Review of The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) by Lisa T — 07 Nov 2007

A beautiful and quite surreal love story.

I have a bit of a problem with Rex Harrison. He tends to shout ALL the time and he is a bit of a ham - apart from the odd exception (his deeply human Caesar in the mess that was CLEOPATRA, stood head and shoulders above all the dirge and kitsch which all sinks into mediocraty when he's not around anymore) But here, his performance is spot on - his gruff and occasionally quite aggressive manner is more to do with the character's vulnerability and so feels more tender and poignant instead of arrogant and pompous. I'm with Gene Tierney on this one - I would fall in love with him too! Tierney is great casting also (as usual, under the right director, she gives a luminous performance) - capturing perfectly her character's steely veneer of independence - it slowly falling away as she falls under Daniel's spell.

Poor George Sanders doesn't get much of a look-in in a very small and quite pointless role. But other small roles are quite enjoyable - I particularly enjoyed Robert Coote as Mr Coombe - a British character actor usually typecast as caricature bumbling idiots, but here, he is quite warm and funny. The pursed-lipped and resentful in-laws are a delight as well - the scene where Lucy tells them to "push off!" is wonderful.

As ever, Herrmann's score enriches the story's emotional depth - which reaches a heavenly crescendo in the incredible ending as our hero and heroine disappear hand in hand into eternity! Amazing.