Respond to these rapid questions in our Blithe Spirit quiz and we will tell you which Blithe Spirit character you are. Play it now.
Because Edward Hall’s new adaptation of Noel Coward’s play Blithe Spirit is so blatantly unfunny, audiences unfamiliar with the script’s prior success may wonder why it was ever a success in the first place. Blithe Spirit is an adaptation of the play Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward. This is by far the most egregious of the film’s flaws. Cowardice necessitates deftness of touch and steely nerves. Characters with glittering carapaces of dazzling verbal weaponry, his characters are as witty as they are heartless. They are self-absorbed, impulsive, and unconcerned about the consequences of their actions. When Coward is performed poorly, the plays come across as arch and stilted, with the characters appearing as paper cut-outs representing generalized haughty attitudes in general. It’s all about the style and nothing about the substance. There’s nothing better than a well-done Coward performance, and you’ll know it when you see it. Unfortunately, Coward is nowhere to be found in this new version of the story. Even his most famous dialogue fails to make an impression. In fact, the writing team of Piers Ashworth, Meg Leonard, and Nick Moorcroft has made numerous “improvements” to the script, none of which are beneficial to the overall storyline.
Charles (Dan Stevens) is an award-winning crime fiction author who has been commissioned to adapt one of his novels into a screenplay. Charles is suffering from writer’s block (the opening scene is reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s performance in “The Shining”), and his wife Ruth (Isla Fisher) has grown tired of his outlandish behavior. Ruth is also embarrassed because her father, who works as a producer at Pinewood Studios, is the one who recommended Charles for the position. After witnessing a stage performance by a medium named Madame Arcati (Judi Dench), Charles is inspired to incorporate elements of the occult into his script. She is invited to his home in order to perform a seance by Madame Arcati (for research purposes). In her first attempt, Madame Arcati, an open fraud, conjures up Elvira (Leslie Mann), Charles’ first wife, an American woman who died in a riding accident. This is her first and only success in her career. But Elvira was more than just Charles’s sweetheart; she was also his writing muse, the one who inspired him to come up with his story ideas in the first place.
Elvira, who has returned from the dead, is enraged that Charles has moved on with another woman, and she sets out to cause as much havoc as she can in the process. In the blink of an eye, Charles recalls his old passion for Elvira, and before you know it, the two of them are sneaking away for cocktails and script conferences, just like they used to do in the olden days, with Elvira effectively writing his script for him. (This new adaptation makes an awkward attempt to make a point about the historical practice of men taking credit for women’s work.) Ruth, in a state of desperation, petitions Madame Arcati to send Elvira back to where she came from. Madame Arcati has been given a dripping backstory in this new version: allegedly, Arcati became interested in mediumship in order to communicate with her deceased husband, whom she misses and still loves, and who she kisses his photograph before going to sleep. The narrative keeps circling back to Madame Arcati, and every time it does, the film, which is already struggling to get off the ground, sinks deeper into quicksand once more.
Leslie Mann comes the closest to capturing the essence of Coward’s style. Her Elvira is ruthless, beautiful, and unconcerned about the feelings of anyone else around her. She is determined to obtain what she desires. Ruth’s behavior becomes more erratic, and Mann’s smile becomes wider. Mann, a gifted comedienne, manages to keep the plates spinning in the air at the same time. Everyone else, on the other hand, is suffocating in a sea of self-pity. Charles is feeling sorry for himself because he is unable to write any longer. Ruth is depressed because Charles is cheating on her with a ghost, and she feels sorry for herself. The fact that Madame Arcati has been unable to conjure up her deceased husband has caused her to feel sorry for herself. Self-pity is not only uninteresting (it’s a very weak choice in general), but it’s also unfunny, and “Blithe Spirit” is supposed to be a comedy, so it’s a poor choice for this scene. There’s nothing amusing about a group of people whining about their lot in life, is there? There are many things about Coward’s characters that aren’t true about them, but one thing they aren’t is self-pitying.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Blithe Spirit quiz.
Giving everyone the default setting of “self-pity” is a major problem, but the manner in which Hall has chosen to film Elvira as a ghost is an even bigger problem. In onstage productions, the audience can, of course, see Elvira in person. This is where the comedic elements come into play. The audience is able to see what Charles is seeing. While we are aware that she is present, and we are confident that Charles is not going insane, no one else can see her. It’s amusing to imagine how insane Charles must appear to those who aren’t in on the joke. Hall, on the other hand, changes the point of view of the scenes as they progress. Sometimes we see what Charles sees (because Elvira is present), and sometimes we see what Ruth sees (because she is present) (Elvira is not there). Sometimes computer-generated imagery (CGI) is used, such as when a lipstick floats in the air, destroying a photograph, or when the piano plays itself. But that’s just a trick of the light. It completely deflates the comedy. “Now you see her, now you don’t” only serves to draw attention to the undeniable fact that you should be laughing, but aren’t, by bringing it to your attention.
Despite the fact that there are a lot of long shots of people just standing around talking to each other, the framing is surprisingly inert. Despite the fact that Charles and Ruth’s home is designed to look like a cross between Art Deco and “Miami Vice,” none of the interiors are ever explored for their comedic potential. Everything has the feel of an old-fashioned sit-com, with people entering and exiting rooms, nothing “added,” no comedic bits, no character business, and no inventive blocking, to name a few characteristics. Even a couple of pratfalls in the old-fashioned manner would have been appreciated. Music plays in the background of every scene, adding to the bland, generic atmosphere.
Blithe Spirit Quiz
Since its first West End production in 1941, Blithe Spirit has been in continuous production around the world. The play is a mainstay of American theatre, appearing in regional repertory theaters as well as community theaters across the country. It is also revived on Broadway and in the West End on a regular basis. If you’ve seen it in action, you know it’s effective. While the David Lean adaptation, starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Rutherford, Constance Cummings, and Kay Hammond in a starring role, is charming, a few things are lost in translation as well in the film version. (It didn’t do well at the box office.) It’s possible that Blithe Spirit simply performs better in front of a live audience.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Blithe Spirit quiz.
Once upon a time, Coward said:
“Take, for example, the general public. It should never be feared or despised. If you must shock it every now and then, do so gently and gently. Make it laugh and make it cry. But, above all else, do not bore the living daylights out of it.”
About the quiz
It’s sound advice, but it’s advice that the new adaptation chose to ignore.
Also, you must try to play this Blithe Spirit quiz.
Select theaters and digital platforms are currently showing the film.
For more personality quizzes check this: The Emperor S New Groove Quiz.
