Blithe Spirit

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Blithe Spirit

1945

1h 36m

Fantasy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

23 Reviews

76%

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.

Variety Staff

Variety

11/06/2007

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.

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Time Out

02/09/2006

Nifty special effects for the time, and plenty of Coward's inimitable wit and repartee.

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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

02/23/2003

4/5

Worth it just for Margaret Rutherford as a sort of girls' school gamesmistres-style psychic!

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

06/28/2025

7/10

From her first appearance, Rutherford injects a sense of anarchy into the staid drawing-room world of the Condomines like a grey-haired girl scout full of enthusiasms and up for just about anything.

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Rachel Wagner

Rachel's Reviews (YouTube)

10/24/2019

Funny with unique visual effects

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Mattie Lucas

From the Front Row

08/06/2019

3/4

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.

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Henry D

@Henry_Domke Jun 9

Totally fun and light, with especially fine makeup and costumes for the ghosts. The print was excellent, and the dialogue was perfectly clever throughout. It’s further proof that David Lean is one of our favorite directors, even when he’s working in a lighter, more theatrical mode. Margaret Rutherford is a hoot, and I only wish there were more movies with her.

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Andrea H.

@AndieJ Feb 15

Quick and clever. One of my go-to watches when I need to quiet the brain.

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Alain E

@AlainE Oct 11

Despite the excellent ratings, I found it impossible to tolerate after the first five minutes. Rapid delivery of dialogue is completely unrealistic.

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harwee h

@RT06454255 08/04/2024

The fantastic photography is probably one of the most admirable things about it, that aspect of the film alone is so entertaining and amusing

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michael d

@RT08912548 11/21/2022

Frightfully fantastic.

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Martin B

@RT44235356 12/29/2021

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.

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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

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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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