The Ghost Writer (2010)

A ghost writer, hired to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, uncovers secrets that put his own life in jeopardy.

Director:

Roman Polanski

Writers:

Robert Harris (screenplay), Roman Polanski (screenplay)

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams

33 wins & 55 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	The Ghost
Jon Bernthal	...	Rick Ricardelli
Tim Preece	...	Roy
Jim Belushi	...	John Maddox (as James Belushi)
Timothy Hutton	...	Sidney Kroll
Anna Botting	...	SKY TV Newsreader
Yvonne Tomlinson	...	Stewardess
Milton Welsh	...	Taxi Driver
Alister Mazzotti	...	Protection Officer #1
Tim Faraday	...	Barry
Kim Cattrall	...	Amelia Bly
Kate Copeland	...	Alice
Soogi Kang	...	Dep
Lee Hong Thay	...	Duc
Olivia Williams	...	Ruth Lang

Storyline

An unremarkable ghost-writer has landed a lucrative contract to redact the memoirs of Adam Lang, the former UK Prime Minister. After dominating British politics for years, Lang is campaigning for his foundation with his wife in the USA. He lives on an island, in luxurious, isolated premises complete with a security detail and a secretarial staff. Soon, Adam Lang gets embroiled in a major scandal with international ramifications that reveals how far he was ready to go in order to nurture UK's "special relationship" with the USA. But before this controversy has started, before even he has closed the deal with the publisher, the ghost-writer gets unmistakable signs that the turgid draft he is tasked to put into shape inexplicably constitutes highly sensitive material.

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Plot Keywords:

memoir | writer | ferry | political thriller | beach house | 

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Taglines:

Read between the lies.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, brief nudity/sexuality, some violence and a drug reference

Did You Know?

Trivia

The end title designer forgot to use punctuation when writing the end credits. This resulted in all assistants being listed as "ass designer" or "ass painter" etc.

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Goofs

The black car chasing The Ghost through the woods changes models. Early in the chase, the car is a Chrysler LHS, circa 2002. When it boards the ferry, it is a Chrysler 300, circa 2009. (It's possible that two sets of bad guys are following the Ghost, but that possibility is not highlighted.)

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Ghost: You realize I know nothing about politics.
Rick Ricardelli: You voted for him, didn't you?
The Ghost: Adam Lang? Of course I did, everyone voted for him. He wasn't a politician, he was a craze.

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Crazy Credits

The credits are written as black-on-white with a typewriter font, like the manuscript shown throughout the movie.

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Alternate Versions

The version released on Blu-ray in Norway has some curse words dubbed over. At the motel reception you can clearly see McGregor mouthing something else than "shit".

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Connections

Referenced in Have I Got News for You: Episode #39.2 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Marcia Funebre
Allegro Assai from Beethoven's Symphony No. 3
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Symphony Nova Scotia
Conducted by Georg Tintner
Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

User Reviews

Polanski and McGregor, a wonderful match

Ewan McGregor gets rid of every ounce of glamour and allows his Polanskian character to emerge. I though, a few years ago, Polanski could have played him himself the way he played so beautifully in "The Tenant" Those two characters are not that far apart. Taking over an apartment or a job from someone who leaves the scene under very mysterious circumstances is practically the same thing. McGregor, however, is superb. In "The Ghost Writer" events play close to the knuckle. Who is Pierce Brosnan? Tony Blair? and Olivia Williams? Classic film-making at its best. Compelling and visually stunning. The score by Alexander Desplat reminded me of Bernard Herrman and the atmosphere is so thick that the film's 2 hours plus fly by at an amazing speed. Polanski at 77 doesn't show any signs of jadedness. He is in total control. Hurrah for that!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Vidio [Indonesia]

Country:

France Germany UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 March 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ghost Writer

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$183,009, 21 February 2010

Gross USA:

$15,541,549

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$60,331,447

Company Credits

Production Co:

R.P. Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Studio Babelsberg

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1