Film
911: Blithe Spirit
Trivia: Margaret Rutherford and Kay Hammond played Madame Arcati and Elvira, respectively,
in the original West End production. Jacqueline Clarke played Edith in the original Broadway
production.
David Lean and cinematographer Ronald Neame decided not to use double exposure to create
Elvira's ghostly appearances. Instead, Lean created an enormous set that
allowed Kay Hammond to move freely in each
shot. Hammond wore fluorescent green clothes, makeup, and a wig, with bright
red lipstick and fingernail polish. Each time she moved, a special light would
be directed on her, allowing her figure to glow even in dimly-lit scenes, and
giving her an otherworldly appearance.
Following
the success of the play in London and on Broadway, every studio in Hollywood
wanted to make the movie of Blithe Spirit.
However, Noel Coward took the project to his
friend David Lean, with whom he had
co-directed the Oscar-winning In Which We Serve.
However, Coward was not at all happy with Lean's film of Blithe Spirit. He later asked Lean, "How the hell did
you fuck up the best thing I ever did?"
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