Blithe Spirit (DVD)

.../> My only complaint about Blithe Spirit, which is one of my all-time favourite movies, is the lack of extras on the DVD. In truth, this is hardly surprising for a movie made on a relatively low budget way back in 1945. All the main characters and the director (David Lean of Lawrence of Arabia fame) are most likely to be all dead. The playwright, Noel Coward, passed on years ago, leaving behind a wealth of literature. Even the songwriter who wrote ...
...Berlin, has left us.

Still, it would not be passed the studio to throw something together, rather than just offering the trailer.

FINALLY
For lovers of the cinema’s golden era, this is one film that you MUST not be without. It has everything for the perfect Sunday afternoon relax after dinner.

  ... more

Charles Condomine, a novelist, having suffered the death of his first wife, Elvira, has married again. Blissfully happy with Ruth, his new bride, he wants to get back to writing again, and decides to do a little research into the paranormal and phoney mediums. To that end, he invites the famous Madame Arcati to a dinner party.

After dinner, the guests gather round for a séance, persuading Madame Arcati to use her ‘powers’ to draw forth the dead. Dramatically, using ever power she has, she tries in vain to get a connection to the afterlife. Disappointed, the dinner party disperses to their own homes leaving Charles and Ruth alone.

But the séance was not such a failure as they at first though. In fact it has apparently been all too successful when Charles sees the ghost of his first wife come walking through the French windows. Bemused and amazed, Charles is talking to Elvira when Ruth walks into the room.

Unfortunately, for Charles, Ruth can’t see Elvira, nor can she hear her voice, and thinks that her husband is either hallucinating or becoming an alcoholic. After a number of such occurrences, Charles finally manages Elvira to prove that she is there, forcing much recrimination from Ruth.

Not wanting to share her new husband with his ex-wife, Ruth goes in search of Madame Arcati, the woman who summoned up the ghost, to plead with her to send Elvira away.

After much leaping about and waving twigs, the medium announces that Elvira has been exorcised. But she hasn’t.
Time and again Madame Arcati uses all her tricks, but to no avail.

Unable to carry on their married life with the spectre of his dead wife over looking her every move, Ruth rushes out of the house and speeds off in the couple’s car…..

COMMENT
By today’s hi-tech standards, this film is very dull and limited. The acting is like something from those old info-mercials that Harry Enfield used to parody from the forties. The script is staid and somewhat over-twee. And the pastel colouring (called Blushing Technicolor) makes the whole thing look a little too quaint.

But that is exactly what gives this film its charm. Anyone wanting big blockbuster movies, with special effects galore, loads of sex and blood dripping from every surface are going to be very disappointed. This comedy is as low-key as can be, with the story taking centre stage.

The one possible exception to this rule is the marvellous comic performance of Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati. Never an actress for understatement, she pours herself full-thrust into her role, taking every opportunity to exaggerate her screen presence.

The other actors play their roles ably enough; yet pale in comparison to such a star.

My only complaint about Blithe Spirit, which is one of my all-time favourite movies, is the lack of extras on the DVD. In truth, this is hardly surprising for a movie made on a relatively low budget way back in 1945. All the main characters and the director (David Lean of Lawrence of Arabia fame) are most likely to be all dead. The playwright, Noel Coward, passed on years ago, leaving behind a wealth of literature. Even the songwriter who wrote the haunting theme tune “(I’ll be loving you,) Always”, Irving Berlin, has left us.

Still, it would not be passed the studio to throw something together, rather than just offering the trailer.

FINALLY
For lovers of the cinema’s golden era, this is one film that you MUST not be without. It has everything for the perfect Sunday afternoon relax after dinner.

 

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