Paramount Presents has brought some of the fabled studios’ most popular and acclaimed titles to Blu-Ray, such as their latest, the beloved Ghost. The Paramount Presents line of flicks gets the 1080p Blu-Ray presentation that comes from a 4K restoration. For the 1990 romance starring Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze instant classic, the visual and audio upgrade was overseen by director Jerry Zucker.
It has been years since The Movie Mensch experienced Ghost and before pressing play on my latest Paramount Presents title, I thought it would be one of those films that firmly “felt” like it was stuck in another time. Many films from the 80s and 90s, sadly, feel that they are a product of their decade of production and are not timeless. This is due to the video quality, the sound quality, and is especially true when it comes to scoring, and the music included in the release that can instantly date it. That is so not the case with Ghost, particularly with this 4K restoration and transfer. It is as emotively resonant and powerful as it was when it arrived in U.S. theaters and charmed a nation and the world to believe in love and most importantly, the idea that that emotional powerhouse can transcend life itself.
The film also featured an iconic performance by Whoopi Goldberg, which would result in her winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar that was a surprise to nobody who witnessed her astounding work opposite Moore and especially her comedic and overall cinematic chemistry with Swayze.
Why Ghost still has “it” is because it is a story that is steeped in romance, yes, but it also has plenty of comedy and thrills that make the heart race as much as that iconic scene between Moore and Swayze and a whole lot of clay! It also stands the test of time because of its timeless themes and how director Zucker (Airplane!, Ruthless People) made an otherworldly film that was simultaneously approachable and enthralling. It was the most extraordinary of stories, largely due to the screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin (Deep Impact, The Time Traveler’s Wife), who wove threads from a myriad of film genres into one taut tapestry that checked boxes for a wide swath of moviegoers in a way that was rare. It still is rare.
For those of you who do not own Ghost in your home video collection, this Paramount Presents release is a fine time to rectify that omission. For those of you who do not know about Ghost and what it’s about … well, it follows Sam (Swayze), who is murdered but stays behind in spirit. With the help of a psychic (Goldberg), who aides his wife Molly (Moore) come to terms with her beloved’s death, they also team up to solve his murder. Turns out, it wasn’t just a random robbery gone bad.
The limited-edition release arrives for a public that just adores this flick and features a collectible packaging that finds a foldout image of the flick’s original theatrical poster—all with an interior photographic landscape of memorable moments from the film. Also included, and it’s supremely awesome, is a new featurette, Filmmaker Focus with Zucker that spotlights his outstanding work on the film and his priceless thoughts on it when a few decades to think about its place in the world. He also offers indelible thoughts on the character triangle that was Swayze-Goldberg-Moore and how he struck that balance between a myriad of film styles—all within one well-produced story.
Other previously included featurettes include the stellar Ghost Stories: The Making of a Classic, the exceptional making-of bonus feature Alchemy of a Love Scene. Can you guess which moment from the movie that featurette dissects? You bet; a whole lotta clay was just the beginning. It’s a rare featurette that looks at a moment in cinema that has become iconic and breaks it down in a manner that is worthy of its place in people’s hearts.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A-