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The Lingering Phantom of Ghost

© Kaisha Green

Would you see a movie about a man who was killed, became a ghost, and then went on a quest to warn his girlfriend she was in danger? I don't know if most people would flock into the theater on the premise alone, but in 1990, Ghost took a chance on it and stole the hearts of millions of fans. They were surprised to find out that this unusual ghost story was warm, powerful, and even funny. It was a hit.

What drew audiences to the film? Parts of the huge draw were the actors in the movie. Patrick Swayze (Sam) had become very popular since "Dirty Dancing", and he headlined the film. Demi Moore(Molly) became a star in this movie, and some of the most memorable images in this movie are close-ups of her tear stained face. Whoopi Goldberg (Oda Mae), the medium through whom Sam communicates, was already a hugely successful actress and won an Academy Award for her performance. What kept the audience returning, and part of the reason it's a classic, was of course the universal theme of love triumphant. Ghost asks: Does love conquer all--even beyond the grave?

It is very rare for a film that crisscrosses between genres to do well, and Ghost is still one of few movies made which integrate a ghost story, suspense, romance, and the slightest touch of comedy. It has enough of an edge to avoid being "sappy", and the tenderness with which the story is told softens its grimmer aspects. Ghost also contains well done individual scenes, such as the compelling one where Sam uses Oda Mae's body to dance with Molly. This could have been very awkward, but it is a delicate sparkler of a scene that made (and continues to make) for hundreds of wet tissues throughout the world.

Every classic has a few memorable phrases that audiences remember. In Ghost, the phrase is "Ditto." A short word, but screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin uses it in a startlingly effective way. Ghost also contains a peculiarity in that one of the most memorable things about it isn't even the dialogue. In the dancing scene discussed above, the song playing is "Unchained Melody", by the Righteous Brothers. The film introduced the song to a younger audience not familiar with it, and it received massive airplay at the time of Ghost's release. There is a whole generation who identifies "Unchained Melody" with Ghost. Ghost remains one of the few films to be so intimately tied to a song.

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