Overview
A whimsical tale of love and the supernatural unfolds with comedic flair.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- whimsical
- playful
- classic film night
- theater adaptation night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard David Lean's adaptation of Noël Coward's comedy as a witty, stylish classic, especially when Margaret Rutherford dominates the screen.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Elvira's return from beyond the grave turns Charles and Ruth's marriage into a comic three-way conflict.
Charles, Ruth, Elvira, and Madame Arcati trade urbane, sharply timed dialogue in the Condomines' home.
Charles and Ruth arrange Madame Arcati's séance as research for his book, inadvertently summoning Elvira.
The film presents Elvira's supernatural presence and the séance through refined period production design and comic visual effects.
Films like Blithe Spirit, and why
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
shared elegant period setting, supernatural premise, and witty romantic farce
The Importance of Being Earnest
shared british drawing-room comedy, eccentric characters, and playful fantasy
The Ghost Breakers
shared sophisticated marital comedy disrupted by an unconventional supernatural or fantastical presence
Movie Details
- Director
- David Lean
- Release Date
- 1945-04-05
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (170)
Cast
- Rex Harrison
- Constance Cummings
- Kay Hammond
- Margaret Rutherford
- Hugh Wakefield
- Joyce Carey
- Jacqueline Clarke
- Marie Ault
- Johnnie Schofield
- Noël Coward
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Blithe Spirit about?
- A novelist's casual séance summons his mischievous first wife, turning an elegant English household into a supernatural marital battleground.
- What is Blithe Spirit like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blithe Spirit as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Blithe Spirit violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Blithe Spirit as mild.
- What did critics think of Blithe Spirit?
- Critics broadly regard David Lean's adaptation of Noël Coward's comedy as a witty, stylish classic, especially when Margaret Rutherford dominates the screen.
- Which films are like Blithe Spirit?
- Films with a similar feel include The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, The Importance of Being Earnest, and The Ghost Breakers.
- How long is Blithe Spirit?
- Blithe Spirit runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Blithe Spirit?
- In United States, Blithe Spirit streams on fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max.
