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 There are few greater pains in life than having to say goodbye. To bid someone farewell is to cast one's world into disarray, especially when romance is on the line. As demonstrated by 1947's The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, the occasion need not always be a somber one. It's a film that approaches its premise with a level head and a jovial spirit, neither too stern nor overly sentimental. Starring Rex Harrison, Gene Tierney, George Sanders, Edna Best, Natalie Wood and Vanessa Brown, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is a wise and wry piece of work that deservedly ranks among the screen's most fulfilling love stories.
The scene is turn-of-the-century London, a time when Lucy Muir (Tierney) has had enough. A widow who's spent most of her days in the service of others, Mrs. Muir has decided to move away from her dour in-laws and live the rest of her life her way. With her daughter (Natalie Wood) and housekeeper (Edna Best) in tow, Mrs. Muir takes up residence in a seaside cottage with a bit of a history behind it. It seems that the home's previous owner, salty sea dog Captain Gregg (Harrison), is still hanging about and refuses to leave.
However, Gregg has been dead for some years now, though Mrs. Muir isn't the slightest bit unnerved by his gruff ghost. In fact, the two strike up an unusual alliance, which allows Mrs. Muir to live in the house spook-free in exchange for chronicling Captain Gregg's storied life in a book. But it's when the fetching widow finds a suitor (George Sanders) that she acknowledges growing feelings for the crusty captain, a love that not even death can prevent her from experiencing.
If this synopsis is ringing any bells, don't be alarmed. Although the living and those residing six feet under have been meeting in stories for eons, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir and its story could be seen as the blueprints for a recent spate of spiritual romances. But while Just Like Heaven, Over Her Dead Body, and many others have been content serving as cinematic sitcoms, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir embraces a bit more substance.
It's not a completely serious affair, but it does regard its characters with a great deal of respect, rather than as mere pawns to serve at the story's whim. Before love enters the picture, before Gregg rescues Mrs. Muir from debt with his biography, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz establishes the pair as equal and opposite forces. Each one as stubborn as the other, Mrs. Muir and Captain Gregg are plenty astute in their own ways, yet flawed enough to leave room for improvement. Seeing their relationship develop isn't so much a matter of thematic duty as it is a natural progression; simply put, they're two lonely souls who found one another when they needed them the most.
Though its premise may be rooted in fantasy, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir has no storytelling trappings that might fleece the characters of their humanity. Subtle special effects trickery is employed where Captain Gregg is concerned; a little "now you see him, now you don't" photography is convincing to viewers. The film works because the characters and their budding romance does, both aspects handled in a way that's beautiful in its simplicity.
Rex Harrison & Gene Tierney
Of course, the cast certainly helps keep the "out of this world" premise grounded on terra firma. As Mrs. Muir, Tierney is headstrong but likable, a radiant woman determined not to let her husband's death run her life. Similarly, Harrison's cantankerous captain never reaches a level of caricature, remaining a brusque but good-natured man who's as spry in death as he was alive. Sanders does very good work as the resident wild card, your inability to nail down his exact angle serving as a boon to the already rock-solid story.
Some movies are described as "dramedies," but rarely has such a style been pulled off as effortlessly as it has here. Rather than great because of an outstanding concept or earth-shatteringly great acting, once in a while all of a film's pieces will fall perfectly into place, enabling it to do its thing with the utmost perfection. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir is one of these pictures, a tale with wit and charm to spare that so happens to be very good at what it does.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writer: Philip Dunne (based on a novel by R.A. Dick)
Cast: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Natalie Wood, Vanessa Brown
Rating: No MPAA Rating (nothing offensive)
Classic Movie Guide Rating: 5 stars out of 5
Run Time: 104 minutes
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: Black-and-white, fullscreen
Photo credits: 20th Century Fox
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