Ghost (1990 film)

Ghost
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jerry Zucker
Written by	Bruce Joel Rubin
Produced by	Steven-Charles Jaffe Bruce Joel Rubin Howard W. Koch Lisa Weinstein Lauren Ray
Starring	Patrick Swayze Demi Moore Whoopi Goldberg Tony Goldwyn Rick Aviles Vincent Schiavelli
Cinematography	Adam Greenberg, ASC
Edited by	Walter Murch
Music by	Maurice Jarre (score) Alex North (Unchained Melody)
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	July 13, 1990 (1990-07-13)
Running time	126 minutes
Country	Template:Film US
Language	English
Budget	$21 million
Box office	$505,702,588

Ghost is a 1990 American romantic fantasy film starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. It was written by Bruce Joel Rubin and directed by Jerry Zucker.

The plot centers on a young woman in jeopardy (Moore) and the ghost of her murdered lover (Swayze), who tries to save her with the help of a reluctant psychic (Goldberg).

The film was an outstanding commercial success, grossing over $505 million at the box office on a budget of $21 million, and was the highest-grossing film of 1990. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Score and Best Film Editing. It won the awards for Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay. Goldberg was particularly praised: she also won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Saturn Awards in addition to the Oscar.

Plot

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze), a banker, and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), a talented potter, are a loving couple who move into a New York City apartment. At work, Sam discovers a major discrepancy in one bank account, and confides in his good friend and colleague, Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn). Carl offers to investigate the matter, but Sam decides to investigate himself. Soon afterward, Sam and Molly are attacked by armed thug Willy Lopez (Rick Aviles) and Sam is killed by a gunshot during a struggle with Willie. Sam's ghost arises from his dead body, which lies next to the distraught Molly; he gradually realizes that he is a ghost whose presence cannot be seen or heard.

Sam follows the killer, and hears that he will return to Molly's house. He also meets Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), a con-artist posing as a medium and realizes she can hear him, although Oda Mae had been faking her abilities until then. He persuades Oda Mae to tell Molly that she is in danger, but Molly is disbelieving and Carl later convinces Molly that Oda Mae is a fraud preying on her grief. Molly talks to the police about her concerns but they confirm that Oda Mae is a known confidence trickster with a lengthy record.

Sam discovers that Carl was involved in a money laundering scheme at the bank and that the attack was an attempt by Carl to acquire Sam's security codes. He learns how to move solid objects by willpower from an aggressive New York City subway poltergeist (Vincent Schiavelli). He persuades Oda Mae to thwart Carl's money laundering scheme. Following his instructions, Oda Mae impersonates the owner of Carl's fake bank account, closes the account, and gives its $4 million contents to a homeless shelter.

Carl, due to transfer the money to a correspondent bank overseas, becomes desperate when he finds the account closed and empty. Sam taunts him in the deserted office by moving objects and making accusations appear on his computer screen. Carl visits Molly and declares to Sam that he will kill Molly unless the money is returned that evening. He and Willy then go to Oda Mae's apartment to find her. Sam manages to get there first and warns Oda Mae and her two sisters, who quickly escape and take refuge in a neighbor's apartment. Sam uses his powers to separate and distract Carl and Willy, who are ransacking Oda Mae's apartment in search of the money. Horrified by the experience, Willy flees and is killed in a traffic accident. Willy's ghost arises, only to be grabbed by a group of howling demons and pulled into the shadows (it is implied they take him to some kind of Hell).

Afterwards, Sam and Oda Mae return to Molly's apartment to warn her about Carl, but she refuses to let her in and breaks down in grief. Sam finally convinces her that Oda Mae is genuine and he is truly present as a ghost by having her push a penny underneath the front door and Sam levitating it in front of Molly. Astonished, Molly lets Ode Mae inside and while waiting for the police, Sam uses Oda Mae's body to share a final dance with Molly.

Carl arrives, prepared to murder Molly and Oda Mae, but they flee. Sam is left momentarily weakened by the possession. Carl manages to get a hold of Oda Mae and threatens to kill her, but Molly comes to her aid and holds Carl off long enough for Oda Mae to escape his grasp. Carl grabs Molly and hold her at gunpoint for the money but is unsuccessful and as Sam recovers he is able to disarm Carl and attack him. As Carl attempts to flee through a plate glass window, he flings a scaffolding hook in Sam's direction which swings back and partially shatters the glass in the upper part of the window; the plummeting glass kills Carl as he climbs out and Carl becomes a ghost himself much to his astonishment and to Sam's grief. Sam then watches in silence as the shadowy demons arrive and drag a screaming Carl away into the darkness.

