The Canterville Ghost

As much as I looked forward to and really wanted to like Patrick Stewart's portrayal of Sir Simon de Canterville, it just fell flat when compared to this version of the ghost played by Sir John Gielgud. As another reviewer wrote "he is Delightful!" He knows how to embody an English aristocrat with the proper snobbery and yet he still brings a light sensitive humor to the role that is just perfect.

Ted Wass, Andrea Marcovicci and Alyssa Milano are well cast as a family that is struggling to come to terms with all the changes that have been thrown at them and although Ted can be a little over the top at times in other movies in this one he maintains just the right balance of humor without stepping over the line and ruining the tone of the move.

This is a "must see" for any fan of Sir John Gielgud!

True this one is not very close to the original story, but this one had the most that modern viewers could relate to. It's funny and quick moving. Both Sir Gielgud and Milano are wonderful. As a child this was one of my all time favorite movies to watch every Halloween (true, that was a long list, but it was still fun). The scenes between the two main characters are the greatest. There are still the basic principles of the story are there - a friendship between a misunderstood spirit and an innocent girl who teach each that love is stronger than life or death. The saddest part is when the ghost hunter's equipment brings back Sir Simon's wife for only a moment, just long enough for her to see her and for her to call out to him. The best part of all is when Jenny takes her father to see Sir Simon. A great movie for any family or ghost lover.

After just watching the 1996 version to compare it to this one, I have to say the 1986 movie was much, MUCH better! I watched this movie a million times as a kid and still love it to this day. Sir John Gielgud was the best Canterville Ghost ever, and Alyssa Milano had a real innocence and charm to her too. This version has a lot more funny, scary, and clever scenes (like the dinner party scene!) than the one a decade later too. I also think the special effects were actually better in this one when it came to showing the ghost! The music and the scenery are fabulous. The story is explained a lot better than other versions as well. Truly a great family movie-- especially for Halloween!

Sir John Gielgud is completely and utterly charming and delightful in "The Canterville Ghost". The rest of the acting is fair to average, but I would recommend this to anyone just because of Gielgud. He plays his role in a wonderful tongue-in-cheek way. We watched this in my eight- grade class when we were studying the plot curve, and all of my friends and classmates, not just a movie freak like me, adored Gielgud as the ghost. The only other movie besides this I have seen Gielgud in is "The Secret Agent", but he didn't do such a good job in that one. Still, I assume this film is a good example of what the rest of his work must be like, indeed, reading reviews of his other films, he has not gotten a bad review. I think I might check out "Arthur" soon. But I'm rambling now, and the point is that "The Canterville Ghost" was a charming movie.

8/10

This is a classic story in true Oscar Wilde wit and flair. It's both haunting and funny. It's a fairy tale for all ages. In this story a young American girl helps to free the tormented spirit that haunts an old English castle. It's very well written and a beautiful tale for all ages. It's too bad this wasn't the best adaptation.

The best adaptation of The Canterville ghost, in my opinion, has to be the version with Patrick Stewart as the ghost, it was made for television in 1996. Though set in the 1990s it's very true to the book. The worst adaptation of the Canterville ghost, in my opinion, is the version set in 1944. It had been turned into blatant war propaganda and was almost unrecognizable, it's plot having nearly nothing at all to do with the original story by Oscar Wilde, which is a true classic.