The Canterville Ghost (1944)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jules Dassin

Writers:

Oscar Wilde (story)
Edwin Blum (screenplay)

Release Date:

July 1944 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Plot:

In the 1600s, cowardly Sir Simon of Canterville flees a duel and seeks solace in the family castle....

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Blood | Soldier | Ghost | Family Honor

Cast

Charles Laughton	...	Sir Simon de Canterville / The Ghost
Robert Young	...	Cuffy Williams
Margaret O'Brien	...	Lady Jessica de Canterville
William Gargan	...	Sergeant Benson
Reginald Owen	...	Lord Canterville
Rags Ragland	...	Big Harry (as 'Rags' Ragland)
Una O'Connor	...	Mrs. Umney
Donald Stuart	...	Sir Valentine Williams
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Polverdine
Frank Faylen	...	Lieutenant Kane
Lumsden Hare	...	Mr. Potts
Mike Mazurki	...	Metropolus
William Moss	...	Hector
Bobby Readick	...	Eddie
Marc Cramer	...	Bugsy McDougle

Runtime:

95 min (copyright length)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #9781) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Australia:G | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Busch Gardens - S. Grove Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Trivia:

Some cast members in studio records/casting call lists did not appear or were not identifiable in the movie. These were (with their character names): David Thursby (Carpenter), Larry Wheat (Doctor) and Billy Bletcher (Window Washer). A contemporary news item listed Ethel Griffies as a cast member, but she was not seen in the movie either.

Quotes:

Sir Simon de Canterville: Excuse me, I really must gibber at the oriole window.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Mystery and Imagination: The Canterville Ghost (#1.7)" (1966)

Soundtrack:

Gertie from Bizerte

delightful story of a tired ghost and his cowardly family

Margaret O'Brien tries to help one of her long-dead ancestors in "The Canterville Ghost," a 1944 film also starring Charles Laughton, Robert Young, and Frank Faylen. Jessica de Canterville's (O'Brien) family owns a castle which is being used to house soldiers during their stay in the area. The castle has a very famous ghost named Sir Simon de Canterville (Charles Laughton) whose father had him imprisoned inside a wall for cowardice centuries earlier. Simon roams the castle, looking like the Cowardly Lion in royal costume. The only way he can rest for eternity is if a relative performs a courageous act in his name, i.e., by taking his signet ring and wearing it when he does the brave thing. Alas, the entire family for centuries has run the other way when danger appears, so Simon isn't having any luck. When six-year-old Lady Jessica de Canterville realizes that one of the soldiers is related to her, she begs him to help poor, tired Simon.

This is a wonderful movie, buoyed by the presence of Margaret O'Brien, surely one of the most adorable children to ever hit the screen. She's a fine actress, too - very sincere and natural. Although Mary Astor wrote in her diary that she was terrified of O'Brian during the filming of "Meet Me in St. Louis," it's kind of hard to believe. Charles Laughton turns in another masterful performance as Simon, who scares people because he thinks that as a ghost, it's what he should do. He's a riot. As Cuffy Williams, the soldier related to Jessica and Simon, Robert Young is very good as a man who begins to doubt his own courage.

"The Canterville Ghost" is loads of fun for the entire family, with plenty of comedy and some nice lessons, one of which is, when you really want something, you often need patience until you achieve it.