The Canterville Ghost (1996)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Good concept, poorly executed.

A Masterpiece!

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

I enjoyed the story, and the beautiful English locations used in filming, but the main American characters (especially the parents) really were annoying. The smarmy dad blustered on and on about "physics" and ignored the obvious supernatural events, and the whole family,with the exception of Neve Campbell's character, seemed more or less like the kind of obnoxious, selfish tourists that blunder all over Europe and scream at people for not speaking English. They openly mock the beliefs and legends of the inhabitants of the village (and of the people who've lived in the home for generations) and never apologize for their boorish behavior even after it's been shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "ghost stories" were true the entire time. They basically invade a foreign country and then trash it for not being just like home, which is the kind of cultural tantalization Americans are (in)famous for. One wonders why the smug dad doesn't demand that they tear down the house and put up a Holiday Inn and convenience store, so little respect does he show to the area and its inhabitants.I realize when this story was written, the idea of "modern" Americans tackling the problem of a ghost must have seemed fresh and funny. Now, though, the film only highlights why so many other countries hold us in contempt. Indeed, the only sympathetic characters in the film are the ghost and the native British inhabitants; the loud, smug Americans, so arrogant that they fail to see that THEY are the deluded ones who ignore a very real ghost, come across like fingernails on a chalkboard: grating, painful, and woefully out of place.

Neve Campbell and her family (small brothers, sympathetic mum, physicist and cynic father) travel from America to England when he lands a lucrative research post, and almost immediately strange things begin to happen in the de Canterville ancestry home.Bumps and moans in the night, bloodstains, invisible hands on the shoulder - yes, there's a ghost about.Oscar Wilde's story takes shape beautifully in this TV version, one of the numerous adaptations of his tale for children. Patrick Stewart is the ghostly Simon de Canterville, doomed to walk the house at night for all eternity for his earthly crimes, and he is watchable, especially wrestling with the pride of 400 years dead and no one to bow and scrape around him.This being a fairy tale there's romance for Ginny as well in the shape of a local Duke (Daniel Betts) who is sympathetic to ghosts and very charming, as local Dukes so often are in these stories. Donald Sinden and Joan Sims play butler and housekeeper, shielding guilty secrets, and Leslie Philips appears briefly as the current representative of family de Canterville.Recommended for children and adults alike, 'The Canterville Ghost' is charming, touching, and with just the right amount of suspense. The Americans may be paint-by-numbers stereotypes, but that doesn't matter. Without Stewart, I might have rated this much lower, but it definitely deserves high points for his performance alone.

Despite what some people have said about this TV movie, it was my impression that it was simply magnificent. Patrick Stewart is in his Element in Shakespearean characterization and this is among his finest roles. Neve Campbell brought a warm sensitivity to the role of Virginia and gave a moving performance. The script was first rate, and contrary to what some have said, playing this story in a modern setting works remarkably. That is one of the strengths of great literature that it can be shaped to different times. I was riveted to this production, I having forty years or more since I saw the Charles Laughton version. I can highly recommend this version as a great film and a great family film.

This is a fun family movie. It is slightly scary in some parts but has a love conquers all theme to it. There is a steady plot, following closely to the original story. Some of the acting was cheesy and stiff but the interaction between the main characters makes up for the inexperience of the sideline actors. Patrick Stewart is a great ghost and plays the part with authenticity and bravado. His classical training really shines through in this film as he recites Shakepeare. Neve Campbell is Neve Campbell, you either like her or you don't. We bought it at Wal-Mart for $5 and it is worth the money to add it to our family collection.