Elvira is the kind of gal who can turn an evening into a night you'll never forget!
While holding a séance for skeptical novelist Charles Condomine, self-proclaimed 'spiritualist medium' Madame Arcati inadvertently summons the spirit of his deceased first wife Elvira, leading to an increasingly complex love triangle with Ruth, his current wife of five years.
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Character
Intimate, comic, classical in form and warm.
- intimateepic
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- warmbleak
- cooloverwhelming
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jul 20227/10
You can't really go wrong with David Lean adapting Noël Coward in a film about poor old Rex Harrison ("Charles") and three on-form women: two of whom he married - Constance Cummings ("Ruth)" and Kay Hammond ("Elvira") and the other is the source of most of his woes - spiritual medium Margaret Rutherford ("Madama Arcati"). Right from the start, the pace of the dialogue is witty and engaging. Harrison - who can be terribly wooden on occasion, is well up for this spiritual lark as a seance at his home - under the supervision of the dotty Rutherford - releases his former wife "Elvira" back into his life where only he can see her; and she decides to cause the maximum amount of mayhem for her former husband and his new wife "Ruth". The nature of the story keeps the cast small, and the action is end-to-end with plenty to make you smile as well to appreciate the dynamics of wedded "bliss". It's a dream - though more of a nightmare for Rex!
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Cast
- Rex HarrisonCharles Condomine
- Constance CummingsRuth Condomine
- Kay HammondElvira Condomine
- Margaret RutherfordMadame Arcati
- Hugh WakefieldDr. George Bradman
- Joyce CareyViolet Bradman
- Jacqueline ClarkeEdith
- Marie AultCook (uncredited)
- Johnnie SchofieldR.A.C. Man Directing Traffic (uncredited)
- Noël CowardNarrator (uncredited)
Crew
- David LeanDirector
- Noël CowardScreenplay
- David LeanScreenplay
- Ronald NeameScreenplay
- Ronald NeameDirector of Photography
- Richard AddinsellOriginal Music Composer
- Jack HarrisEditor
- Noël CowardProducer
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Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Heartbreak Kid 197281% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, intimate.
Trouble in Paradise 193278% alikeBoth classical in form, intimate, comic.
The Palm Beach Story 194277% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, warm.
The Ladykillers 195577% alikeBoth comic, intimate, classical in form.
The Front Page 197477% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, cool.
The Awful Truth 193776% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, warm.
Kiss Me, Stupid 196476% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, intimate.
My Man Godfrey 193675% alikeBoth comic, classical in form, warm.
Crisis in Six Scenes 201677% alikeTelevision · Both comic, intimate, classical in form.
The Matter of the Monster 201174% alikeGame · Both intimate, comic, warm.
Often watched with
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