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Blithe Spirit

Play trailer Poster for Blithe Spirit Released May 14, 1945 1h 36m Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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77% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
Skeptical novelist Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) invites self-proclaimed medium Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to his home for a séance, hoping to gather material for a new book. When the hapless psychic accidentally summons the spirit of Condomine's late wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond), his home and life are quickly turned into a shambles as his wife's ghost torments both himself and his new bride, Ruth (Constance Cummings). David Lean directed this adaptation of Noel Coward's hit play.

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Blithe Spirit

Critics Reviews

View All (22) Critics Reviews
Variety Staff Variety Inasmuch as this is largely a photographed copy of the stage play [by Noel Coward], the camerawork is outstandingly good and helps to put across the credibility of the ghost story more effectively than the flesh and blood performance does. Nov 6, 2007 Full Review Time Out Nifty special effects for the time, and plenty of Coward's inimitable wit and repartee. Feb 9, 2006 Full Review Nell Minow Movie Mom Worth it just for Margaret Rutherford as a sort of girls' school gamesmistres-style psychic! Rated: 4/5 Feb 23, 2003 Full Review Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) Funny with unique visual effects Oct 24, 2019 Full Review Mattie Lucas From the Front Row May be a trifle, but it's a glorious trifle, and features one of the great comedic roles in English theatre - the medium Madame Arcati, here memorably embodied by a deliciously batty Margaret Rutherford. Rated: 3/4 Aug 6, 2019 Full Review Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm ...almost too breezy. Rated: 3/4 Aug 26, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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harwee h The fantastic photography is probably one of the most admirable things about it, that aspect of the film alone is so entertaining and amusing Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review michael d Frightfully fantastic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Martin B Margaret Rutherford stole the movie. Otherwise Rex Harrison was droll, aristocratic and 100% reaction to events. Wife one superficial and unamusing and wife two equally as aristocratic and overly elevated as Harrison's character. The ending about as predictable as you will encounter, unimaginative and leaves the viewer a bit disappointed. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/29/21 Full Review Audience Member Kudos to David Lean! Margaret Rutherford is, as always, a delight! Supporting cast, including Rex Harrison, is wonderful. Loved this movie when I first saw it, and still do, over 50 years later. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review joe m Light and frothy with dialogue that's witty and snappy in that Noel Coward way of an English gentleman (Harrison) who unwittingly summons his first wife (Hammond) back from the beyond, much to the chagrin of his current wife (Cummings). Takes one back to when the Brits were posh and so classy. Lovely country estate setting with great sets. The three leads are all great together. Yet, none holds a candle to the psychic charms of Dame Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati. Very enjoyable! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member You may fairly expect this film's premise to sprout into a full fledged horror film however David Lean carefully directs the narrative into comedy that actually works. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Blithe Spirit

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Cast & Crew

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David Lean

Director

Rex Harrison

Charles Condomine

Constance Cummings

Ruth Condomine

Kay Hammond

Elvira Condomine

Margaret Rutherford

Madame Arcati

Hugh Wakefield

Dr. George Bradman

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Blithe Spirit

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Movie Info

Synopsis Skeptical novelist Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) invites self-proclaimed medium Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to his home for a séance, hoping to gather material for a new book. When the hapless psychic accidentally summons the spirit of Condomine's late wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond), his home and life are quickly turned into a shambles as his wife's ghost torments both himself and his new bride, Ruth (Constance Cummings). David Lean directed this adaptation of Noel Coward's hit play.
Director
David Lean
Producer
Noël Coward
Screenwriter
Noël Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, Ronald Neame
Distributor
United Artists, Cinema Classics, Classic Pictures Inc.
Production Co
Cineguild, Two Cities Films Ltd.
Genre
Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 14, 1945, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 24, 2017
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Mono
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