") made this a real curiosity. But having gotten this in a .99 cent bin, I have no qualms about releasing this from my collection. Mystery is fine and surprises make them interesting as long as the twists are acceptable. Had there been less shrill screeching of oh so cute ghostly kiddies and nasty housekeepers and other servants, I might have given this more attention. I truly couldn't wait for this to bid me "the end".

(55%) A better than most period set family horror that gets by because it well made, watchable, and above all else: simple entertainment. The plot may be messy and a bit clumsy, but the charm that runs through makes for a worthwhile sit. Anyone who is familiar with modern Hammer hit "The woman in black" will notice a slight similar feel and look to the mansion house, though this wouldn't scare a baby. The premise is a decent stab at an old spooky house ghost story; although things do get a little too silly at times (the time travelling ghost potion). It's best to think of this as a holiday, wet and windy afternoon type of film, and in that regards this is a good little watch.

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.

I first saw this film at the cinema when I was 9 years old when it was originally released (which gives you a clue as to how old I am now). I have never forgotten this film and while "The Railway Children" has justly taken its place in British cinema as a classic family film, this film deserves some love too. Everyone associated with this film is at the top of their game. Behind the camera, Lionel Jefferies provides a great script (adapted from Antonia Barber's original book "The Ghosts") and great direction too. Great atmosphere is provided courtesy of Wilfred Shingleton's production design, Gerry Fisher's excellent photography and one of Hollywood regular Elmer Bernstein's greatest scores (for what was a small British film - who'd have guessed?).In front of the camera, the talent is equally impressive and it is sign of Lionel Jefferies unrecognised talent as a director that he draws some great performances from his cast, some of whom have never been better than they are here. Diana Dors shows a rare talent as a character actress and there are also good performances from David Lodge, James Villiers, Madeline Smith, Deddie Davies, Laurence Naismith, Graham Crowden, Garry Miller, Dorothy Alison and Rosalyn Landor.And for the ill-fated Lynne Frederick who has given a number of poor performances in bit parts over the years before her death and who was unfortunately better known for her chaotic personal life and the unpleasant aftermath to her marriage to Peter Sellers, her appearance here is a revelation. I disagree with one of the previous posts that says that she is slightly too old for the role. To me she seems absolutely right and if she is too old, then so too are Jenny Agutter and Sally Thomsett in "The Railway Children". It is a tragedy that Lynne Frederick did not go on to fulfil the promise that she showed in this film and if she really was a mediocre actress, then Lionel Jefferies deserves even more credit for drawing such a great performance from her for this film as she is excellent here (especially during the scenes in which Langley Park burns at the end). It's a shame what happened to her in real life but instead of remembering her as the bloated alcoholic drug-addicted wreck that she became, I prefer to remember the Lynne Frederick forever immortalised on film here - a beautiful young woman who had so much promise.By the way, when is someone going to release Elmer Bernstein's wonderful score to this film on CD?