Ghost – Film

Ghost Oscar-winning film, considered one of the best movies of the 1990s. Ghost was released in 1990 by Paramount Pictures and was directed by Jerry Zucker. The film wraps romance, mystery, comedy, and tragedy with a fairly realistic portrayal of ghostly behavior. Starring Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, and Whoopi Goldberg, Ghost makes the case that communication with the spirits is not only possible, but also that love transcends even death. Swayze plays Sam Wheat, an executive with a Manhattan bank, and Moore is his girlfriend Molly Jensen, a ceramics and pottery artist. They love one another deeply, but Sam has difficulty saying so. One night, returning to their new apartment after attending the theater, the pair is mugged by a thief named Willie Lopez (Rick Aviles). Lopez demands Sam’s wallet, a scuffl e ensues, and Lopez’s gun goes off, killing Sam. Sam doesn’t realize he’s dead and a Ghost until he sees himself cradled in the weeping Molly’s arms. Sam’s promise to love and protect Molly forever keeps him earthbound; he stays near her but she can’t see or hear him. Even worse, Sam learns that his best friend, Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn), had hired Willie to rob him and Molly. Sam had bank account passwords in his wallet that Carl wanted so he could steal bank funds for a major money-laundering deal. Carl berates Willie for killing Sam, but has him break into the couple’s apartment. Carl Ghost 191 believes the bank passwords must be in Molly’s possession. Sam manages to thwart the break-in, but his frustration over Molly’s inability to sense his presence sends him to a psychic, Oda Mae Brown, played by Goldberg. Oda Mae has been operating as a psychic con artist for years, claiming to have special powers, when in reality her gift is separating the gullible from their money. But when Sam goes to her for help in reaching Molly, Oda Mae finds she can hear Sam but not see him, discovering her clairaudient ability. Sam convinces Oda Mae to tell Molly that Sam wants to warn her of danger, but Molly refuses to believe Oda Mae. She not only reports her to the police but tells Carl about Sam’s “message.” Carl understands Sam’s warning clearly. Afraid his scheme might collapse, he sends Willie to kill Oda Mae and her sisters before Molly can reconsider the truth of Oda Mae’s message. Through Sam’s intervention, Willie is hit by a truck. Black, shadowy figures rise up out of the ground and carry Willie off, apparently to hell. By this time, Sam has succeeded in contacting Molly and convinces her of Carl’s evil intentions. Carl tries to kill Molly while dodging Sam’s efforts to stop him; finally, a half-broken window crashes on Carl, and he meets the same shadowy emissaries that took Willie. Having kept his promise to love and protect Molly, Sam’s spirit is released and he transcends to heaven after tenderly saying good-bye. Ghost received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Editing. Maurice Jarre was nominated for Best Music. Goldberg received an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance as Oda Mae Brown and Bruce Joel Rubin won for Best Writing of a Screenplay Directly for the Screen. The film was honored with 20 more nominations for industry awards, winning 14, including three Golden Globes for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Goldberg), Best Actor (Swayze), and Best Motion Picture: Comedy/Musical. Domestic and international gross box office receipts totaled over $505 million. The poignancy of lovers torn apart by death who manage to reunite emotionally across the veil continues to leave audiences in tears. The film’s portrayal of Sam’s immediate after-death confusion—not knowing immediately that he is dead, and his ongoing frustration at not being able to communicate with the living—accurately reflects accounts given through Mediumship. Also authentic is the portrayal of the dead clustering around the medium Oda Mae, clamoring for attention and the ability to speak through her. Mediums traditionally work with a spirit Control to organize communications from the Other Side so that the medium is not overwhelmed. Numerous anecdotal accounts of spontaneous After-Death Communications support the idea that the dead do have difficulty communicating with the living. Direct communication seems to be rare, limited, and dependent on variable conditions; hence mediums who have the ability to tune in to the dead attract souls who wish to convey messages.

FURTHER READING:

“Ghost (1990).” Internet Movie Database. Available online. URL: www.imdb.com./title/tt0099653/. Downloaded July 5, 2006.

The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits – Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley  – September 1, 2007

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