The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

In 1900, a young widow finds her seaside cottage is haunted...and forms a unique relationship with the ghost.

Director:

Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Writers:

Philip Dunne (screen play), R.A. Dick (from the novel by)

Stars:

Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gene Tierney	...	Lucy Muir
Rex Harrison	...	Capt. Daniel Gregg
George Sanders	...	Miles Fairley
Edna Best	...	Martha Huggins
Vanessa Brown	...	Anna Muir as an Adult
Anna Lee	...	Mrs. Miles Fairley
Robert Coote	...	Mr. Coombe
Natalie Wood	...	Anna Muir as a Child
Isobel Elsom	...	Angelica - Mother-in-law
Victoria Horne	...	Eva - Sister-in-law

Storyline

In 1900, strong-willed widow Lucy Muir goes to live in Gull Cottage by the British seaside, even though it appears to be haunted. Sure enough, that very night she meets the ghost of crusty former owner Captain Gregg...and refuses to be scared off. Indeed, they become friends and allies, after Lucy gets used to the idea of a man's ghost haunting her bedroom. But when a charming live man comes courting, Lucy and the captain must deal with their feelings for each other.

---

Plot Keywords:

ghost | captain | seaside | cottage | widow | 

---

Taglines:

THE SPIRIT... so willing! THE FLESH... so weak! THE ROMANCE... so wonderful!

---

Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

L'aventure de Madame Muir

Filming Locations:

Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bernard Herrmann considered his musical score for this film to have been his best.

---

Goofs

Although Captain Gregg promised never to speak with Anna, he clearly breaks his word. Evidence of this can be seen as he throws the in-laws out of the house: Anna can be seen in the foreground watching without fear or confusion, thus revealing that she is aware of his presence and not scared of him.

---

Quotes

Captain Gregg: My dear, never let anyone tell you to be ashamed of your figure!

---

Connections

Featured in Music for the Movies: Bernard Herrmann (1992)

User Reviews

Great performances in an excellent fantasy film

The Ghost and Mrs Muir reunited the Dragonwyck lead actress Gene Tierney, and its director Joseph L. Mankiewicz for an even better film. The Ghost and Mrs Muir, while a little pretentious at times, stands out as one of the finest romance films of Hollywood's golden period, and an interesting and entertaining fantasy film to boot. Over four decades before Demi Moore fell in love with a ghost in the sentimental, sappy trash flick 'Ghost'; Gene Tierney was doing it in far better style with this film. As you might expect from a film that features a woman falling in love with a spirit; there's more than a few plot holes on display. However, the film has this great ability to make the audience believe in it - and that is mostly down to the fabulous performances from all concerned. The plot follows a widow who moves into a house by the sea in order to escape her meddling in-laws. She knows that the house is haunted before she moves in, but the idea of living in a haunted house fascinates her; and she's fascinated further when she finds herself falling in love with the ghost of the previous owner.

It has to be said that, with the characters, what you see is pretty much what you get. Gene Tierney, whom I'm becoming a bigger fan of every time I see one of her movies, is the headstrong widow - while Rex Harrison is the cantankerous seaman. The characters mostly bathe in their own traits, but this helps the film immensely as it means that it's their relationship that always takes centre stage, and that is the biggest draw of the film. The film is very romantic, but it never gets dull or sappy. The ending brilliantly shows the film in its best light, as it's as heart-warming and tragic as the film deserves. Aside from romance, there's a strong comedy element in the film - and the best is often made of that, most notably in the hilarious sequence that sees the in-laws visit our heroine's new house. One thing I love about old films is the way that they show how different things are nowadays - this is best shown here by the fact that, in one scene, Rex Harrison is told off for swearing; after saying 'blast'. Overall, this is an excellent and criminally under seen movie that comes with high recommendations!