Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

SeeQuant Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Melanie Bouvet The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

TheLittleSongbird I can't say for sure how faithful The Canterville Ghost is to Oscar Wilde's story as it's been a while since I read it. What's for sure though is that I have always really liked this film. The story is slight and may get a little too schmaltzy at times, however much more than makes up for it. The costumes and sets are simply beautiful and lovingly photographed and directed, while the music is fitting with the film and story's mood. The script is on the whole delightful, piling it on with the fun and charm. And I can say little wrong about the performances either. Charles Laughton plays the title role with real gusto, and Margaret O'Brien is suitably cute as a button and exuberant. They are well supported by the amiable, charming Robert Young, the characterful Reginald Owen and the suave Peter Lawford. All in all, a lot of good fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Movie_Palace Is this a faithful adaptation of the Oscar Wilde classic? Don't know, never read it. This is though, a silly and entertaining movie that can be enjoyed by the whole family.This was my first introduction to Margaret O'Brien and she won me over with her sweet charm. As a platoon of U.S. soldiers hold up in the haunted Canterville castle, they are excited by the news that they are to be welcomed by Lady Jessica de Canterville herself. The boys are surprised when Lady Jessica happens to be a 3-1/2' tall 6-year-old. She plays hostess to the GI's and tells them of the residing ghost. Their disbelief is soon tested by the late night antics of Sir Simon (Charles Laughton), who has inhabited the castle in his ghostly form for over 300 years. He has been condemned to this state of purgatory for his cowardice which can only be relieved by a blood descendant performing an act of bravery in his stead.Having seen Charles Laughton in 'The Private Life of Henry VIII', 'Mutiny on the Bounty' and 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', I was surprised to see him in this role as a clumsy, silly ghost. As usual, he is wonderful. A master thespian who can handle comedy as well as drama.I highly recommend this film to anyone young or old who just wants an hour and a half of amusement.

moonspinner55 Jules Dassin directed this adaptation of Oscar Wilde's story, a charming fantasy about the ghost of a coward haunting an English castle, aided by a relative who must perform a heroic deed to save the spirit from eternal misery. Despite a reportedly troubled production, the cast (including big scene-stealer Charles Laughton and little scene-stealer Margaret O'Brien) glides through it blithely, and Dassin's handling of the material is efficient, if perhaps a tad colorless. Robert Young and Peter Lawford are interchangeably bland, but there are some pleasurable moments. Perhaps not the most memorable apparition-laden comedy, but an enjoyable entry in the genre. **1/2 from ****

CountVladDracula This is the worst adaptation of The Canterville Ghost I have ever seen. It was turned into Wartime propaganda with a little girl befriending not so much the ghost but an American soldier, which I guess was the fashion of the time.In Oscar Wilde's original short story an American family moves into the haunted castle and the teenage daughter had to help him to find peace.This version, though listed as comedy, is much darker than Oscar Wilde's original and witty tale of love and forgiveness. There were so many flaws to this one I can't begin to list them all I couldn't even recognize it as being The Canterville Ghost if not for the name of the ghost! In the original short story the ghost had felt accountable for his wife's death and that's why he haunted his castle. In this version the ghost was walled up in a room to starve to death by his own father because he wouldn't fight in a duel that wasn't really his to begin with! Instead of an American family moving in, it's American soldiers during world war two and a sugary sweet little girl girl owns the castle! It turns out, in this horrid adaptation, that one of the soldiers is a descendant of the ghost and he must prove himself by committing an act of bravery so that the ghost may move on.That's right, kids, he has to beat a Nazi to help the ghost find peace even though the original story was written in the late nineteen century! The original story was timeless and had a female protagonist but apparently the story regressed into the sexism of the era in that the manly soldier had to save the day! Though many consider this version to be a classic I feel it is an insult to Oscar Wilde's original classic.And to add to my horror at this so-called morality of this adaptation the ghost begged for forgiveness near the end before he found peace. He wanted forgiveness for not fighting in a duel that wasn't actually his to begin with and dying a slow agonizing death at the hands of his own father! What the?!? This was a shameful exploitation and it was a cruel lie to claim it had anything to do with Oscar Wilde's original and beautiful short story. This was, in my opinion, horrible.If you love the original The Canterville Ghost story by Oscar Wilde or want to see a version that... actually makes sense... Seek out the 1996 made for TV version with Patrick Stewart as the ghost. Though set in the 1990s it's very true to the original, heart warming and fairytale-like quality of the original story. Don't waste your time with this version simply because it was the first. It's almost unrecognizable.