Don’t Take It to Heart – 1944 | 90mins | Comedy | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Supernatural role-reversal comedy that gently pokes fun at the established traditions of the landed gentry and the legal profession. Written and directed by Jeffrey Dell, Don’t Take It to Heart was well-received at the time in war torn Britain. Set in 1944 in the genteel Home Counties hamlet of Chaunduyt, a stray German bomb falls on the stately home of the eccentric Lord of Chaunduyt, fortuitously opening a walled-up coffin and uncovering some 400-year-old manuscripts. Much to everyone’s surprise, the explosion also liberates the jaunty ancestral ghost of the 3rd Earl of the manor (Richard Bird). As a result the mansion becomes a popular site for tourists – much to the relief of the impoverished residents.

One day a sightseeing young lawyer named Peter Hayward (Richard Greene) arrives by bus and joins a tour of the haunted ancestral estate. There he becomes enchanted by Lord Chaunduyt’s daughter Mary (Patricia Medina) and offers to study the ancient manuscripts to determine whether they are voluble enough for the cash strapped family to sell. Peter also becomes involved in an increasingly bitter land dispute between local poacher Harry Bucket (Wylie Watson) and his wealthy neighbour Pike (Alfred Drayton). After studying the manuscripts Peter ultimately discovers that the fortunes of the Chaunduyt family and Harry Bucket are intertwined – but when he takes his evidence to court he desperately needs a witness to corroborate the authenticity of the 400 year old documents.