Things go decidedly not as planned when she summons the spirit of his dead first wife kay hammond, a severe inconvenience for his current one. A spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writers block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years. Blithe spirit is een britse filmkomedie uit 1945 onder regie van david lean. The screenplay by lean, cinematographer ronald neame and associate producer anthony havelockallan is based on producer noel coward s 1941 play of the same name, the title of which is derived from the line hail to thee, blithe spirit. David leans delightful adaptation of noel cowards play may be a bit of a departure for lean, but its nevertheless a fun, if frothy film.
Blithe spirit is david leans 1945 film adaptation of a comical threeact play by noel coward. It drags in the final act, but this was a fun watch with the family. Things dont go quite as he planned when the seance works and successfu. While cowards witty dialogue and pungent take on the mores of the british upper crust cant help but elicit some smiles, as a whole blithe spirit feels like a film that is just going through the. Blithe spirit 1945 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Newlymarried mystery novelist charles condomine rex. Jun 15, 2019 publicity for the 1945 film version of blithe spirit with kay hammond, margaret rutherford and rex harrison. Met rex harrison, constance cummings en kay hammond. Oct 03, 2012 anyway, todays film is a refreshing reprieve after the horrors of black sabbath in that blithe spirit is a sweet little film about ghosts and the uppercrust english. Blithe spirit is interesting, if only to see david lean, the epic guy, go screwball. Many films that followed used various twists on the plot of blithe spirit, involving dead spouses or lovers.
Blithe spirit 1945 not rated 1h 36min comedy, fantasy 14 may 1945 uk charles sir rex harrison and his second wife, ruth constance cummings, are haunted by the spirit of his first wife, elvira kay hammond. Via a seance, harrison accidentally summons the spirit of his first wife, kay hammond. Please refer to the bbfc guidance for further help in your film choice. David lean, 1945 was the second of three noel coward adaptations produced by leans new company cineguild. Blithe spirit is a film directed by david lean with rex harrison, constance cummings, kay hammond, margaret rutherford, year. The noel cowarddavid lean combination which turned out such. Directed by david lean, starring rex harrison, kay hammond, constance cummings and. Judi dench and dan stevens raise the dead in noel cowards sparkling comedy first look.
In the noel coward play, a playwright invites a medium to his house so that he may observe the tricks of the trade to help write his new book. Rex harrison and margaret rutherford in blithe spirit 1945 kay hammond in. Blithe spirit is a 1945 british fantasycomedy film directed by david lean. Blithe spirit is a 1945 english fantasycomedy film directed by david lean. Following a seance held by a writer at his country house as part of the research for his new novel, the ghost of his late first wife materialises, who soon begins to cause trouble for him and his new wife. The cast included rex harrison as charles, constance cummings as ruth, kay hammond as elvira and margaret rutherford as madame arcati. 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 film is quite short ninety minutes in length but the action zips by at a great lick, proving once and for all if we did not already know it that blithe spirit is noel cowards greatest play, and remains indestructible, seventyfive years after its stage premiere. The screenplay by lean, cinematographer ronald neame and associate producer.
Blithe spirit was made into a 1945 film adapted by coward and directed by david lean. David leans delightful film version of noel cowards theater sensation stars rex harrison as a novelist who cheekily. Jun 25, 2019 the english villa that set the backdrop for comedy blithe spirit, the 1945 film adaptation of noel cowards prolific play of the same name, has hit the market in buckinghamshire, england. Blithe spirit, david leans delightful film version of noel cowards theater sensation onstage, it broke london boxoffice records before hitting broadway, stars rex harrison as a novelist who cheekily invites a medium margaret rutherford to his house to conduct a seance, hoping the experience will inspire a book hes working on.
