Noel Coward adapts his own stageplay into a screenplay, which was brought to the screen by director David Lean before the famed helmer went on to make classic Dickens adaptations and widescreen epics such as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI and DOCTOR ZHIVAGO. However, Lean started his career with this great light entertainment. With witty dialogue and that effortless British suave demeanor, BLITHE SPIRIT floats across the screen like a smooth waltz.
In researching his next book that features a homicidal medium, Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS), along with his wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) and their friends Dr. George and Violet Bradman (Hugh Wakefield, 1934's THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH & Joyce Carey, IN WHICH WE SERVE), hold a séance with the genuinely loony Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford, MURDER AHOY). After some seemingly sketchy hocus-pocus, everyone believes Arcati to be a charlatan except for Charles, who begins hearing and seeing the ghost of his dead wife Elvira (Kay Hammond). At first Ruth believes Charles is playing with her then she believes he has gone cuckoo, but a floating vase of flowers convinces her that there is now one too many wives in the Condomine household. And so does the wisecracking Elvira. In trying to solve the situation, the help of Madame Arcati and the Condomine's shy maid Edith (Jacqueline Clarke) will be needed.
Harrison commands the witty banter between him and his wives. Rutherford is wonderful as the eccentric psychic. She creates an over-the-top character without giving an over-the-top performance. The rest of the small cast brings a dignity and professionalism to the material that gives the entire production a charming class. They’re having fun and we can feel it.
The representation of the ghosts is unique, but effective. The visual effects are dated, but not distracting. In transporting the story from the stage to the screen, Coward cuts several longer dialogue segments and finds ways to transport the action to other locations then the primary sitting room. The ending isn't surprising per se, but Lean finds a fun closing visual that adds the right note, which the stage production could never pull off.
In the resume of Lean, it's a fun warm-up right before his first masterpiece BRIEF ENCOUNTER, which was written by Coward as well. The director actually teamed with the writer on his first four films. Lean, one of the all time great directors, started as an editor, later moving up to assistant director. Watching BLITHE SPIRIT shows how Lean's early experience in editing helped him pace his early less complicated productions, allowing him to get a good footing in telling a simple compelling story before expanding his vision. The charm of the characters in BLITHE is the spirit that carries over into all his films even when the setting gets a bit larger than a drawing room.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
