★★
Blithe Spirit must rank among the most trivial of David Lean’s
work, and it’s safe to guess that it’s not Noel Coward’s star achievement
either. This film takes the interest in
spiritualism, already gently mocked in the character of Sylvia in This Happy
Breed, and turns it into the butt of full scale wit. Exaggerated characters strike poses and
engage in repartee, but overall the film lacks punch or insight. Or,
for that matter, originality. Blithe
Spirit putters along like a stylized, commercial theatrical production, telegraphing
its next plot turn well in advance.
Lean doesn’t rise above this material either. Sight gags and double exposures work to
create some interest, but Lean’s editing acumen and Ronald Neame’s
cinematographic touch are largely absent here. There’s even a continuity
problem as the driver and passenger in a car inexplicably switch places at one cut. There is some nice use of color palette in
the Technicolor – Elvira’s green complements the colors of the first séance,
and Ruth’s subdued orange blend nicely with her room – but there’s little to
distinguish the color scales here from those in other Technicolor productions
of the time.
As my friend Lou says, this film lacks spirit.
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