The Ghosts of Berkeley Square

1947
The Ghosts of Berkeley Square
5.8| 1h40m| en| More Info
Released: 30 October 1947 Released
Producted By: British National Films
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

The ghosts of two stupid 18th-century officers are doomed to haunt a Berkeley Square mansion until the unlikely event of a reigning monarch paying the house a visit. It will take more than 200 years... Based on the novel "No Nightingales" by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon.

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Rainey Dawn A very cute ghost comedy concerning 2 gentlemen officers of the 18th century. The men were trying hard to stop a war from starting when they accidentally killed themselves. At least the 2 men were good friends because they are now doomed to live in the Berkeley Square mansion until a reigning monarch visits, which is unlikely to happen anytime soon. It takes 200 years before they are released from their spiritual earth-bound state to move onward in the "afterlife".It's a lighthearted comedy that would be fun to watch around the winter holidays - there is a quick Christmas scene. It's also a family friendly movie that makes it nice to view around the holidays.7/10
James Tardy In the 1700s a pair of rum military officers plan to kidnap the Duke of Marlborough. The officers die testing a trap-door on the afternoon they are supposed to be serving tea to Queen Anne. As punishment for missing their date, they must haunt the house until royalty visits again.Although they try to attract royalty they seem to be doomed to failure, and the house is leased to many different colorful-characters including French courtesans, circus performers and an Indian emperor.A light-hearted film full of dry-humour quips and farce. The humour would have appealed to audiences looking for escapism and whimsy; however like all films of this time it contains subtle war-propaganda to inspire the masses.
Spikeopath Pathe Pictures presents a British National Films LTD production {filmed at Elstree} of The Ghosts of Berkeley Square. Directed by Vernon Sewell, adapted from the novel "No Nightingales" co-written by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simons and starring Robert Morley & Felix Aylmer as the erstwhile ghosts.We start in the afterlife during what appears to be a council held by the upper-crust spooks. Here we meet Col. Kelsoe and Gen. Burlap {Morley & Aylmer} who begin to tell us the strange tale of how they came to be condemned for eternity to haunt a mansion in the Mayfair district of London. During the reign of Queen Ann they had planned to capture a war commander in their home in an effort to avert a crisis; but in the process of testing their own cunning contraption they killed themselves! So the sentence is given for them to stay in ghostly purgatory until a reigning monarch visits the house; thus only then will the sentence be deemed to have been served.The story then sees the decades roll by as the ghosts "live" in hope of the monarchy actually turning up. Not going to be easy because the house falls to a number of quirky inhabitants and is used for a number of interesting things. Be it a place for French dandies to drink and gamble, a Harem, or the Tex Barnum Theatre-with each new occasion causing incredulity to them and fun for us as the ghosts set about either haunting or joining in with the current owners. Morley & Aylmer are a great double act, at times grumpy with each other {they don't speak to each other for 60 odd years!}, at others cunningly effective as they embrace the almost hopeless situation they find themselves in. A number of fine British character actors pop in and out to spice up the story {Thesiger, Hyde-White et al}, and the production is a very good one {note the costumes as each different time period fills out the story}. Full of delightful whimsy from start to finish, this is highly recommended viewing for fans of British comedy. Hey,! when you got a cuckoo clock that tells the year instead of the time......well you know you are on to a winner. 7/10
blighty-3 Having just watched this marvellous film of wit & charm I felt compelled to comment. A witty movie full of wonderful characters.A gem of it's kind recommended for anyone who believes black & white means a bad movie but is prepared to be convinced.However, I do not see why it is classified as horror/comedy as there is no trace of horror in the whole film.