This is a spooky ghost story, a romantic comedy, and a sweeping melodrama all rolled into one, and I loved it.

Released in 1947, the film tells the story of Mrs. Muir, played by Gene Tierney, a widow with a young daughter who moves from her in-laws house in the city to a remote house on the seaside in turn of the century England. She soon discovers to her delight that the place is haunted by the ghost of its former owner, the cantankerous Captain Gregg, played by Rex Harrison. When money troubles soon plague the young widow, she and the Captain decide to write a memoir of his life at sea. They grow to like each other and maybe even more if one of them wasn’t dead. 

The movie is beautiful. It has that golden age cinematography that I love. The lighting makes Captain Gregg look otherworldly and dreamy. Gene Tierney looks stunning and angelic with just the right amount of back lighting. What stuck out to me while watching was the way the camera is used to subtly enhance the subtext. When George Sanders enters the picture as flesh and blood rival for Mrs. Muir’s affections, the camera shoots him in such a way that it always appears as if he is interfering with her frame. He is always pushing his way into her close ups. He is an interloper and an aggressor in her life. It’s a smart and subtle way of reinforcing the character’s purpose in the film. This is accomplished in part because they give the characters space within the frame to move around one another, to listen to one another and to simply exist together in the same space. No cutting between close ups in rapid fire edits that do little to enhance the story or give the moments space to breath. They literally don’t make them like this anymore. 

I love Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison in this movie. She is a woman who has been told what to do her whole life and is finally asserting herself. She has a fiery quality that is so much fun. Her fire meets its match in Rex Harrison as the blustery bag of hot wind seaman who yells and carries on about his life at sea. His character arc is subtle, but it’s really effective. He begins the story as a ghost who refuses to leave his house and must have everything his own way. He ends the story as someone willing to give up the things that mean the most to him for the sake of someone he loves. He has his rough edges, but watching him grow incrementally through the story is so rewarding. The story absolutley moved me. The scene where Gregg describes sailing and all the things that they could have done together completely captured me. My heart breaks a little bit just thinking about it. 

The movie has a spooky opening with dark shadows, thunderstorms at night and candles being blown out by ghosts. It’s fun spooky stuff and works perfectly as a Halloween movie. But then the movie transitions into the romantic comedy of a woman living with a ghost. This transition is seamless. It just feels like a natural progression of their characters and their story. And it delivers some genuine laughs. A ghost driving potential suitors away literally is pretty funny. It then moves into sweeping melodramatic romance. And this is classic Hollywood melodrama where the characters feel the biggest feeling and experience dramatic reversals that you might see coming but still hit the heart when they come. The movie then becomes an introspective look at a woman’s life as she lives her days. It is a powerful passage of time. The movie is stunning. How it handles these transitions so smoothly, I don’t know. but I love it. 

The movie isn’t perfect, but it made me feel all the feelings. I’m willing to overlook a lot of flaws when a movie can play my emotions so effectively. I loved it. If you’re looking for an antidote to all the ghouls and monsters this October, check out this little ghost story. It might just give you chills in all the best ways. 

It is my cup of tea. A+