Rent Blithe Spirit (1945)

3.6 of 5 from 116 ratings
1h 31min
Rent Blithe Spirit (aka Noel Coward's 'Blithe Spirit') Online DVD & Blu-ray Rental
  • General info
  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Rex Harrison plays novelist Charles Condomine who is plagued by the ghost of his sexy first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond). Second wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) doesn't believe him and brings in eccentric medium madam Arcati (A hilarious performance by Margaret Rutherford) to get proof. Lean and Coward's third screen collaboration (after 'In Which We Serve' and 'This Happy Breed' and Before 'Brief Encounter') is a sophisticated and witty delight.
Actors:
, , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Producers:
Noël Coward
Narrated By:
Noël Coward
Writers:
David Lean, Ronald Neame, Anthony Havelock-Allan, Noël Coward
Others:
Thomas Howard
Aka:
Noel Coward's 'Blithe Spirit'
Studio:
Carlton Video
Genres:
Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Collections:
Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top Films
Awards:

1947 Oscar Best Special Effects

BBFC:
Release Date:
12/05/2003
Run Time:
91 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono
Subtitles:
English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Full Screen 1.33:1 / 4:3
Colour:
Colour
Bonus:
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Reviews (4) of Blithe Spirit

Clever and classy - Blithe Spirit review by AW

Spoiler Alert
25/02/2021

Noel Coward's sparkling dialogue wins you over in this slightly bizarre tale of ghosts and mediums. Margaret Rutherford is of course superb as Madame Arcata, and Rex Harrison very dashing. I laughed out loud many times, rather to my surprise.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Classic British Farce - Blithe Spirit review by GI

Spoiler Alert
29/10/2021

Noel Coward's celebrated play brought to the screen by David Lean is a quintessential English farce with ghosts added in. As you'd expect with Coward's work the script is wonderful with some very risqué lines for the times and the laughs are mostly courtesy of the superb performance from Margaret Rutherford as the batty Madame Arcati. Lean shot the film in a glorious technicolour which was quite unusual for a story that is mostly set inside one house and he also had opportunity to create some special effects that had been impossible on the stage. Controversially he changed the ending much to Coward's annoyance. Rex Harrison stars as novelist Charles who invites the barmy and eccentric Madame Arcati to his dinner party to perform a seance. He hopes to observe the tricks he expects her to use and then use them in a story for his latest novel. But unfortunately for him she manages to summon his dead first wife Elvira (Kay Hammond) much to the annoyance of his current wife, Ruth (Constance Cummings). Getting rid of Elvira proves much harder and she is very jealous of Ruth. Coward sets his story in a class privileged world that would be very real in the 1940s and of great interest to the cinema going public and this gives the film a unique charm even today. It's a very typical British comedy of the time and although it clings to it's stage play origins throughout it's a humorous film that is well worth seeking out and it remains far superior to the 2020 remake.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

Considerably better... - Blithe Spirit review by SB

Spoiler Alert
06/07/2022

than the 2021 remake, in that it has really good acting, and an understanding of Coward's style. I don't care much for Rex Harrison, but he is ideal for this sort of witty comedy; nothing ever seems forced. I don't care for Margaret Rutherford much either, but she is very good as the extravagant and over-enthusiastic Madame Arcati. Perhaps Elvira does look a bit too much like a Venusian woman, but overall this is well worth watching.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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