Romancefest 17: The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

It occurred to me while watching THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR that it was the first romance of the month I have seen that had any fantasy elements. At least, any fantasy elements integral to the plot -- sure, some of the movies I've seen this month haven't been entirely realistic, and a couple, especially the musicals, have indulged in flights of fancy, but plot-wise, they've all been grounded in reality. Nothing happens in any of the other movies I've watched this month that couldn't happen in real life.

So, that set THE GHOST AND MRS. MUIR apart. It's a ghost story, after all. It stars Gene Tierney as the widowed Lucy Muir. It's the turn of the century when she leaves London, where she lives with her in-laws, to move to the seaside community of White Cliff where she buys (or rents?) a cottage overlooking the ocean, despite warnings from the realtor that it's haunted.

Muir refuses to be frightened away even when the rumors seem to prove themselves true. It's not long before the ghost of the title shows up -- a sea captain named Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison). He's not a captain in the refined gentleman sense. Imagine Robert Shaw from JAWS, and you have an idea of what this guy's like. Of course, despite his rough edges, Robert Shaw from JAWS is a total badass with a load of killer stories from his adventures at sea, and Captain Gregg is no different.

The ghost of Gregg and Mrs. Muir come to a mutual understanding -- she's not going to be scared off and the house and the independence it stands for mean a lot to her, so they agree to put up with each other and even eventually become friends, going so far as to collaborate on a book about the sea captain's sensational and controversial adventures.

They grow so close, in fact, that Capt. Gregg eventually suggests Mrs. Muir should meet some men who are actually alive -- after all, it's not fair. Capt. Gregg can never have a satisfying relationship with Mrs. Muir, and she deserves better than a dead dude. It's not long before the douche baggy childrens' author, Miles Fairley (George Sanders) sets his sights on Muir and moves in for the seduction, complete with painting pictures of her. Fresh!

Anyway, eventually Capt. Gregg sees he's outlived (no pun intended) his usefulness and takes off, casting a spell on Muir to convince her that he was just a dream so she can find happiness with Fairley.

To the movie's credit, and setting it apart, again, from the other films I've seen this month, I had no idea how the third act was going to resolve itself in a satisfying way. In true Hollywood fashion, once "The End" showed up on the screen, the ending seemed like an obvious foregone conclusion, but as the minutes ticked into the third act, I had no idea what was going to happen. And, the last shot was beautiful, when it arrived.

Also, the supernatural/fantasy angle allows for neat metaphors that actually work better than literal truth. Lots of the movies I've seen this month have unattainable loves, but they're never REALLY unattainable. I mean, in WEST SIDE STORY they could have just gotten over their differences and hooked up. In SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS, they could have solved a lot of problems by just boning and not worrying about it. In this flick, the lovers simply can't be together because one is DEAD. This is the real deal! Super-duper impossible = twice the romance.

On one hand, this is attractive to Mrs. Muir. She's so independent and seemingly has so much to prove that it's kind of cool to be in love with a guy who she doesn't actually have to worry about really existing. After all, actual existence is messy. On the other hand, she loves him so much and the relationship is so perfect, anything in reality pales in comparison. So, what's a woman supposed to do? Thanks to the supernatural angle, this is not a movie where she could simply "get over herself" and solve all the plot problems.

Interesting note: this marks the third movie featuring Natalie Wood I've seen this month. Only, this time, she plays Mrs. Muir's daughter. Mrs. Muir's 9-year-old daughter. I have to admit, it's a little creepy to watch the hot/crazy bath tub scene from SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS one day and then watch 9-year-old Natalie Wood in MRS. MUIR the next day.

But, at least I don't want to bone a dead guy like Mrs. Muir. Now that's creepy.

AND SO ROMANTIC!