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The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

What’s the Story?

Reviewed by Scott G. Mignola

After her husband dies, Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) heads for the English coast with her daughter (Natalie Wood) to rent a cottage overlooking the ocean. A surly sea captain (Rex Harrison) haunts the place, but once Lucy and the ghost get to know each other, Lucy's initial fear subsides and the two settle into a comfortable friendship. Captain Gregg remains a secret to all in the house but Lucy. Rather than have her leave when her inheritance runs out, the ghost comes forward with a proposition: he'll narrate, and she'll write the story of his seafaring life. The book's success allows her to buy the house, but what about these feelings she's developed for Gregg? Is it ridiculous -- is it even possible -- to love a ghost?

Is It Any Good?

5

This classic 1947 romance will charm both adults and children with its notion that spirits, when properly understood, can be helpful, kind, and even lovable. The dead and rather salty sea captain uses typical scare tactics to rid his house of strangers, but only until he finds a tenant that suits him. Lucy finds living with a ghost more quaint than frightening. It's the evolution of this peculiar friendship that makes the movie so endearing, and something that even a skittish youngster can enjoy without suffering from eventual nightmares.

 

Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz steeps the story in atmosphere with the assistance of two Hollywood greats, cinematographer Charles Lang and Hitchcock composer Bernard Herrmann (Vertigo). Darkly romantic, with somber, thought-provoking moments, the movie is a far cry from the TV comedy series it inspired 20 years later.

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