I Watch Movies: Blithe Spirit

 

Blithe Spirit

Based on the 1941 Noel Coward play of the same name, Charles, a crime writer, is having problems writing a film script and also with his wife Ruth; his deceased wife Elvira was his muse. In an effort to find inspiration he gets a medium, Madam Arcati, to come to his home and conduct a séance.

As might be expected this causes Elvira to manifest. Charles is the only one who can see her, leading to some fairly ridiculous misunderstandings. Elvira is somewhat jealous of Ruth, and this leads her to do some quite extreme things including causing some deaths.

This is funny because all of the people involved are frightfully witty and also terrible people.

Some fun Noel Coward wordplay, and some actual amusing irony (Charles declaring that he, a crime writer, doesn’t hold with fiction and fantasy is an example). I found it an enjoyable period farce.

Watch This: For a dark fantastic farce with much to enjoy
Don’t Watch This: If generally objectionable people trying and failing to deal with their problems and ending up badly is not amusing