| The Ghost And Mrs Muir [1947] | ![The Ghost And Mrs Muir [1947]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YRJKST04L._SL160_.jpg)
 enlarge | Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Actors: Gene Tierney, Rex Harrison, George Sanders, Edna Best, Vanessa Brown
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Category: Video
Buy New: £14.99
New (2) Used (9) from £3.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 5592
Format: Black & White, Pal
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Universal, suitable for all
Media: VHS Tape
Running Time: 100 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
EAN: 5024165514641
ASIN: B00004CQ1U
Theatrical Release Date: June 26, 1947
Release Date: March 6, 1995
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: brand new and SEALED TAPE MINT this title is very rare new as pictured copy mint prompt despatch from uk[PAL VHS]
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| Customer Reviews:
Like the Fading of the Stars April 12, 2007
There are soundtracks and there are orchestrations. "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" is neither. Some movies reach the haunting by cinematography, others by acting. "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," requires neither. Herrmann does it all.
There is a strain of person who finds the melancholy the fairest flower for its deep emotion and sweet beauty, and there are those who have no sense of it whatsoever. If you are of the first persuasion, then this soundtrack will fill you with sublime longing as few other things can. In, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," Herrmann created a theme that surpasses this excellent film all on its own. It's a great movie, make no mistake, Gene Tierney shines above every other role she's played, however her foil isn't Rex Harrison at all; it's Herrmann's scoring. Like, "Lawrence of Arabia," there are two stars in the film, the acting star and the score.
And what a score. If you've ever felt the pull of years, the depth of the hours, the elation and fear of every passing moment, then you'll feel as though Herrmann scored this film with the grand terribleness of life itself. There is nothing like it in cinema. At once the score begins with a quiet etude that segues into a simple happy lilt for a time but then moves into a forboding, grand delight of magnificent beauty and longing. The story of Lucy Muir's inner life, her feelings of not being quite alive, are all wrapped in Herrmann's score. Some have labeled it, "gothic," others have just labeled it brilliant; in any event, Herrmann has pulled more out of his score than either Tierney or Harrison have. Against such accomplished actors, this is no small feat.
If you have any sense of beauty in the passing of time, and the brillicance of love just beyond reach, of longing past life itself, then this score, all on its own, will illuminate you. There is a terrible force, a reaching desire, an unfulfilled love. Like nothing else, "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," is a tantalus of bewitching quality. There is subltely, pastoral quietude, and above all, the lush desire of a love that cannot be consumated.
This is one of the greatest film scores or, on its own merits alone, one of the greatest orchestral examples of unrequited love ever brought to music.
An unvarnished love story July 14, 2005
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Widowed Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney) is being stifled by female in-laws. In her efforts to escape she needs to find something affordable for her and her daughter Anna (Natalie Wood.) It turns out to be a perfect (large) cottage by the see with the view obscured by a knarly monkey tree. Soon she realizes she is not a lone. The ghost of the former owner, Captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), refuses to give up the house. Lucy also refuses to be frightened off. So the have to make arrangements. In the process they get to know each other and form affection. Looks like Lucy's funds are running out; so she with the help of the captain (a ghost writer) writes his memoirs as "Blood and Swash" to be published. In the process of getting the book published she meets a not so dead Uncle Neddie (George Sanders.) (Exit Captain Gregg) Uncle Neddie has a few surprises of his own. Now she is starting to believe she made up the captain. Years later here daughter now grown (Vanessa Brown) will tell her that she too knew the captain.
You will want to watch and see how all this comes about and find out how it will all turn out.
Romantic Comedies Don't Come Better Than This. June 5, 2005
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Edwardian widow, Gene Tierney, flees her overbearing in-laws to buy a small cottage by the sea. With small daughter and maid in tow, the formidable Mrs Muir sets up home in this idyllic setting. However, the house is haunted by the ghost of a sea captain, who doesn't much care for women invading, what he still sees, as his home. At first, the uncouth captain (played with bearded handsomeness by Rex Harrison) tries to scare off the beautiful widow, but to no avail. She is tough and unmoving. A bickering friendship then begins to develop between the prim lady and the worldly-wise sailor. She agrees to write the captain's memoirs for him (a great success). Gradually unspoken feelings begin to deepen between the two, despite the obvious impossibility of their relationship. Eventually Mrs. Muir meets a charming writer who manages to seduce her. You know this guy is no good, because he's played by George Sanders (the arch cad of many Hollywood films). What I love about this film is that it starts off as a light comedy, but as the film progresses, the mood darkens, and then darkens again. The years roll by, while Bernard Herrman's romantic and doom-laiden music, crashes like waves on a beach. The ending is tragic, uplifting and very, very moving.
A quiet, quite charming romantic comedy August 2, 2004
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
A quiet, quite charming romantic comedy from director Joseph L Mankiewicz, who later directed "All About Eve". A widow (Gene Tierney) decides to leave her husband's family and move to the sea side. There she moves to a house where a captain (Rex Harrison) had live and die and she falls in love with his ghost. Although not much happens in the film, you still can't help falling in love with it. Gene Tierney is lovely, Rex Harrison is close to top form, George Sanders is at his slimy best and look for a very young Natalie Wood as Gene Tierney's daughter. The DVD looks very good and sounds quite good as well, doing justice to one of Bernard Herrmann's best and most famous scores. Let yourself fall in love with it.
A ghostly love story October 7, 2000
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
I love movies about impossible love, and this is one of my favourites. Lucy Muir, a young widow with a daughter, moves into Gull Cottage by the sea, and encounters the ghost of the former owner, Captain Gregg. He tries to frighten her into leaving, but she stays, and they fall in love. The beautiful soundtrack is full of the sounds of the sea, the seagulls and the melancholy of a love story which can't be resolved. Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney are perfect in their roles, and the supporting cast are wonderful, particularly Edna Best as Martha.
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