Blithe Spirit

At the home of a novelist Charles Condomine, a quiet evening turns into a spectacle when a seance meant to spark material draws in a glamorous ghost. Charles and his second wife Ruth attend a session led by a lively medium, who unknowingly summons Elvira, the writer's first wife. Elvira proves to be a dazzling presence, winking at memories and reigniting old passions while clashing with Ruth's steady pragmatism. The living mingle with the supernatural as Elvira's charm complicates conversations, provokes jealousy, and turns a routine gathering into a comic test of wit and nerve. The film keeps the mood light with brisk dialogue and situational humor, while quietly probing desire, memory, and the price of clinging to the past.

Directed by David Lean and released in 1945, Blithe Spirit adapts Noel Coward's stage play for the screen with witty fantasy and sharp dialogue. Rex Harrison stars as Charles, with Constance Cummings as Ruth and Kay Hammond as Elvira, nicely.

Box office data from this period isn't readily documented; the film was produced as a British American collaboration and played to receptive audiences, though exact grosses from the era are hard to verify today and vary by territory.

Margaret Rutherford's quirky Madame Arcati became a memorable foil in British comedy, and the film marks a clear example of David Lean's range beyond epic storytelling. It helped bring Noel Coward's wit to cinema and influenced later stage to screen adaptations, with Rutherford's performance often highlighted in retrospectives, screenings, and fan tributes.

Critics praised the brisk pacing, sparkling dialogue, and the way the supernatural premise doubles as a satire of marriage and social manners. The film balances farce with light fantasy while asking how past desires shape present choices, and how memory colors reality. Its humor feels timeless even as fashions shift.