#76 - The Ghost and Mrs. Muir

I'm getting tired of watching these classic movies that either won Oscars, or were nominated for them, and then finding out that they don't really do jack squat for me. It's a crappy little situation cause I know they aren't really bad movies. I can see why the people of the time enjoyed them so much, but I couldn't be less interested. Give me some White Heat, and you can take your Great Ziegfeld. This is just another on that list.

Even though I havent checked it out and seen what else was nominated, or what came out the same year, I don't know how this could be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. I really don't. I can understand why people went to see it, I just don't get the nomination. Here's the main reason why: I don't think Rex Harrison is any good. I didn't like him in Dr. Dolittle and I didn't particularly like him here. He's too stiff. He's too unnatural. It's like watching a 2x4 with a bad sea captains accent. In his first scene with Gene Tierney he's talking with a wierd pirate-like voice that is apparently supposed to be a scary ghost captain voice, but it wasn't. It didn't help that his voice was clearly dubbed in afterwards, and what was dubbed did not match the physical gestures. Think of a stiff, rigid, water logged actor playing a sea captain's ghost and not moving around very much or having any noticable facial gestures talking with a loud "YARRRR" type of voice, and then inexplicably losing it halfway through the scene, never to have it come back again, even when he is trying to scare other people. Call me too critical, but you aren't allowed to be nominated for Best Picture if you have bad sound dubbing.

Seriously though, this is only the second movie I have seen with Rex Harrison in it, and I have been less than impressed both times. How did this guy get famous? He barely sang in a crappy musical, he barely moves his body, and the man has no concept of range or levels. It's like he's on stage and is captured in a bad case of stage fright that has rendered him virtually immovable, yet he can still vocalize, but even that isnt very good. I just don't get his success.

As far as the movie goes, I wasn't really into the story. But, I am aware that this is a personal preference, and not anything to do with bad writing. It also didn't help that the two inexplicably fell in love. Again, it's not inexplicable because of the writing, it's inexplicable because no woman could fall in love with a boat anchor pretending to be a captain. I actually bought her falling in love with the scheister later in the movie more because that guy actually has a personality, even for a sleazeball. And there's something sad about a woman who lives a lonely life waiting for death in order to see her lover again. To some, it may seem hopelessly romantic. I think its kind of sad. Walks on the beach aren't that fulfilling, and nobody could fall that much in love with a small dinghy.