Blithe Spirit

About Blithe Spirit

While holding a séance for skeptical novelist Charles Condomine, self-proclaimed 'spiritualist medium' Madame Arcati inadvertently summons the spirit of his deceased first wife Elvira, leading to an increasingly complex love triangle with Ruth, his current wife of five years.

Blithe Spirit (1945) is a comedy fantasy film directed by David Lean. Rex Harrison appears as Charles Condomine, Constance Cummings as Ruth Condomine, Kay Hammond as Elvira Condomine, and Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati.

It runs 96 minutes and was released in April 1945. Written by Anthony Havelock-Allan and David Lean. It was produced by J. Arthur Rank Organisation. It is adapted from a stage production.

Shelv files it under married couple, author, exorcism, and widower. In the United States it streams on Criterion Channel, fuboTV, and HBO Max. It scores 6.9 out of 10 from 176 TMDB voters and it carries a NR rating.

A Haunting in Venice, Blithe Spirit, and Nightmare Alley make useful companions to Blithe Spirit, all filed under ghost, medium, and novelist.