Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

jarrodmcdonald-1 This spirited romp ranks up there as one of funniest film adaptations ever made of a Noel Coward story. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the performances in this breezy farce-- based on Coward's hit stage play-- are nearly unmatchable. Of note is Margaret Rutherford, who steals scenes left and right as Madame Arcati, a highly eccentric medium. In later productions, the medium has been played by Estelle Winwood, Mildred Natwick, Ruth Gordon and Angela Lansbury-- but I think Rutherford's performance is the one to watch. David Lean's direction is flawless and the film is done in such beautiful, breath-taking Technicolor that it is truly a joy to watch.

mark.waltz When eccentric Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) faints dead away during a séance, watch out-a ghostly presence is about to blow their way in, and some of the are not so nice! "Just for the fun of it", a wealthy British nobleman (Rex Harrison) has a séance for guests and ends up being visited by his first wife (Kay Hammond), a quiet prankster who enjoys spooking her replacement (Constance Cummings), the high-strung type who thinks all of hubby Harrison's cracks towards Hammond (character named ironically "Elvira", pronounced "Elveera") are meant for her. Annoyed by the second Mrs. Condomine, the first arranges an accident, hoping that Harrison will join her in the afterlife, but gets the shock of her life when things go awry. Will Madame Arcati be able to straighten things out? Probably so, but not before more mayhem happens with laughter galore.Broadway audiences recently got a view of Coward's classic fantasy comedy which featured a legendary performance by Angela Lansbury as Madame Arcati, and in viewing this very faithful film version for the first time since seeing that 2009 revival, I was reminded by how wonderful it was, having not seen the movie in many years. Harrison combines sophistication with bewilderment, while the personalities of the two wives are appropriately different. Hammond's first wife is a seemingly gentle flower with a sly humor, while Cummings is filled with fury which makes her return visit one that ranks an 8 on the Richter scale. It is Rutherford who comes away with the biggest praise, however, her character seemingly way ahead of her time and filled with little tidbits of eccentricities and looniness that make every moment she is on screen a joy to behold.Beautifully filmed in color with the ghostly appearances a ghastly green, the film also utilizes some amusing special effects that are dazzling as well as humorous. Directed by the wonderful David Lean, everything falls into place beautifully, proving that a stage play can be filmed almost as written and still end up practically perfect.

paultreloar75 This is the absolutely epitome of a Sunday afternoon movie, a lovely way to spend a couple of hours marvelling at some gorgeous verbals, which sound so beautiful and funny, as well as a very good story to boot. Noel Coward works wonders with his writing, creating some proper deluxe dialogue that made me laugh my socks off.David Lean's production is witty, invigorating and really well done, Rex Harrison is as poised as can be, and Constance Cummings and Kay Hammond are completely haunting in their respective roles. And that's before we get onto Margaret Rutherford who plays the thing just right, a mixture of hyperbole, hysteria and yet some deep credibility underneath it all.Elvira's appearance is where it all takes off, the special effects are well funny and are what reminded me that I was watching a play scripted by someone who was a master of the imagination. Gently brilliant movie.

Rob-120 I recently saw the Broadway revival of "Blithe Spirit" starring Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, and Jayne Atkinson. It's a terrific production, and shows what good actors can do with a play that is less than perfect. Angela Lansbury is extremely funny as Madame Arcati.It was probably a mistake, then, to check out the film version of the play starring Rex Harrison. The movie does not have the energy or the laughs of a good stage production."Blithe Spirit" is probably one of those plays that works better with a live cast, in an audience full of people who have come to laugh. The actors can improvise, give touches and nuances to their performance and delivery of the lines, and involve the audience on a personal level that you can't get in a movie house, or with a DVD showing, where the audience is separated from the story by the "Fourth Wall." The story: Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison), a successful writer, lives with his wife Ruth (Constance Cummings) in a house in the English countryside. Seeking information for his next book, a book dealing with the supernatural, Charles invites Madame Arcati (Margaret Rutherford, reprising her role from the original 1941 London production), a local spiritual medium, over to his house to conduct a séance. Charles believes that spiritism is a sham, but hopes to pick up "the tricks of the trade." But then Madame Arcati brings back the ghost of Elvira (Kaye Hammond), Charles's first wife, who died of pneumonia seven years ago. Elvira refuses to leave, and develops a spitting rivalry with Ruth over Charles (complicated by the fact that only Charles can see or hear Elvira).On stage, the actors can give performances that invite laughs in this situation. But on the screen, the actors in "Blithe Spirit" tear through the lines as if they don't know that anyone is listening to them. They mumble lines that were designed to get laughs on the stage. The performances by Harrison, Cummings, and even Kaye Hammond are flat and lifeless. Only Margaret Rutherford seems to have retained her spark and humor as Madame Arcati.The Oscar-winning visual effects in the film are unimpressive -- not just by today's standards, but by the standards of 1946! They consist mostly of Kaye Hammond walking around in fluorescent green outfits and makeup, being photographed in special lighting to make her look like a glowing ghost.The cinematographer deserves some credit for creative lighting. But compare the dull visual effects of "Blithe Spirit" to the truly groundbreaking effects in Disney's "Song of the South" -- which was eligible for awards the same year. In "South," humans and animated characters share the screen seamlessly for minutes at a time. Compared to "South," the Oscar that "Blithe Spirit" received for special effects was completely undeserved.At any rate, I can only encourage you to catch the Broadway revival of this play with Angela Lansbury before it closes. As for the movie with Rex Harrison, skip it.