Pity poor Sir Simon de Canterville (Charles Laughton), forced to endure this mundane world as a shade awaiting a valorous act by a descendent to release his tired soul to restful oblivion; alas, the Centervilles are a craven lot and three hundred tedious years have passed and now the castle is full of boisterous colonials. The titular role is perfectly suited to Laughton's thoughtful hamminess, seven year old Margaret O'Brien demonstrates why she was one of the most popular child actresses in Hollywood's golden age, and Robert Young is serviceable if not memorable, as Cuffy Williams, Sir Simon's distant American descendent who, with one bold stroke, can forever free Simon's spirit. The first half, which revolves around the G. I.s and their first encounters with the spectral star is quite comical and features an excellent impromptu boogie-woogie jam, but the second half, as Cuffy searches for his inner hero is somewhat contrived and lacklustre (the frenetic climax is pretty silly). Made as a moral builder for the 1944 Homefront, the film deviates muchly from Oscar Wilde's short story but is worth watching, if only for Laughton and O'Brien (and for the great Irish character actress Una O'Connor, who one again finds a reason to throw her apron over her face and scream).
Review of The Canterville Ghost
