The true feelings of the creators behind “Ghost/Phantom of New York”

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2020.01.13Samurai Isao

We are flooded with requests to take pottery classes! Behind the scenes of famous scenes

♪ My love. I want to touch you so badly ♪

Sam and Molly huddle together and make pottery to the tune of "Unchained Melody," a love song sung by the Righteous Brothers. This is a famous scene from ``Ghost''. It's a famously romantic scene, and there are rumors that requests to take pottery classes all over the United States flooded with requests after the movie was released in theaters.

There are probably many people who have the impression that ``Ghost'' is a romantic love movie, as symbolized by this scene. In the first place, the catchphrase is ``A fantasy drama of mysterious love,'' ``The definitive love story that will make you cry,'' and ``A masterpiece of a love story filled with emotion and excitement!'' and it's a lovey-dovey lovey-dovey story.

Righteous Brothers "Unchained Melody"

Prior to this film, Patrick Swayze, the lead actor, had a huge hit in the romance movie ``Dirty Dancing'' (1987), in which he showed passionate dancing, and his sexy dancing appearance was duplicated in Patrick Swayze. There were probably many women as well. Also, Demi Moore's bold nudes and sexual scenes in ``Yesterday Night...'' (1986) have become a hot topic, and her casting suggests a strong sense of romance.

However, this romantic pottery scene borrows techniques from Jerry Zucker's nonsensical gag films.

In the original script, Molly was set to be a sculptor, but at Jerry Zucker's suggestion, she was changed to a potter. Since there is no need for it in the story, it is likely that the setting was changed for this pottery scene.

Molly: Demi Moore turns wet clay at the potter's wheel wearing only a sleeveless white shirt. Sam, shirtless and showing off his impressive six-pack: Patrick Swayze sits behind Molly and watches her work for a while, but then touches the clay and breaks the half-finished pottery.

Thinking that it can't be helped, they return the clay to a lump, turn the wheel again, and this time the two of them begin to make a shape. The clay begins to stand up like a stick, but Sam and Molly passionately press their lips together, releasing the erect clay and begin to make love.

Of course, the ``standing clay'' in this scene is a metaphor for male genitalia. As evidence of this, in the play, after Sam's death, Molly goes to the potter's wheel again and kneads the clay, but the stick of clay breaks into pieces, representing the absence of men.

The technique of using something else as a penis is a common comedy technique, and male genitalia in particular can be a good joke to get laughs, but if you change the context, it becomes a romantic, affectionate and sexy scene, Jerry said. Zucker discovered it.

This pottery scene covers up the film's excellent suspense-thriller side, making it recognized as a love-romance film, and making it a huge hit.

And, as is the fate of blockbuster movies, they also become targets of parody. Played by Leslie Nielsen and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Presley. That work is, of course, ``The Man with the Naked Gun 2 1/2'' (1991), produced by ZAZ.

Text: Samurai Isao

Designer by profession, film writer by profession. He is working hard to promote Indian films in Japan.

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"Ghost/Phantom of New York"

Blu-ray: 1,886 yen + tax / DVD: 1,429 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

* Information as of January 2020.

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