The set-up of this movie, with its strong woman hero and delightfully drawn supporting characters, promises great things. And as we putter up to Gull Cottage along its windswept seaside road we are indeed entranced. The first appearances of the ghost are marvelous, as two lonely, wary spirits strike a bargain and, without saying so, grow quite fond of one another.
But the ghost says what we know to be true and this dooms the movie to be less than it could have been: The widow can't have a living, breathing relationship with a ghost. And so, with a bit of Hollywood voodoo, he vanishes and makes her think it was all a dream.
When her one attempt at romance with a living man is dashed horribly, Mrs. Muir retreats to a life of spinsterhood, not even comforted by the presence of the ghost, whom she remains convinced was but a dream. Why couldn't he have returned to keep her company? It seems to me it would have been nicer all around that way. Instead we are witnesses to her life of long, quiet days, a life apparently spent in lonely isolation. It's redeemed at the end, yes, but still, how sad.
I think the most evocative image in the film is the little girl's name carved in the piling by the sea, and how it's meant to last forever, and how we return to see the wood splitting and the name fading over time, and finally to see it washed into the sea itself. Such is life, and such has been Mrs. Muir's life. How nice she has Capt. Gregg waiting for her at the end to make it all OK. The audience is not so lucky.
I like this movie but with these characters, these settings and the incredible score and cinematography, it could have risen to be so much more. A plot twist here and there and it would have been unforgettable.
But the ghost says what we know to be true and this dooms the movie to be less than it could have been: The widow can't have a living, breathing relationship with a ghost. And so, with a bit of Hollywood voodoo, he vanishes and makes her think it was all a dream.
When her one attempt at romance with a living man is dashed horribly, Mrs. Muir retreats to a life of spinsterhood, not even comforted by the presence of the ghost, whom she remains convinced was but a dream. Why couldn't he have returned to keep her company? It seems to me it would have been nicer all around that way. Instead we are witnesses to her life of long, quiet days, a life apparently spent in lonely isolation. It's redeemed at the end, yes, but still, how sad.
I think the most evocative image in the film is the little girl's name carved in the piling by the sea, and how it's meant to last forever, and how we return to see the wood splitting and the name fading over time, and finally to see it washed into the sea itself. Such is life, and such has been Mrs. Muir's life. How nice she has Capt. Gregg waiting for her at the end to make it all OK. The audience is not so lucky.
I like this movie but with these characters, these settings and the incredible score and cinematography, it could have risen to be so much more. A plot twist here and there and it would have been unforgettable.