{"id":12583,"date":"2010-09-24T14:21:51","date_gmt":"2010-09-24T21:21:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12583"},"modified":"2021-01-27T19:00:24","modified_gmt":"2021-01-28T02:00:24","slug":"ghost-goes-west-the-1935","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12583","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Goes West, The (1935)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;There isn&#8217;t a ghost here or anywhere else, because ghosts simply don&#8217;t exist outside of mystery stories!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster-191x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-66439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster-191x300.png 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster-651x1024.png 651w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster-81x128.png 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster-172x270.png 172w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Poster.png 759w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe daughter (Jean Parker) of an American businessman (Eugene Pallette) falls in love with the destitute owner (Robert Donat) of a Scottish castle, which is haunted by Donat&#8217;s doomed ancestor (also Donat).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cross-Class Romance<\/li>\n<li>Elsa Lanchester Films<\/li>\n<li>Ghosts<\/li>\n<li>Heiresses<\/li>\n<li>Jean Parker Films<\/li>\n<li>Mistaken Identities<\/li>\n<li>Rene Clair Films<\/li>\n<li>Robert Donat Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nRene Clair&#8217;s first English-language film (produced by Alexander Korda) was the highest grossing film of the year in Great Britain, and received glowing reviews from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/01\/11\/archives\/rene-clairs-the-ghost-goes-west-at-the-rivoli-theatre-the-invisible.html\"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a>, which labeled it &#8220;gay, urbane and brilliantly funny&#8221;. These days, however, it pales somewhat in comparison with Jules Dassin&#8217;s superior <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=5405\"><em>The Canterville Ghost<\/em> (1944)<\/a> &#8212; also about a ghost doomed to haunt his castle until he&#8217;s able to commit a specific deed. In this case, Donat&#8217;s &#8220;Murdoch Glourie&#8221; &#8212; killed while kissing a lass rather than paying attention to a battle &#8212; must avenge his family&#8217;s honor against a rival clansman; meanwhile, Jean Parker&#8217;s sweet Peggy Martin falls for the modern-day (&#8220;real&#8221;) Donat, though mistaken-identity plot complications ensue (naturally) when Parker believes the ghostly Murdoch is merely Donat dressing up. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-1024x769.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-768x577.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker-359x270.png 359w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Parker.png 1367w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The script also incorporates some rather pointed barbs about American mores, as Pallette&#8217;s blustery millionaire arranges to have Donat&#8217;s castle shipped over to America brick by brick (!), and engages in petty one-upmanship with a business rival over &#8220;ownership&#8221; of the castle&#8217;s ghost. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-1024x770.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66447\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-768x577.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette-359x270.png 359w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Pallette.png 1377w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Donat &#8212; whose Scottish accent noticeably slips in and out &#8212; is appropriately handsome and charming as the lady-loving Murdoch, but rather bland and forgettable when playing his modern-day heir, Donald; Murdoch should have been given more screentime. While it holds some historical interest given its enormous popularity, this one is no longer must-see viewing for all film fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Note: <\/strong>Elsa Lanchester is sadly underused in a tiny role as a paranormal enthusiast showing up for dinner during the film&#8217;s final climactic scene. Was this meant merely as a cameo? <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-1024x770.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"481\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-1024x770.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-768x578.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester-359x270.png 359w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Lanchester.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Robert Donat as Murdoch Glourie<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-1024x785.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"491\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66442\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-1024x785.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-300x230.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-128x98.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-768x589.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2-352x270.png 352w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Donat-Ghost2.png 1361w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Atmospheric sets<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-1024x758.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"474\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-66443\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-1024x758.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-300x222.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-128x95.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-768x569.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets-365x270.png 365w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/09\/Ghost-Goes-West-Sets.png 1371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, unless you&#8217;re a fan of the ghostly genre. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0026406\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1936\/01\/11\/archives\/rene-clairs-the-ghost-goes-west-at-the-rivoli-theatre-the-invisible.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/fantasy\/ghost-goes-west-1935.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/the-ghost-goes-west\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;There isn&#8217;t a ghost here or anywhere else, because ghosts simply don&#8217;t exist outside of mystery stories!&#8221; Synopsis: The daughter (Jean Parker) of an American businessman (Eugene Pallette) falls in love with the destitute owner (Robert Donat) of a Scottish castle, which is haunted by Donat&#8217;s doomed ancestor (also Donat). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Cross-Class Romance Elsa Lanchester Films Ghosts Heiresses Jean Parker Films Mistaken Identities Rene Clair Films Robert Donat Films Review: Rene Clair&#8217;s first English-language film (produced&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=12583\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12583"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66451,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12583\/revisions\/66451"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}