Ghost (1990)
Director: Jerry Zucker
Another re-watch prompted by the What She's Having's podcast. It would be very easy to sneer at this film, with its dodgy special effects and inconsistent rules (so he can't pick objects up, but can sit on furniture and move a penny up a door?). However, the story is sweet and romantic, with good performances from the cast. It is also funny, mostly because of Whoopi Goldberg and her interactions with Patrick Swayze.
The film references several genres in it: romance, fantasy, horror, mystery, and the catch-all, drama. The script balances these elements well, using them only when needed, producing humour, drama and character development.
The film is famous for the sexy pottery clay scene that happens early on in the set-up. Looking at it today, its interesting that it privileges the intimacy of the couple's knowledge of each other over very sexual shots of naked body parts. It is gently erotic, but mainly romantic because it about portraying character. It also makes us care about these two people, making the murder even more painful.
There is not much more to say about this film, except that it is a very enjoyable, and has aged better than other romances. Some people may react to the afterlife themes and sequences, but they are not central to the story. The film also doesn't have a cop-out ending (ie letting him come back to life). Enjoy with a loved one.
No comments:
Post a Comment