GHOST SHIP
US, 2002, 91 minutes, Colour.
Juliana Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Ron Eldard, Isaiah Washington, Alex Demetriades, Karl Urban, Desmond Harrington. Emily Browning.
Directed by Steve Beck.
Ghost Ship is exactly what it says. There are some references to the Marie Celeste (although the young workers of 2000 have never heard of it). This time it is 1962 and a luxury Italian liner is cruising with 600 guests. They are wealthy, they are at a ball, a singer performing – when some wiring becomes loose, creates an effect, which then cuts through the people (literally) on the dance floor, killing them all in some gory visual detail. However, one little girl is not killed in the same way and remains on the ship for 40 years.
We are then shown a group from a salvage ship, presided over by Gabriel Byrne, with Juliana Margulies as a skilful assistant. Since the film was shot in Australia, Alex Demetriades and Karl Urban appear, with the very young Emily Browning as the little girl. There are also some Americans in the cast, including Isaiah Washington and Ron Eldard.
We see the skills of the group, their celebrating when approached by a young man, a pilot with information about a ship to be salvaged. They take it on and find the ghost ship, which also has a great deal of gold on board. As might be expected, the group agree to the salvage, and, one by one, they are killed off. The woman encounters the little ghost girl who is able to save her. The main revelation is that the young man who organised the salvage is in fact a hunter of souls, trying to find his quota to hand over and roaming the world and the seas until he is successful. This is a more interesting variation on “supernatural” scenarios.
1. The blend of horror elements with the salvaging of ships at sea?
2. The scenes at sea, the small salvage boat and its interiors, engines? The large liner, during its voyage, in the flashbacks? After 40 years, deterioration?
3. The plausibility of this kind of ghost story, the theory about the seeker of souls and destruction of passengers on ships? The little girl surviving and helping? Though dead?
4. The special effects for the ship, the explosions, the attempts to fix the ship? The special effects for the deaths of the passengers? For the appearance of the girl, the captain?
5. The musical score, the singer and her performance in the salon?
6. The opening with the salvage work, success, the celebration, the approach by the young man, his deals, their agreeing to go, his coming with them?
7. The search, the discovery of the liner? Going aboard, seeing its condition after 40 years? The possibility for repairs? The dangers with the deterioration? The finding of the gold and its impact on them? Epps seeing the little girl, the effect on her, seeing her again and again, talking, the explanations?
8. The ghosts, the captain and his talking to the salvage master? The singer and her seductive leading on of Greer? Destroying him?
9. The characters of the crew, banter, altercations, skills in their work? The decisions about the gold? Santos and his death? Munder, his friend? Dodge and his desperate behaviour, towards Epps and the gold, murder?
10. The captain, his decisions, his death? Epps alone, with the little girl, the attacks, explosions, the rescue?
11. The insertion of the flashbacks, the reminder of the affluent passengers, the repetition of the death sequence?
12. The young man, his place on the ship, the finding of the gold, his interactions and clashes? The revelation of who he was? The collector of souls? His finally being seen as Epps was rescued?
