Blithe Spirit
- Director: Edward Hall
- Writer: Piers Ashworth; Noël Coward; Meg Leonard; Nick Moorcroft
- Producer: Hilary Bevan Jones; Meg Leonard; Martin Metz; Nick Moorcroft; Toni Pinnolis; Adrian Politowski; Peter Snell; James Spring
CGiii Comment
When you think of Noël Coward, two words immediately come to mind: Wit and camp.
This witless rendition of Mr Coward's stalwart repertory play has had all of its life sucked out of it...even Dame Judi struggles with the lamentable re-writes.
Comedy is, alas, not Dan Stevens' forte...to be fair, all the actors are unable to play to their strengths...and that can only be the fault of one person, the director.
Edward Hall is [and always will be] a television director, this mismanaged foray into the world of feature film will, undoubtedly, be his last. Really...there is not one laugh to be had.
Why take a classic script and rip it to shreds? It's not as if this Blithe Spirit has been bashed with modernity...it [still] is set in the same time frame as the original.
Who wants a bland blancmange when you can have an intoxicating trifle? Watch the 1945 version instead...where all the stars revel in the wit.
The only star in this re-make...is the house!
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
A spiritualist medium holds a seance for a writer suffering from writer's block but accidentally summons the spirit of his deceased first wife, which leads to an increasingly complex love triangle with his current wife of five years.
Cast & Characters
Isla Fisher as Ruth Condomine
Dan Stevens as Charles Condomine
Leslie Mann as Elvira Condomine
Judi Dench as Madame Arcati
Emilia Fox as Violet Bradman
Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Edith
Julian Rhind-Tuttas Dr. Bradman
James Fleet as Harry Price
Simon Kunz as Henry Mackintosh
Michele Dotrice as Edna
Colin Stinton as Cecil B De Mille
Adil Ray as Mandeep Singh
Callie Cooke as Googie Withers
Dave Johns as Howard
Georgina Rich as Hedda Hopper