With the new Ghostbusters just around the corner, it's worth to take a quick re-visit of the original 1984 film starring Bill Murray, Dan Ankroyd, and Sigourney Weaver. It's a film that I like more than love and certainly its originality and ambitions are commendable. Its cultural ubiquity and impact as well are undeniable and yet the film itself suffers a bit by taking a long while to really get going, holding back on its best part, Sigourney Weaver. For me, the movie doesn't really get interesting, narratively and visually, until midway when Weaver's character gets possessed by the spirit of Zuul.
Weaver is an absolute delight in these sequences with her sparkly orange dress, wild makeup and put upon sultry voice. She's clearly having a blast from the moment Murray opens the door and she asks if he's the keymaster. It's a grand entrance that signals a key shift in the film leading up to the requisite rescue and confrontation climax. Her reveal, however, isn't my pick for favorite shot. It's this one...
Best Shot
Framed by the destruction of her apartment and the grandeur of New York City, Weaver is shamelessly splayed in all her carnal glory. It's possibly the most arresting image in the film embracing both the scary and the absurd aspects of the film. Honestly, it's the image I most associate with the film other than the adorable and giant Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. "I am the gatekeeper" she declares and goddamn if we all didn't want to be the keymaster at the time. Hail Zuul!
I totally almost picked this shot.
ReplyDeleteBecause even with all that devastation a classical musician STILL wouldn't be able to afford that apartment in Manhattan in the 80s. Or any other decade for that matter.