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The Ghost Writer – 2010 Polanski
- The film is so much better, and closer to Chinatown than critics gave it credit for in 2010.
- Including the Chinatown comparisons are little things like the hired help at the house on the ocean sweeping the never-ending grass off the deck (being blown on by wind) just like the saltwater pool in the backyard of Dunaway’s house in Chinatown
- There are also comparisons to both Chinatown and rosemary’s baby (and other polanski’s films) with the sheer paranoia and anxiety he’s able to create. Powerful stuff.
- McGregor googling CIA contacts scene reminds me of Mia Farrow reading the book on witchcraft.
- I’ve seen the film 3 times and every time I feel like it’s a HR- Highly Recommend or essentially a top 10 film of 2010, and then they film ends with two of the better scenes in the last decade including the shot of the note being handed from McGregor to Olivia Williams. The second shot is of course that final shot- the equivalent of the “forget it, Jake, It’s Chinatown” shot of the hit and run and pages of the unpublished book sweeping away. Fantastic finish
- Must-See film- top 5 of the year quality
Drake2017-02-23T20:05:32-05:00
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This film would make a great companion piece with Gore Verbinski’s The Ring. Mystery/Thriller. The mystery is so well done in both films. Looking for clues in dangerous places. Scrolling through images/pages. Travelling on ferries to the pivotal island. Reluctant islanders who are unwilling to give information away. Isolated landscapes in the island. People buried among book shelfs. Recurring symbolism. I’m not sure The Ghost Writer had the color use The Ring had with its greens, reds, and yellows. Mysterious death at the beginning that gets you involved immediately. Anxiety, distress, exhaustion. More propulsion in The Ring with its 7 day deadline. Tracking shots through hectic and crowded offices. Brian Cox has lines like “Minute I think I’m done with one thing… another thing needs fixing”. Jane Alexander with lines like “See, when you live on an island, you catch a cold, it’s everybody’s cold”. Great scores in both films.
Something interesting to note with the ending being similar to Chinatown, with Chinatown’s ending Towne objected to Polanski’s bleak ending but held it in and won in the long run.
The ending of The Ghost Writer is also similar and not consistent with Harris’ novel, in the novel The Ghost hides, trying to avoid the political powers and implies he has died – not a strong punch compared to this. So props for Polanski for yielding iconic endings from these two.
@Drake-How would you rank the Robert Harris novel turned big budget films The Ghost Writer, An Officer and a Spy and Conclave? Are you aware of Munich – The Edge of War with George McKay I think.
*All of them political thrillers.
Not Drake – but
The Ghost Writer
Conclave
An Officer and a Spy
I love Robert Harris’ novels too.
I don’t know what the critics are smoking. But I highly recommend seeking out Based on a True Story from 2017. It is auteur cinema at its finest and a great companion piece to the Ghost Writer. Both films are about the creative process and making of a book/biography. Both end with the publication of that book in a public event with similar end credits on paper. This is the main theme but there are lots of other Polanskian elements like walls closing in on the Protagonist similar to his apartment trilogy, shifting of power dynamics(Venus in Fur, Bitter Moon) as well as the inclusion of surrealist sequences(although they are real). This is probably the career best performance from the always enchanting Eva Green and an against type solid central performance from Emmanuelle Seigner as well.
@Anderson – Yeah @Malith recommended that one to me, it was impressive for sure. Real life husband/wife duo of Roman Polanski/Emmanuelle Seigner are an underrated Director/Actress duo in my opinion. Emmanuelle Seigner really excels playing confident mysterious women although in Based on a True Story (2017) it is Eva Green who plays the mysterious woman role giving Emmanuelle Seigner a chance for a different type of role neurotic character plagued by insecurities not present in other roles and she delivers
@James Trapp-Yeah. It was impressive for sure. And Seigner in it. I think she was in two Oscar nominated films in 2007 La Vie en Rose & Diving Bell and the Butterfly aside from her work with Polanski.
Polanski’s trademark peep hole shot is included here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13V-c2JJw-OLkj8TpXzdcGZA_VDLXHKSK/view?usp=drive_link
The Palace has terrible reviews for some reason. But nevertheless looks interesting and seems to be inspired by Wes’ Grand Budapest Hotel. Also linked by Polanski and Wes regularly sharing and rotating Alexandre Desplat in the last 15 years. And using his score in every one of their feature films since 2009. Wes in Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Isle of Dogs, The French Dispatch and Asteroid City. Polanski in The Ghost Writer, Carnage, Venus in Fur, Based on a True Story(Fantastic score here), An Officer and a Spy and The Palace. Will you give The Palace a look at some point?
