Blithe Spirit (1945): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Blithe Spirit is a 1945 fantasy comedy directed by David Lean, starring Kay Hammond as Elvira Condomine, Rex Harrison and Margaret Rutherford. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $169 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 36m (96 min)
- Director
- David Lean
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Noel Coward-Cineguild
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Blithe Spirit About?
The premise of Blithe Spirit without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Elvira, a lively socialite, turns a simple evening into an unforgettable night. An English mystery novelist invites a medium to his home for a small séance, hoping to gather material for his book and expose her as a fraud. The session spirals into supernatural chaos, disrupting his marriage and thrusting everyone into paranormal turmoil.
Blithe Spirit Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- screwball comedy
- ghost
- comedy of manners
- author
- medium
- love triangle
- surprise ending
- reference to irving berlin
- accident
- reference to merlin
- quoting hamlet
- dark comedy
+38 more Show fewer
- sneeze from pepper
- seance
- parrot
- loss of wife
- jealousy
- hypnotism
- ex husband ex wife relationship
- domestic servant
- crystal ball
- car accident
- alcohol
- death
- begins with text
- man wears a tuxedo
- riding a bicycle
- dry martini
- chugging liquor
- rare steak
- spiritual medium
- breathing exercise
- cigar smoking
- moving a table
- reference to johannes brahms
- reference to sergei rachmaninoff
- gramaphone
- shadow
- touching fingers
- point of view camera shot
- reciting a nursery rhyme
- hearing a voice
- woman in a trance
- reference to little tommy tucker
- draft
- chills
- separate bedrooms
- sleeping on a sofa
- flower arrangement
- husband wife relationship
Blithe Spirit Cast & Characters
Kay Hammond leads the cast as Elvira Condomine, with Rex Harrison as Charles Condomine and Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati. Directed by David Lean; 10 actors are credited in all.
-
Director David Lean
- Kay Hammond as Elvira Condomine
- Rex Harrison as Charles Condomine
-
Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati - Constance Cummings as Ruth Condomine
Also Starring in Blithe Spirit
· 6 more- Hugh Wakefield Dr. George Bradman
- Joyce Carey Violet Bradman
- Jacqueline Clarke Edith
- Noël Coward Narrator (uncredited)
- Johnnie Schofield R.A.C. Man Directing Traffic (uncredited)
- Marie Ault Cook (uncredited)
More from David Lean
More films directed by David Lean, best-rated first: Brief Encounter, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist.
Blithe Spirit Plot Summary
What happens in Blithe Spirit from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 2-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Seeking background material for an occult-based novel he is working on, writer Charles Condomine [Rex Harrison] invites the eccentric medium Madame Arcati [Margaret Rutherford] to his home in Lympne, Kent, to conduct a séance. The gathering includes Charles, his wife Ruth Condomine [Constance Cummings] and their guests, Dr. George Bradman [Hugh Wakefield] and Violet Bradman [Joyce Carey], who barely restrain their laughter as Arcati performs peculiar rituals and eventually slips into a trance. During the convulsive hush that follows, Charles hears the voice of his dead first wife, Elvira [Kay Hammond]. When he discovers that the others cannot hear her, he evasively passes off his odd behavior as a joke. Yet Arcati, recovered from her trance, is sure something extraordinary has occurred, even as everyone else denies it.
Full summary
The whole story of Blithe Spirit, scene by scene
Blithe Spirit Box Office
Blithe Spirit grossed $169 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$169
- International
- $169
Blithe Spirit Trailers & Videos
The trailer of Blithe Spirit.
How Well Do You Know Blithe Spirit?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What is the name of the writer who invites the medium to his home?
Cars in Blithe Spirit
3 cars on screen, including the 1938 Triumph Dolomite and the 1935 Terraplane De Luxe.
-
1938 Triumph Dolomite Important role -
1935 Terraplane De Luxe Minor role -
1936 Vauxhall 14 hp Light Six Minor role
Blithe Spirit Also Known As
21 alternative titles, including “To Poniron Pnevma” and “Колишня з того світу”.
- Also known as
-
- To Poniron Pnevma
- Колишня з того світу
- Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit
- L'esprit s'amuse
- Un espíritu burlón
- Vidám kísértet
- 欢乐的精灵
- Ben Çağırmadım
- Uma Mulher do Outro Mundo
- Spirito allegro
- Geisterkomödie
- Весёлое привидение
+9 more Show fewer
- Spiritul vesel
- Το Πονηρόν Πνεύμα
- Веселий привид
- 즐거운 영혼
- L’esperit burleta
- Min fru går igen
- บ้านหลอนวิญญาณร้าย
- Rozmarný duch
- 歡樂的精靈
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Blithe Spirit FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office and post-credit scenes of Blithe Spirit, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Blithe Spirit?
Blithe Spirit runs 1 hour 36 minutes (96 minutes).
When was Blithe Spirit released?
Blithe Spirit was released on April 5, 1945.
Who directed Blithe Spirit?
Blithe Spirit was directed by David Lean.
More films by David Lean Who is in the cast of Blithe Spirit?
Blithe Spirit stars Kay Hammond as Elvira Condomine, Rex Harrison as Charles Condomine and Margaret Rutherford as Madame Arcati, among 10 credited actors.
How much did Blithe Spirit make at the box office?
Blithe Spirit grossed $169 worldwide.
Does Blithe Spirit have a post-credit scene?
No. Blithe Spirit has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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