Blithe Spirit [DVD]

The film is based on a play by Noel Coward, and apparently Mr Coward was not impressed with what David Lean made of his play. One wonders why, because it's not a bad little film. Charles Condomine (Rex Harrison) and his second wife Ruth are plagued by the ghost of the first Mrs Condomine. To get rid of the mischievous spirit, they invite a local medium for a seance. The kooky medium is played by the inimitable Margaret Rutherford who rather steals the show with her spirited performance. However, rather than getting rid of the troublesome ghost, the blithe spirit now becomes visible to her former husband and causes even more mischief in the Condomine household.The ghost story is played purely for fun, it's all comedy without any frightening moments and the atmosphere is light throughout. Made in 1945, this is one of David Lean's early films, and while it's fun to watch on a quiet evening in, it's remarkable only for the then latest special effects - which are of course terribly basic by today's standards.I don't know if there is much point reviewing the DVD itself since I received a different version from the one ordered (I ordered the ITV release with the black and white cover photo and I received the Carlton release with the coloured picture of the original poster). This is probably due to an error by the seller, but it is of no consequence to me and I didn't bother following it up. The following part of my review is based on the Carlton release: The picture is good and the colours are strong and vibrant. The sound quality is excellent and subtitles for the hard of hearing are available. The aspect ratio is 4 : 3 full frame, which in this case seems to be the original format, not a cropped version.

I didn't notice it was a made in Portugal. Was not my fault that, although it was stated as being a film it was infact, avideo recording of a very amateur hammy play. Very unhappy that I cannot cancel this item after only watching for 1 minute and then realised sing I had been conned.

Movies from a different time where people and life was much gentler are my absolute favourites. This is the first film I ever saw as a youngster on the old Sunday afternoon movies on mainstream tv back in the 1970's. Loved Margaret Rutherford as the spiritualist in this movie and that led me on to the Miss Marple movies and then onto anything with Alistair Sim in. This movie is lovely to watch for devotees of 1940's fashion as well.

Terrible just terrible, not a film , its a play in Spanish, i was expecting a new version of the old film , it was just actors playing in the same room on the stage all the way through , i watched 10 mins and turned it off , might as well as burned my money !

I love this film!! It is a personal opinion so I can't really say why I like it so much..The quality of the actual DVD is as expected and it is in colour although the cover is in Black and White. I wanted the film in colour so I am very happy with this purchase.

I absolutely love this film. I adore Rex Harrison as the increasingly flustered and panicked husband, caught between the dead wife and the new wife. I love Margaret Rutherford in just about anything, but she excels as the dotty medium who unwittingly conjures the spirit of wife number one, starting a whole load of trouble. The plot is fast-paced and witty, and the ending is very funny. It definitely counts as a classic in my view.

It's all about the film score and great acting firmly establishing the inter-relationships between the four principle roles. This 1942 version is sublimely played out by the cleaver doe-eyed Hollywood star Veronica Lake, and the strait-backed Fredric March. Sit tight for the fabulous portrayal of the psychic medium! You can see why this film is believed to be the inspiration behind the classic TV show 'Bewitched', and could be argued the forerunner for all subsequent similar genre, 'Buffy' et. al.

I saw this I don't like to think how many years ago, but put it this way, we rented a 16mm projector, and there was a tense wait while my father changed reels. I really am that old. (Must be said, it was already a classic, not a new release.)So I bought it on DVD thinking ah, this will be sweet and nostalgic and turn me back into a little girl for an hour or two. Actually, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like Noel Coward's plays, I love Margaret Rutherford (who is remarkably young and spry), the special effects were surprisingly good and it is eccentric English humour very nicely portrayed indeed, I recommend it as a delightful oddity.