The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Excellent but underrated film

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The acting in this movie is really good.

THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR is a romantic comedy with a supernatural twist. The statuesque Gene Tierney moves into a seaside comedy only to discover that it's already occupied in the form of Rex Harrison's gruff but friendly ghost who has designs on her. Said ghost proceeds to interfere in Mrs. Muir's life in various ways while she seeks to get the upper hand and also falls in love with an Englishman, as played by George Sanders. This well-shot effort is slight but fine-looking, part of a way of similarly light and breezy supernatural films that came out in the late 1940s after the dark and devastating war days.

Copyright 13 June 1947 by 20th Century-Fox Film Corp. New York opening at the Radio City Music Hall: 26 June 1947 (ran one month). U.S. release: May 1947. U.K. release: 30 June 1947. London opening at the New Gallery: 25 May 1947. Australian release: 18 September 1947. 9,416 feet. 104 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Widow finds a caustic-tongued, yet romantic ghost in her rented house.NOTES: Charles Lang Jr was one of only three nominees for the year's prestigious Hollywood award for the best black-and-white Cinematography, yielding to Guy Green's Great Expectations.Shooting began on 29 November 1946 and was completed on 13 February 1947.COMMENT: Viewed today The Ghost and Mrs Muir does not hold up terribly well script-wise. But so beautifully photographed, every frame is a joy to look at, plus a marvelous, atmospheric score.Nor is there a childish indulgence in special effects. In fact, only one ghost dissolve in the whole film. Astute camerawork is always evident, such as the single take in which the camera pans from Tierney's sleeping face to the clock on the mantelpiece, tracks back to reveal a silhouette of Harrison, tracks forward with him as he advances towards Tierney, then spins back to the clock-face for a dissolve.Although very threatening, very atmospheric (aided by score and lighting, period sets and costumes), the script is not as witty or as clever as it self-indulgently thinks it is. In fact it's now rather familiar, even banal.Miscast too. Unbelievable that anyone as attractive as Tierney would have to depend on parlor-serpent Sanders (a late entrance, but he overdoes the superficial charm) for a beau, nor can we credit a publisher actually reading a MS even in gas-lit days. Tierney's performance is too wispy, too superficially nervous for the strong-minded Mrs Muir of the plot, whilst Harrison is too obviously genteel, despite the seemingly put-on expletives. Sanders is too hammy. A pity the principals were not chosen with the same care as the support cast.OTHER VIEWS: An off-beat romantic novel, directed with taste and intelligence. Besides Mankiewicz, a lot of the credit must go to the brooding, atmospheric music score of Bernard Herrmann and the fine art direction. The photography also strikes just the right note in its astute lighting: bleak but not horrifying, steering a very precarious course between nostalgia and fantasy. Perhaps its success lies in its lack of overt sentiment. A difficult exercise, uniquely and masterfully successful. -- JHR writing as Tom Howard.

This 1947 movie from 20th Century Fox, directed by Joseph L Mankiewicz, is certainly a heart-warming movie. In some ways it is comical, thanks to Rex Harrison's irascibility; he, in this movie once a sea captain, is the ghost of the house into which Lucy Muir (played so well by the very beautiful and appealing Gene Tierney) moves with her little daughter (performed by the precious Natalie Wood at about age nine.) Yes, you had to laugh at Harrison when he does become so unbearable toward Gene Tierney. But also, you had to feel for him when he does feel rejected by Mrs. Muir in the movie. For that reason it is difficult to say whether it should be placed under the rubric of comedy or romance. Definitely, I could feel no sympathy for the character George Sanders portrayed, a man who was disgusting and two-faced. Bernard Herrmann's music, beautiful but haunting, contributed well to the eeriness sometimes found in this production. The turn-of-the-century London was depicted fairly well. Truly, Tierney and Harrison clicked so well, and for that and other reasons it is a movie with magnetic appeal.

In 1900, a young widow (Gene Tierney) finds her seaside cottage is haunted...and forms a unique relationship with the ghost (Rex Harrison).While not the most celebrated film of its era, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" has a few accolades to its name. The film received a 1947 Academy Award nomination for Cinematography, though it did not win (and rightly so). The American Film Institute (AFI) has included it among its lists, including "100 Passions" and nominations for "Film Scores" and "Fantasy Film".The horror aspects are very light, despite taking place in a haunted house. A realtor and some nosy in-laws are scared off, but for the most part the ghost of the captain is just salty, not actually violent or malicious. He is somewhat possessive, though, forcing Mrs. Muir to go decades without any romantic pursuits.In some ways, this film might be dated and may not appeal to today's audiences. Whether or not Mrs. Muir is a strong woman is hard to say, and the way the maid is treated is rather insulting. But it is not a bad movie, and a good example of the early directing talents of Joseph Leo Mankiewicz, who would go on to make "All About Eve" (1950). (Incidentally, Mankiewicz had previously directed Gene Tierney in "Dragonwyck" alongside Vincent Price.)