Ghost (Special Collector's Edition)
May 2007 Reviewed by: Charlotte Meyer Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Ghost returns to haunt us in a Special Collector’s Edition DVD. Much about this 1990 blockbuster was unlikely. First, that a serious love story would be directed by Jerry Zucker, whose reputation had been made by outrageous spoofs like Airplane! Second, that Patrick Swayze could be so convincing as the sensitive romantic lead after making his name in macho movies like Road House. Finally, that it could mix so many genres so successfully: Ghost is catalogued as comedy/drama/fantasy/mystery/romance/ thriller.

In the unlikely event you haven’t seen this film, it’s the story of the romance between an attractive young couple, Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and Molly Jensen (Demi Moore), who are out late one night and get mugged by a robber. The love story becomes a drama/mystery after Sam is killed in the struggle and we discover that neither the robbery nor his murder was random and that Molly is in danger too. It becomes a fantasy/thriller when Sam’s spirit remains on the scene after his death -- we see him but the other characters can’t -- to avenge his death and to protect Molly. Enter Whoopi Goldberg, in her Oscar-winning role as the very funny, very reluctant psychic who serves as go-between for Sam and Molly and who turns the movie into a comedy.

What is unlikely in this DVD reissue is that the special effects could still work today. This is a ghost movie with the title character walking through doors and jumping into moving subway cars. But it was made before CGI came into its own. All of the stunts were laboriously produced by photographically compositing the elements of multiple images onto a single filmstrip. We have since come to expect much more realism in fantasy scenes than this technology could produce. Technically Ghost seems naïve and charming as a result. But other elements do too: the girlishness of the young Demi Moore, the gentle ardor of the hunky Swayze, the innocent but intense sensuality of the famous love scene at Molly’s potter’s wheel all contribute to the vintage-1990s feeling of Ghost.

The audio choices in this remix are Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0. Don’t expect too much from the 5.1. Most of what you’ll hear is in the front, the dialogue dominating. Occasionally you’ll hear the surrounds, for example, when the dark, evil spirits encompass the dying villains and howl them off. You won’t miss much if you opt for the 2.0. It might even add to that vintage feel if you do. Video is on the dark side, showing a little grain, but the colors are still bright. The many night scenes, though, lack the rich and subtle darks we’re used to in more recent films.

Paramount has added some interesting featurettes, such as the audio commentary between director Zucker and Oscar-winning script writer Bruce Joel Rubin. "The Making of a Classic" interviews the principals -- director, writer and actors -- each "remembering the magic." We get interviews with practicing psychics, and we’re given the story behind the legendary potter’s-wheel love scene. Together they give a convincing explanation of why this film remains an unlikely and charming hit.

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