The Noel Coward/
David Lean combination which turned out such dramas as
Brief Encounter and
This Happy Breed sets its sights on the viewer's funny bone with Blithe Spirit.
Rex Harrison plays a novelist, newly married to straight-laced
Constance Cummings. Via a seance, Harrison accidentally summons the spirit of his first wife,
Kay Hammond. Believing that Hammond wants to ruin his marriage, Harrison enlists the services of local medium Madame Arcati (
Margaret Rutherford) to exorcise Hammond's spirit. She fails, and in time, Harrison's second wife is killed; now he has two playful spirits on his hands! Technicolor is used throughout Blithe Spirit, with the ghosts' shimmering paleness providing contrast to the plain, everyday colors of Harrison's conservative country home. Blithe Spirit was later transformed into the Broadway musical High Spirits, with the original script bent out of shape to turn the character of Madame Arcati (played by
Beatrice Lillie) into the leading role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide