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) (as R. A. Dick)

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 Muir
Victoria Horne	...	Eva Muir

Storyline

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Mrs. Edwin Muir - Lucy - widowed for one year, decides to move out of her controlling in-law's home in London to the English seaside with her adolescent daughter Anna and their long devoted maid Martha. Despite the rental agent trying to dissuade her, Lucy decides to rent Gull Cottage at Whitecliff-by-the-Sea. She learns first hand before she makes the decision the rental agent's hesitance is because the cottage is haunted, supposedly by its now deceased former owner, seaman Captain Daniel Gregg. After she moves in, she does meet the spirit of Captain Gregg face-to-face. Because she refuses to be scared away by his presence, the two come to an understanding, including that he will not make his presence known to Anna. As time progresses, the two develop a friendship and a bond. Despite his statements to her that she needs to live her life including finding another husband, Daniel seems not to approve of any of the men that enter her life, ...

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | based on novel | character name in title | captain | cottage | 

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Taglines:

Is Lucy Muir's love really a ghost, or is it a man of flesh and blood she yearns for?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 1947 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

L'aventure de Madame Muir

Filming Locations:

Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, Palos Verdes, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This same material was the basis of a 1968 sitcom starring Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare in the roles originally played by Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison. It ran for two seasons, one on NBC and one on ABC, and emphasized broad humor rather than the romantic elements of the film.

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Goofs

When Fairley takes the cab ride with Mrs. Muir, the raindrops on his hat change noticeably from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Captain Daniel Gregg: I was young, but I was never foolish. Inexperienced, perhaps. Curious, as young men are. Eager for adventure. I matured early.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: LONDON at the turn of the century.

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Connections

Edited into Spisok korabley (2008)

User Reviews

I discovered it because of the music, but love it for the story

I discovered this movie when a friend recommended that I listen to a recording of the score - by the vernerable Bernard Herrmann - and his score is indeed fine! But what keeps me coming back to this film is its heart and soul - and it is odd to be able to say that about a very proper Victorian mannered tale. It is a carefully structured story that would really be well suited for the stage. In particular, I love the comic relief in this film and its colourful supporting characters. Our heroine, Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney), is blithely courageous, though naive and against all advice lets a cottage on a bluff overlooking the ocean. The location is eerily remote and I'm continually struck by how spooky the setting is in the plain, bright light of day. The ghost of Captain Gregg (Rex Harrison) is at first brash and frightening but we come to find that he is a salt of the earth man of high principles.

Get over slick and callow modern film making and take a few steps back in time to watch this most charming and romantic of love stories well told on all sides: an ornate confection of a story, carefully and lovingly photographed, acted with aplomb and riding on top of a musical score that is as moving and powerful as the tides that beat throughout this film.

I find a personal connection to this story in that it takes me back to the days I lived on a northern island that was similarly beautiful though tinged with the bittersweet loneliness of a remote place awash in the deep undercurrents of sorrow and melancholy.