The Ghost Writer (Roman Polanski, 2010)

[Clevinger]

Actually he said it to Ewan McGregor, because the Ghost was denying he knew where Brosnan was.

True, again. Somehow my mind had locked on Brosnan.

I realise that my credibility is down to zero now, but then again, I'm guessing the interest in the swedish edition of this film wasn't huge to begin with.

[domino harvey]

For those curious, I watched the UK Blu recently and can confirm a "cunt" and about 7-8 "fucks," including one in the dialog exchange that opens the film! I know that's the only important thing here, but while I love a good conspiracy thriller like no other, I do wish this one wasn't quite so predictable!

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By the time Olivia Williams came slithering into McGregor's room about forty minutes into the film, it seemed pretty obvious we were in Lady MacBeth-esque territory, no? Sure the exact details needed to be filled in, but the final revelation was like if Citizen Kane having already established what "Rosebud" was and ending with the surprise hinging on what brand of sled!)

Still, a gorgeous-looking and handsomely made (fucking) film.

[cdnchris]

For those curious, I watched the UK Blu recently and can confirm a "cunt" and about 7-8 "fucks," including one in the dialog exchange that opens the film!

I bought the Canadian Blu-ray and it seemed to have everythin as well. The fact it also still gets a PG rating in Canada, even with the "fucks" and "cunts" (out of context that might sound interesting) just shows how ridiculous it is in the US. Toned down it still gets PG-13.

And yeah, I did find it predictable when I saw it in the theater, but it was just so well made and a hell of a lot of fun. Tom Wilkinson also steals his small section of the film and Bronson comes out looking great as well.

[hearthesilence]

Re-visited this again after getting the uncensored Dutch BD. (You can get a brand new copy very cheap on ebay, and it's region-free.) It actually made me nostalgic for a time when it felt like we hit rock bottom when in fact things could and did get much, much worse. However the subtext feels even more sobering now. The best suspense films typically hold up to repeating viewing for me because once the entire plot becomes familiar, everything else the film has to say really comes to the surface, and that was certainly the case here.

When McGregor's ghostwriter digs through his predecessor's findings, there's a shot of a news article headline that says something like "1977 could be Labour's year!" Not a subtle joke, Labour was devastated that year, paving the way for Thatcher to become PM. Everything in this film is modeled on real life - there are numerous direct allusions to the second Bush administration (there's even a stand-in for Condoleezza Rice) - so it's very reasonable to imagine more parallels between the story and how real life history has already played out. With Lang's wife Ruth, especially Lang's recollection of their first meeting, one can imagine complete disillusionment, and how that damages and re-shapes their own politics into something far less idealistic. It's not just U.S. interests corrupting these former idealists through persuasion - they were likely more than open to it if it meant turning the balance of power around.