Blithe Spirit

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Blithe Spirit

1945,

1h 36m,

Fantasy

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Watchlist

76%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

21 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

Nov 6, 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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Nell Minow

Movie Mom

Feb 23, 2003

4/5

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

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 1, 2000

Passably good, but it should have been better, what with Rex Harrison, Constance Cummings, and Margaret Rutherford reading the Noel Coward lines.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

Jun 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)

Oct 24, 2019

Funny with unique visual effects

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Ellie Lucas

From the Front Row

Aug 6, 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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Harry R

Jan 19, 2018

Blithe Spirit is a disappointing film. It is about Charles and his second wife, Ruth, who are haunted by the spirit of his first wife, Elvira. Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings give terrible performances. The screenplay is badly written. David Lean did a horrible job directing this movie. I was not impressed with this motion picture.

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Draco P

Sep 24, 2017

Cowards play holds up well. Margaret Rutherford steals every scene she is in.

George R

Mar 31, 2017

Etheric shenanigans.

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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

Dr. George Bradman

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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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