As Sam goes to Oda Mae and Molly and asks if they are all right, Molly suddenly realizes that she can hear him. A heavenly light fills the room and Sam becomes fully visible to both Molly and Oda Mae. Sam looks behind him and sees hundreds of people, presumably angels, in a portal to Heaven. His task is completed and he can move on. Sam says an emotional farewell to Molly, thanks Oda Mae for her help, and departs to the afterlife.

Cast

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze, in one of the most famous scenes from the movie

• Patrick Swayze as Sam Wheat
• Demi Moore as Molly Jensen
• Whoopi Goldberg as Oda Mae Brown
• Tony Goldwyn as Carl Bruner
• Rick Aviles as Willie Lopez
• Stephen Root as Police Sgt.
• Vincent Schiavelli as subway ghost
• Phil Leeds as emergency room ghost
• Bruce Jarchow as Lyle Furgeson
• Armelia McQueen as Oda Mae's sister
• Gail Boggs as Oda Mae's sister

Soundtrack

See also: Ghost (soundtrack)

The music for Ghost was written by veteran composer Maurice Jarre. The soundtrack also contained use of the 1955 song "Unchained Melody", composed by Alex North with lyrics by Hy Zaret, which appears in both instrumental form and the 1965 recording by The Righteous Brothers. Jarre's score was nominated for the 1990 Academy Award for Best Original Score, though it lost to John Barry's work for Dances with Wolves.

The soundtrack album was issued on Milan Records (and licenced to Varese Sarabande for North American release); it was subsequently reissued in 1995 with two extra tracks, and later as part of Milan's Silver Screen Edition series with the extra tracks and an interview with Maurice Jarre.

Reception

Ghost has received generally favorable reviews and has a rating of "81% fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. It has an average rating of 53/100 on the review site Metacritic. The film has been criticized for featuring the Magical Negro stereotype with Oda Mae Brown. However, in spite of this, Goldberg's performance was highly praised. Janet Maslin in her review for The New York Times comments, "Ms. Goldberg plays the character's amazement, irritation and great gift for back talk to the hilt. This is one of those rare occasions on which the uncategorizable Ms. Goldberg has found a film role that really suits her, and she makes the most of it." Goldberg went on to win the Academy Award, BAFTA, and Golden Globe for her performance.

Box office

The film was a box-office success, grossing $505,702,588 on a budget of $21,000,000.

Awards

Ghost was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. It won for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Whoopi Goldberg.

American Film Institute Lists

• AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - #19
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:
  • Unchained Melody - #27
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
  • "It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you." - Nominated
• AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - Nominated
• AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Fantasy Film

Musical adaptation and parodies

The film has inspired a musical stage version, Ghost The Musical, which had its world premiere at Manchester Opera House in March 2011 before transferring to the Piccadilly Theatre in London's West End in June 2011. The show stars Richard Fleeshman as Sam, Caissie Levy as Molly and Sharon D. Clarke as Oda Mae Brown. Fleeshman and Levy will reprise their roles when the show transfers to Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre from March 2012.

The pottery wheel scene is very well known and often parodied, most notably in Saturday Night Live, Family Guy ("The Story on Page One"), All's Well, Ends Well, Naked Gun 2½, Loaded Weapon 1, The Penguins of Madagascar, Futurama ("Bendless Love" and "Bender's Game"), Community ("Beginner Pottery"), Victorious ("Survival of the Hottest"), Wallace & Gromit ("A Matter of Loaf and Death"), 6teen ("Unhappy Anniversary") and Ellen ("Alone Again... Naturally").

Remake

Main article: Ghost: In Your Arms Again

In November 13, 2010, Paramount and Shochiku released a Japanese remake of Ghost, titled Ghost: In Your Arms Again (ゴースト もういちど抱きしめたい, Gōsuto Mouichido Dakishimetai). The remake stars Nanako Matsushima and South Korean actor Song Seung-heon, along with veteran actress Kirin Kiki.

External links

• Ghost at IMDb
• Ghost at the TCM Movie Database
• Ghost at AllMovie
• Ghost at Rotten Tomatoes
• Ghost at Box Office Mojo