July 13 marked the 35th anniversary of the release of Ghost, a film that has left an important mark on the history of cinema, particularly in the romantic genre.
Starring actors Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, it tells the story of a man who, after being murdered, returns as a ghost to protect his girlfriend and solve his own killing.
At the time of its release more than three decades ago, Ghost was on no-one’s radar except the critics’, who largely lambasted it.
Nevertheless, this supernatural romantic thriller, which explores how love endures even after death, emerged as the highest-grossing film of 1990, establishing itself as an indelible classic and a timeless audience delight.
On the occasion of its 35th anniversary, we have compiled 10 facts you may not know about this tear-jerking thriller that could make you love it even more.
We wanted to celebrate this new anniversary with a good portion of curiosities.
Ghost’s original screenplay takes inspiration from Hamlet
Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin has explained in several interviews that the idea for Ghost came to him while watching a production of Hamlet, and that he was inspired by the part where the ghost of Hamlet’s murdered father appears and pleads with his son to avenge his death.
“That’s when I got the idea of making the story about a ghost trying to solve his own murder,” Rubin recalls on his website.
He added: “I wrote a treatment and showed it to my wife, Blanche. Up to that point, all of my treatments were like outlines for novels. This one was very sparse, very simple. Blanche looked at it and said, ‘This is a movie.’
“That’s when I understood how simple movies really are.”
Overall, the plot and character dynamics of Ghost reflect the core elements of Hamlet, particularly the themes of betrayal, revenge, grief and the supernatural.
Importantly, Rubin spent five years crafting his script, facing repeated rejections until producers Steven-Charles Jaffe and Lisa Weinstein recognized the story’s potential to attract a wide audience to theaters.
Initially, director Jerry Zucker did not want to cast Patrick Swayze in the lead role
Director Jerry Zucker harbored serious reservations about Swayze’s ability to play a romantic role and preferred actors such as Kevin Bacon or Tom Cruise. In particular, after viewing the action film Road House, Zucker’s stance was significantly strengthened against Swayze.
However, when the Dirty Dancing star auditioned and read for the role, the filmmakers were dumbfounded.
By the end of the audition, everyone present had tears in their eyes and the rest is history. It’s worth noting that it was casting director Janet Hirshenson who persuaded Zucker to allow the actor to participate in the audition process.
Whoopi Goldberg attributes her Oscar to Patrick Swayze
Whoopi Goldberg was also told she was not right for the project. There were other names in mind for the role of Oda Mae Brown, such as Tina Turner and Oprah Winfrey.
Eventually, Goldberg revealed that she only got the role of Oda Mae Brown because Swayze fought for it. The producers resisted hiring her, but once Swayze came on board, he said he wouldn’t do the movie unless she did. Although the actors didn’t know each other, Swayze was convinced she was the right candidate for the role and prevailed to bring her on board.
In 1991, when Goldberg took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress she thanked Swayze, calling him a “stand-up guy.”
In 2010, the film was remade in Japan
At the time, Ghost grossed almost $50 million in Japan, which explains the Japanese decision to remake it.
The reinterpretation was titled Ghost: Mouichido Dakishimetai (Ghost もういちど抱きしめたい), and was released in 2010. The film was directed by Taro Otani, while the main roles were played by Nanako Matsushima and Song Seung-heon.
The Japanese version changes the perspective by presenting a female ghost seeking help to take revenge on her killer, while also adapting the story to the Japanese cultural context.
There was a Ghost musical
Yes, the 1990 supernatural romance turned musical.
Titled Ghost the Musical, the play has libretto and lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin (who also wrote the screenplay for the film) and music and lyrics by Dave Stewart and Glen Ballard. It opened in the West End in 2011 and on Broadway in 2012.
The musical tells the same story as the original production and received three Tony Award nominations.
Ghost’s big song was written for another movie
There are moments in film history when the right song makes all the difference, and that’s the case with Ghost.
It’s been 35 years since the premiere, when director Jerry Zucker decided to use The Righteous Brothers’ version of Unchained Melody to create the iconic pottery scene.
Many people – perhaps most people – associate the song with Ghost. However, did you know that the song was actually written for another movie? The film in question is 1955’s Unchained, a low-budget prison production.
They spent several months searching for the last phrase of Patrick Swayze’s character
It took both the director and screenwriter several months to find Sam’s last line in the film: “It’s amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you. See ya.”
The potter’s wheel scene has been parodied on many occasions
Swayze and Moore’s sensual pottery scene is often cited as one of the most romantic and sexy movie moments of all time. In fact, its impression has been so indelible that over more than three decades a score of tributes have been filmed.
So far, parodies and tributes stand out in productions such as: Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear, Family Guy, Glee, Two and a Half Men, Community, and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
It was the highest-grossing film of 1990
The romantic thriller by Jerry Zucker, a director famous for his off-color satires, would become a true “all-ages” blockbuster and would go on to become one of the biggest hits in history.
With a modest budget of $22 million, Ghost finished the year with a worldwide gross of nearly $506 million, ranking as the No. 1 film of 1990, ahead of Home Alone, Pretty Woman, Dances With Wolves and Total Recall.
It was nominated for five Oscars and won two
The supernatural romance was not only financially successful, The Academy also liked it. And the fact is, Ghost had it all: torrid romance, supernatural horror, crime drama, mystery and comedy.
Ghost earned five nominations at the 63rd Academy Awards: Best Picture, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, and winning Best Supporting Actress for Goldberg and Best Original Screenplay for Rubin.