Ronald neame, cofounder of the company alongside producer anthony havelockallan, was again the director of photography, and the film was another technicolor production. Newlymarried mystery novelist charles condomine rex harrison and his second wife ruth constance cummings are haunted by the ghost of his first wife, elvira kay hammond. Restoration supported by the david lean foundation. Region 1 playable in north america the us, canada, mexico, etc. The noel cowarddavid lean combination which turned out such dramas as brief encounter and this happy breed sets its sights on the viewers funny bone with blithe spirit. English villa that starred in 1940s oscarwinning film is. But same as that film and almost everything coward did from the 20s to the. The last of the coward vehicles, the romantic melodrama brief encounter 1945. The screenplay by lean, cinematographer ronald neame and associate producer anthony havelockallan is based on producer. Mar 29, 2012 this contemplation is at the crux of david leans blithe spirit 1945. Blithe spirit play, a 1941 comic play written by noel coward.
Medium madame arcati dame margaret rutherford tries to help things out by contacting the ghost. Rex harrison, constance cummings, margaret rutherford, kay. Noel cowards favourite play, blithe spirit, was certainly a departure for david lean, best known at the time for adapting dickens. Blithe spirit is a 1945 british fantasy comedy film directed by david lean. Rex harrison plays a novelist, newly married to straightlaced constance cummings. The play was an instant success when it debuted in london in 1941, and director david lean, who repeatedly collaborated with coward on film versions of his plays, brought the movie version to even greater popularity. Adapted from noel cowards beloved comedy of the same name, this looks to be judi. Lean has been criticized for not having a sense of humor, and coward accused him of botching his best play. Travel guide to filming locations for david leans film of noel cowards blithe spirit 1945, in buckinghamshire. Telling the story of a wealthy man whose seance with a loony medium accidentally conjures the ghost of his dead wife, blithe spirit is a spirited and entertaining postwar comedy that served as an antidote for a nation pulling themselves out of the rubble. See more ideas about film, spirit and margaret rutherford. This was a dark time for special effects, it appears. Based on noel cowards whimsical drawing room comedy, the film s screenplay by lean, ronald neame and anthony havelockallan sticks remarkably close to cowards original. The action is set at the condomines comfortable upper middleclass home in kent, and great care was taken to ensure the right look for the set.
Of course, this is oscarwinning by 1945 standards, which apparently means the academy could only find one other film worth nominating. Blithe spirit excels with fast paced dialogue and a very polite, very british way of depicting an outrageous story. Blithe spirit 1945 film, a british comedy film based on the play. Mar 11, 2020 in david leans 1945 film of noel cowards ghostly comedy blithe spirit, margaret rutherford memorably embodied the role of local spirit guide madame arcati but she was given a run. Madame arcati margaret rutherford, using her interlocutor daphne, runs the seance arranged by charles rex harrison, who s doing research for a novel, with his wife constance cummings and guests hugh wakefield, joyce carey, in noel coward s blithe spirit, 1945. The film won the academy award for best effects thomas howard i in 1947. With rex harrison, constance cummings, kay hammond, margaret rutherford. The film was not a commercial success, but is now regarded as perhaps the best film adaptation of a coward play. Rex harrison, constance cummings, kay hammond, margaret rutherford. It blends the dark in a way that you laugh despite the fact that people are actually dying. Blithe spirit 1945 written in less than a week during some of the darkest days of world war ii, noel cowards lighthearted ghost story blithe spiritwas a huge success on the london stage, running for nearly two thousand performances, a recordbreaking run that it held for three decades. The screenplay by lean, cinematographer ronald neame and. The screenplay by lean, cinematographer ronald neame and associate producer anthony havelockallan is based on producer noel cowards 1941 play of the same name, the title of which is derived from the line hail to thee, blithe spirit.
My final david lean, noel coward adaption i viewed was blithe spirit. Download free blithe spirit 1945 filmyzilla hollywood hindi dubbed mp4 hd full movies. With isla fisher, dan stevens, leslie mann, judi dench. Medium madame arcati tries to help things out by contacting the ghost. Not having seen a performance of the play, i can only say that blithe spirit is an insufferable film and a hard comedown from the earnestness and melodrama of this happy breed, the cowardlean collaboration which preceded it. Blithe spirit is one of david leans earliest films as a director. To get background for a new book, author charles and his second wife ruth lightheartedly arrange for local mystic madame arcati to give a seance.