@Malith- I will see any Polanski film at least once
Is What?(1972) and Pirates(1986) terrible? These are the only two I’m not sure I would seek out. Based on a True Story is one of Polanski’s worst-reviewed movies for some reason. But it is fantastic. It even makes the Ghost Writer better imo. Fabulous auteur cinema. These two probably advances Polanski’s range because I’m not sure he did other films about writer’s block/autobiography(or book) writing aspect side.
@Malith- Haven’t seen either. I would and hopefully will – my theory is you should see everything from an auteur the level of Polanski
@Drake-Can you see Kristin Scott Thomas pulling off the Olivia Williams role here?
@Malith – 100% Well done.
I recently saw Based on a True Story and I feel like that one actually makes the Ghost Writer stronger. Similar to this, That one is about writing a new novel/autobiography and the writer’s block associated with it(more in Based on a True Story than this). That’s just narratively. Visually the finale of the opening of the new book/autobiography launch is a clear companion between the two films then the end credits on the pages of a book/paper.
Has to be in discussion for best final shot of the 2010s right? Having a hard time thinking of much but this feels like it has to be right at the tip of the top?
@Matthew – of course. Maybe Melancholia, Black Swan can compete as well
@Matthew – did my best to collect them on the 2010 page
@Matthew – Are you talking about the year 2010 or the decade 2010s?
2010s decade, should have specified
[…] The Ghost Writer – Polanski […]
@Drake-Is Olivia Williams getting a mention in the 2010 page for The Ghost Writer(2010)? She is great here.
The Ghost Writer (2010)
– Starts with shot of boat in heavy rain
– Heavy use of gray and blue in mise en scene to match dreary atmosphere
– 13:02 rough waters on the Ferry, foreshadowing
– Adam Lang’s house is located along a beach with lighthouse in the distance
– Walk along beach around 20 min the Ghostwriter character is a little apprehensive with Lang’s security following him and Lang’s wife
– Repeated lighthouse shots around 22 min
– 30:46 great shot of Lang with his arms on the clear window in his study room
– 37:35 interesting shot at hotel room with light from 4 lamps on perimeter
– 40:44 Ewan McGregor’s character is given the room of the prior Ghostwriter who supposedly committed suicide
– Lang has big personality like Trump or George W Bush
– Lean script, even small characters introduced appear later like at 45:50 we see the father of a soldier killed in war with the rest of the anti-Lang protesters
– 48:44 Ghostwriter finds old pictures of Lang in College and newspaper cut outs in the room of the former Ghostwriter
– 51:50 zoom out shot, depth of field
– Similarities to Chinatown (1974) superficially with the intelligent lead character who is trying to figure out what’s going on but is always a step behind
– Weather as character, always raining and gloomy outside
– 1:04:00 dinner conversation between Ghostwriter and Lang’s wife Ruth, they have good chemistry together, clearly a mutual attraction
– 1:18:00 Ghostwriter visits Tom Wilkinson character, narrow road leading up to house creating claustrophobic feeling
– 1:26:47 Wilkinson’s character issues not so subtle threat as Ghostwriter digs further in Lang’s past
– 1:33:13 one of strongest compositions with Ghostwriter standing outside by hotel with bright red sign on right side of screen and blue night sky filling left side
– Excellent score throughout, hits the right balance not too overpowering but adds to paranoia/suspense
– 1:39:28 Polanski’s famous peephole shot used in Rosemary’s Baby and The Tenant
– Last 10 minutes are very strong indeed
– Very lean film, excellent narrative that moves along with no unnecessary scenes or pointless sub plots, almost Chinatown like especially in how Ghostwriter (like JJ Gites) is always a step behind in a scenario with much more powerful people pulling the strings
– Lack of resolution to a degree
Very strong narrative with little to no fat, just moves along
Like all Polanski films heavily atmospheric, great use of shadows, subtle score, colors (gray and blue), and weather (constant rain)
Strong performance from McGregor who becomes a sort of sleuth a la Jack in Chinatown, and like JJ Gites he has a natural curiosity and is in a situation where more powerful people seem to be pulling all the strings leaving him to be playing catch up