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Blithe Spirit

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6.9/10 • 137

1945-04-051h 36m

ComedyFantasy

Elvira is the kind of gal who can turn an evening into a night you'll never forget!

An English mystery novelist invites a medium to his home, so she may conduct a séance for a small gathering. The writer hopes to gather enough material for the book he's working on, as well as to expose the medium as a charlatan. However, proceedings take an unexpected turn, resulting in a chain of supernatural events being set into motion that wreak havoc on the man's present marriage.

Directors
David Lean
Editors
Jack Harris

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Rex Harrison

    Rex Harrison

    Charles Condomine

  2. Constance Cummings

    Constance Cummings

    Ruth Condomine

  3. Kay Hammond

    Kay Hammond

    Elvira Condomine

  4. Margaret Rutherford

    Margaret Rutherford

    Madame Arcati

  5. Hugh Wakefield

    Hugh Wakefield

    Dr. George Bradman

  6. Joyce Carey

    Joyce Carey

    Violet Bradman

  7. Jacqueline Clarke

    Jacqueline Clarke

    Edith

  8. Marie Ault

    Marie Ault

    Cook (uncredited)

  9. Johnnie Schofield

    Johnnie Schofield

    R.A.C. Man Directing Traffic (uncredited)

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jul 1, 2022

7/10

You can't really go wrong with David Lean adapting Noël Coward in a film about poor old Rex Harrison ("Charles") and three on-form women: two of whom he married - Constance Cummings ("Ruth)" and Kay Hammond ("Elvira") and the other is the source of most of his woes - spiritual medium Margaret Rutherford ("Madama Arcati"). Right from the start, the pace of the dialogue is witty and engaging. Harrison - who can be terribly wooden on occasion, is well up for this spiritual lark as a seance at his home - under the supervision of the dotty Rutherford - releases his former wife "Elvira" back into his life where only he can see her; and she decides to cause the maximum amount of mayhem for her former husband and his new wife "Ruth". The nature of the story keeps the cast small, and the action is end-to-end with plenty to make you smile as well to appreciate the dynamics of wedded "bliss". It's a dream - though more of a nightmare for Rex!

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
love trianglemarried coupleexorcismmediumbased on play or musicalmurdertranceauthormaidwidowernovelistscrewball comedyghostséancemystery writer