The film became a real hit among viewers of all ages. And today we would like to tell you about how the film ” Ghost ” was filmed, and also show you interesting shots from the shooting of this film.
Initially, the main roles were offered to such actors as Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer, but both of them refused this role, which they later regretted, because the film was a real hit.
And the most interesting thing is that 10 years later Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer played husband and wife in Robert Zemeckis’ film “What Lies Beneath”. By the way, the film also deals with ghosts, or rather spirits.
The idea of the film ” Ghost ” came to screenwriter Bruce Rubin in 1984 after he watched the film “Hamlet”, namely the scene with the shadow of Hamlet’s father, who asked his son to avenge him.
Bruce Rubin decided to tell his story about a ghost who must avenge his murder. But this time he doesn’t have to ask anyone to do it, but to personally go all the way.
Rubin began to wander around the studios that will take his script to work, but he was everywhere refused. Many believed that this film will be a children’s fairy tale, which will not pay off the money spent on shooting.
When Rubin came to the studio “Paramount pictures”, the bosses of this script came to taste, and they gave the green light to shoot this film, allocating this case 22 million dollars.
And Jerry Zucker was chosen as director. It was a rather strange choice, given that Jerry Zucker and his brother specialised mainly in comedies and parodies such as “Aeroplane”, “The Naked Gun”, “Ruthless People” and others. Nevertheless, the film turned out to be just great, but not without comedic inclusions.
Rubin’s original script was too dark, which did not please the director very much. He planned to make a fantastic tragic-comedy melodrama, not a simple thriller. Therefore, the script was rewritten as many as 19 times, until the desired result was achieved.
The role of Sam was tried by such actors as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Michael J. Fox and even Bruce Willis. But in the end the role went to Patrick Swayze, as Bruce Willis did not understand the script and said that the film is doomed to failure. How wrong he was. But a few years later, Bruce Willis still played a ghost, but already in the film “The Sixth Sense”.
Screenwriter Bruce Rubin wanted to take Swayze on the role of Sam after seeing an interview with him as he cried directly in the frame, remembering his dead father. He immediately saw him as someone who could pull off the role.
And as Patrick himself later confessed, in the final scene, when Sam confesses his love to Molly before being sent to Paradise, he was thinking of his father, whom he loved very much.
But still initially Jerry Zucker refused to take Patrick Swayze for this role. The fact that he was literally forced to watch the film “Roadhouse”, where Swayze played a major role. Seeing a long-haired guy waving his fists, Jerry flatly refused to take him on the role of Sam, as he simply did not see the dramatic and romantic character in this actor
But Patrick Swayze was very persistent. He wanted the role so badly that Zucker gave the go-ahead to audition. And it was at this very audition Jerry Zucker realised that he was wrong, because after Patrick read the final scene of the script, Zucker literally cried, as he was simply overwhelmed with emotion.
In the role of Oda Mae Brown initially wanted to take Oprah Winfrey. But at the time of filming she lost a lot of weight, and the idea of Oda Mae Brown should be a woman in the body. In the end, the role was given to Whoopi Goldberg. And it was really the right choice. How cool she played in this film.
Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts tried out for the role of Molly, but the best of all was Dami Moore, who, unlike her husband Bruce Willis, still got the lead role. She got the role largely due to the fact that she could cry at any moment at the snap of her fingers.
Jerry Zucker’s mother made a cameo in the film as a bank employee who served Oda Mae.
By the way, the mother of screenwriter Bruce Rubin also played a small role in the film. It was she who played the old nun who faints when she reveals the cheque that Oda Mae has barely given her.
The scenes where Sam walks through objects were shot separately on a blue background (chromakey), and then the background was removed, and Swayze was superimposed on the main shots.
Remember the shadows that took ghosts to hell? It’s hard to forget. And do you remember the vile sounds they made? Those screams actually belonged to babies. But in order to make that cry creepy, the infant’s cries were let backwards and then slowed down.
It was pretty cold outside during filming, but since Sam was killed wearing a shirt, he had to wear that shirt throughout the film.
Poor Patrick Swayze was already insanely cold, and they made him chew ice cubes to keep the steam out of his mouth. He’s a ghost after all, so he shouldn’t have any breath.
The film “The Ghost” was nominated for an Oscar in five categories, including Best Picture, but ended up taking 2 statuettes. Bruce Rubin won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Moreover, Whoopi Goldberg became the second black actress to win an Oscar. The first black actress to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel for Gone with the Wind, where she played the role of Mammy. The difference between these Oscars was 50 years.
With a budget of $22 million, The Haunting earned $505.7 million at the worldwide box office, an incredible success. And I’m not talking about the fact that the film “Ghost” was the most often taken at the video box office in 1991. This film overtook even “Home Alone” and “Remember Everything” in terms of box office receipts.
Alex Noth and Hi Zareth wrote the song Unchained Melody 35 years before the release of “Ghost” specifically for the prison drama “Unchained”, where it was performed. But at the time, it wasn’t well known to many people. But 35 years later it became a real hit, and today it is associated exclusively with the film “The Ghost”.
