Blithe Spirit (1945)

Director:

David Lean

Writers:

David Lean (adapted for the screen by) &
Ronald Neame (adapted for the screen by) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 May 1945 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy

Tagline:

One Wife Too Many

Plot:

Adapted from a play by Noel Coward, Charles and his second wife Ruth, are haunted by the ghost of his first wife, Elvira. Medium Madame Arcati tries to help things out by contacting the ghost.

Plot Keywords:

Ghost | Medium | Author | Ectoplasm | Dinner Party

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Rex Harrison	...	Charles Condomine
Constance Cummings	...	Ruth Condomine
Kay Hammond	...	Elvira Condomine
Margaret Rutherford	...	Madame Arcati
Hugh Wakefield	...	Dr. George Bradman
Joyce Carey	...	Violet Bradman
Jacqueline Clarke	...	Edith
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marie Ault	...	Cook (uncredited)
Noel Coward	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Johnnie Schofield	...	R.A.C. Man Directing Traffic (uncredited)

Directed by
David Lean

Writing credits
David Lean		(adapted for the screen by) &
Ronald Neame		(adapted for the screen by) &
Anthony Havelock-Allan		(adapted for the screen by)
Noel Coward		(play) uncredited
Noel Coward		(screenplay) uncredited

Produced by
Noel Coward	....	producer

Original Music by
Richard Addinsell		(musical score)

Cinematography by
Ronald Neame		(photographed in Technicolor by)

Film Editing by
Jack Harris

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
C.P. Norman

Set Decoration by
Arthur Taksen		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Rahvis		(dresses)

Makeup Department
Tony Sforzini	....	makeup artist
Vivienne Walker	....	hairdressing

Production Management
Anthony Havelock-Allan	....	in charge of production
Norman Spencer	....	unit manager
Sydney Streeter	....	unit manager (as S.S. Streeter)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
George Pollock	....	assistant director

Art Department
G.E. Calthrop	....	art supervisor: Noel Coward (as G. E. Calthrop)
T. Hopewell Ash	....	draughtsman (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cook	....	sound recordist (as John Cooke)
Desmond Dew	....	sound recordist
Cyril Crowhurst	....	dubbing editor (uncredited)
Roy Day	....	sound camera operator (uncredited)
Percy Dayton	....	boom operator (uncredited)
George Paternoster	....	assistant boom operator (uncredited)
Alan Whatley	....	dubbing crew (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Tom Howard	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	back projection (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
William McLeod	....	camera operator (as Wm. McLeod)
D. Bartlett	....	focus puller (uncredited)
Wilfrid Newton	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hilda Collins	....	dress supervisor

Editorial Department
Margery Saunders	....	assembly editor (uncredited)
Norah Walsh	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor: The London Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Isaacs	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Joan Bridge	....	for Technicolor: associate colour director
Natalie Kalmus	....	for Technicolor: colour director
George Minassian	....	for Technicolor: technician
Yvonne Axeworthy	....	assistant continuity (uncredited)
Maggie Unsworth	....	continuity (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Two Cities Films (as A Two Cities Film)
• Noel Coward-Cineguild (as A Noel Coward - Cineguild Production)

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1945) (UK) (theatrical)
• United Artists (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• Classic Pictures (1952) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• J.Arthur Rank-Film (1946) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Park Circus (2008) (UK) (theatrical) (restored version)
• Carlton Visual Entertainment (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Cinema Classics (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2012) (USA) (DVD) (restored version)
• Filmax Home Video (2003) (Spain) (DVD)
• ITV DVD (2008) (UK) (DVD) (restored version)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (VHS)
• Video Collection International (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (UK) (VHS)

Other Companies

• BFI National Archive  a restoration by (as the BFI National Archive)
• Cineric  restoration (restored version) (uncredited)
• David Lean Foundation, The  a restoration funded by (as The David Lean Foundation)
• Granada International  a restoration by
• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  musical score played by (as The London Symphony Orchestra)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:U (video rating) (1991) (1993) (2003) | West Germany:6 (fr 16) | UK:U (tv rating) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

D&P Studios, Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Two Cities Films

Trivia:

The original Broadway production of "Blithe Spirit" written by Noel Coward opened at the Morosco Theater on November 5, 1941, ran for 657 performances and closed on June 5, 1943. Jacqueline Clarke repeated her role in the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After the séance when Elvira first appears, she flops onto the settee by the fire. As her dress billows you can see wear the green ghostly make up ends half way up her leg, showing normal skin above the make up line.

Quotes:

[first lines]
words on a Victorian sampler:"When we are young / We read and believe / The most fantastic things. / When we are older / We learn with regret / That these things cannot be"
Narrator:We are quite, quite wrong!

Movie Connections:

References Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Soundtrack:

Always

Another Lean classic

Has David Lean made a bad film? Not to my knowledge, no! This one is quite fun, I revisited the picture recently and even though I don't like it as much as the masterpiece Oliver Twist, Blithe Spirit is excellent fun for the whole family.

The acting is tremendous, it's mindblowing. Although the dialogue is rather upper class, I quite enjoy it. Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati is the star of the film, perfect, perfect and perfect.

The direction is sublime as usual by Lean.

There's plenty to enjoy here, a nice film for everyone.