The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) - film review

Recently widowed, Mrs Lucy Muir decides to leave her in-laws in London and start a new life, with her young daughter, by the seaside.  Against the advice of an estate agent, she chooses to rent a house that is haunted – by the ghost of a bawdy sea captain, Daniel Gregg.  The widow is undeterred when the mischievous spectre begins to taunt her and, in time, they reach an amiable understanding.  When Lucy’s only income is lost, Gregg comes up with a solution that will allow her to continue paying her rent – she will write up his memoirs as a best selling book.   Whilst visiting a publisher in London, Lucy meets another writer, Miles Fairley, who is instantly taken with her.  Although she is fond of Gregg, Lucy admits that, as a possible suitor, Miles has one clear advantage over him: he is flesh and blood. Unfortunately, this also has a down side...

If the The Ghost and Mrs Muir were to be made today, it would almost certainly be an unedifying spectacle of schmaltz, zany comedy and soulless CGI special effects.  The charm of the original 1947 film lies almost entirely in its simplicity and self-restraint, which tacitly downplays the fantasy element of the story and makes it easy for an audience to suspend disbelief.  The result is a film that is both poignant and lyrical, but with a lightness of touch which makes it thoroughly enjoyable.  For a Hollywood offering, it is surprising how quintessentially English the film feels, even with its largely English cast and quaint seaside setting.

Charles Lang’s moody and evocative cinematography gives the film its chiaroscuro dreamlike character, which Bernard Herrmann’s haunting score alternately undercuts and accentuates in a way that suggests a conflict between the natural and supernatural.   Of course, the film’s main selling point is the sublime pairing of Gene Tierney with Rex Harrison. Their on-screen rapport is about as perfect as it could be, with both actors picking up each other’s mannerisms and modes of speech in a way that is so obviously suggestive of a blossoming love affair.  Tierney has rarely looked so beautiful, nor Harrison so charming, and together on screen you have no doubt that their characters were just meant for one another.  With so much going for this film, it is clearly one of the career highpoints for director Joseph L. Mankiewicz.  In the late 1960s, Hope Lange and Edward Mulhare starred in a popular television series that was based on this film, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir.

© James Travers 2008

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