BLITHE SPIRIT (2020)
Label: IFC Films
Region Code: A
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 99 Minutes
Audio: English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with Optional English Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (2.39:1)
Director: Edward Hall
Cast: Dan Stevens, Isla Fisher, Judi Dench, Leslie Mann, Emilia Fox, Julian Rhind-Tutt
Blithe Spirit (2020) Is a movie adaptation of the Noël Coward stage play from '41 which was previously adapted for film in '45 by David Lean. This new adaptation sticks true tot he source for the most part but goes slightly darker with an art-deco twist. In it best-selling crime novelist Charles (Dan Stevens TV's Legion) is suffering from a severe bought of writer’s block and is struggling to finish his first screenplay; an adaptation of one of his novels. His new wife Ruth (Isla Fisher, Wedding Crashers) does her best to keep him focused but suffers as well, as Charles sex-drive is seemingly blocked, too, and she cannot understand how it can be such a chore to adapt one's own novel. During a night out on the town Charles and Ruth attend a theater performance where they see eccentric mystic Madame Acarti (Judi Dench, Goldeneye) bomb at a live performance that exposes her as a fraud, which gives Charles a bit of inspiration. He then invites the down-on-her-luck medium to perform a séance in his home for himself, Ruth and friends Violet (Emilia Fox) and Dr. George (Julian Rhind-Tutt, Your Highness), hoping to use her as inspiration for his story. While Madame Acarti's séance appears to be a bust it turns out that she has managed to summon the spirit of the writer's first wife Elvira (Leslie Mann, This Is 40), who we learn was his writing muse, and quite a bit more.
When she reveals herself to Charles it turns out that only Charles can see her, leading to some fun verbal snafus as he attempts to talk to her in mixed company, with observers assuming he is a loon. Mann as the spirited ex is ready to pick up right where she left off, much to the dismay of current wife Ruth, who already has been living in the shadow of her husband's long dead wife. Now Charles finds himself stuck between his wife and his dead wife as they each vie for his attentions, with Charles's sanity slipping away in the process.
It's been quite a good long while since I saw the '45 adaptation but I do recall it being supremely witty and well-executed, and so to is this adaptation, up to a point. The cast are game for the witty repertoire, but the script struggles to maintain that level of wit consistently. That said, Dan Stevens as the writer caught between two wives is quite wonderful, and Isla Fisher as his well-meaning but suffering wife is sympathetic, and Leslie Mann as the spirited ex with a darker side is a total spark plug. Then we have Dame Judi Dench having a blast as the medium Madam Arcati who more or less stumbles into an actual supernatural event, much to her own surprise. It's a top-notch cast that even if the script doesn't completely rise to the occasion the rock-solid premise of the original play is steadfast and the ensemble cast of thoroughly entertaining, if not the screwball classic the original adaptation was.
The flick also has some fantastic period art-deco set design and costuming that brings the period film to life, each room is feast for the eyes and it's well shot by cinematographer
Ed Wild (London Has Fallen) and the score from Simon Boswell (Santa Sangre) is terrific.
Audio/Video: Blithe Spirit arrives on Blu-ray from IFC Films in 1080p HD framed in 2.39:1 widescreen with an abundance of vibrant colors and plenty of fine detail that showcases period costuming and dazzling period decor. Audio comes by way of English DTS-HD MA 5.1 with optional English subtitles that offers some nice atmospheric use of the surrounds, and we also get an audio descriptive track .
Extras include a 7-minute featurette with some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with cast and crew, plus a selection of IFC trailers. The single-disc release arrives in an eco-case with a non-reversible two sided sleeve of artwork featuring the original move poster on the a-side and a scene from the film on the reverse, plus we get a slipcover with the same artwork.
Special Features:
- Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (8 min)
- Audio Descriptive Track
- Trailer (2 min)
Blithe Spirit is a fun topsy-turvy comedy, along the lines of something like High Spirits (1988) or Haunted Honeymoon (1986), a totally charming, imperfect bit of wonderment that is sure to please anyone looking for a haunted comedy, it's might be featherweight but it's also a super-easy comedic distraction.
Screenshots from the IFC Films Blu-ray:
