The Canterville Ghost
The Canterville Ghost is a popular
novella by
Oscar Wilde, widely adapted for the screen and stage.
The Canterville Ghost" is a parody featuring a dramatic spirit named Sir Simon and an American ambassador named Mr. Hiram B. Otis. Mr. Otis travels to England with his family and moves into a haunted castle. Lord Canterville, the previous owner of the castle, warns Mr. Otis that the ghost of Sir Simon de Canterville has haunted the castle ever since he killed his wife, Eleonore, centuries ago. But Mr. Otis dismisses the ghost story as bunk and disregards Lord Canterville's warnings.
The original was an early work of Wilde, published serially in the magazine
Court and Society Review in 1887.
A large number of adaptations of The Canterville Ghost have been made, including:
*A 1944 adaptation starring
Charles Laughton resetting it in wartime and taking massive liberties with the plot. [
1]
*A 1966
opera by the Russian composer
Alexander Knayfel' *A 1974 made-for-television dramatization with
David Niven as the ghost.
*A 1986 TV adaptation starring
Alyssa Milano and
Sir John Gielgud [
2]
*An animated short from 1990 [
3]
*A 1996 TV movie starring
Patrick Stewart and
Cherie Lunghi [
4]
*A 1997 TV adaptation starring
Ian Richardson and
Celia Imrie [
5]
*Several stage musicals
*
cantervilleghost.com Current stage musical.
