(1945)
4
Michael Betzold
Light, clever drawing-room comedy may have reached its zenith in this 1945 film of the hit Noël Coward play about a cynical novelist who has just settled down with his second wife when the unhappy spirit of his first wife returns to haunt him. The play was an instant success when it debuted in London in 1941, and director David Lean, who repeatedly collaborated with Coward on film versions of his plays, brought the movie version to even greater popularity. Many films that followed used various twists on the plot of Blithe Spirit, involving dead spouses or lovers. Rex Harrison is the haunted man and Margaret Rutherford is hilarious as the medium that he hires to get rid of his first wife's ghost. Blithe Spirit won a special effects Oscar for its innovative use of color cinematography to provide a contrast to the pale spirits.
Blithe Spirit on AllMovie
Blithe Spirit (1945)
