Subsequent Events Gere reestablished himself as
a major star in 1990, when he teamed up with Julia
Roberts in the blockbuster hit,Pretty Woman. He also
had big hits withPrimal Fear(1996) andRunaway
Bride(1999), again co-starring Roberts. Gere be-
came known as much for his interests and activities
outside show business as for his acting career, how-
ever. He was banned as an Oscar presenter after he
denounced the Chinese government from the po-
dium in 1993.
Further Reading
Davis, Judith.Richard Gere: An Unauthorized Biogra-
phy.New York: New American Library, 1983.
Gere, Richard.Pilgrim. Boston: Little, Brown, 1997.
Parker, John.Richard Gere: The Flesh and the Spirit.
London: Headline, 1997.
Mar y Virginia Davis
See also Academy Awards; Film in the United
States.
Ghostbusters
Identification Supernatural comedy film
Director Ivan Reitman (1946- )
Date Released June 8, 1984
Capitalizing on the popularity of science-fiction movies of
the 1970’s and 1980’s, such as theStar WarsandAlien
series,Ghostbusterscreated almost a separate genre by
mixing humor and scar y situations with traditional ele-
ments of supernatural films, including monsters, gremlins,
and spirits.
A science-fiction ghost tale starring performers best
known for their comedic skills,Ghostbustersmixed
genres to create a film that was equal parts supernat-
ural action film and spoof. The flitting ghosts and
slimy creatures ofGhostbustersprovide more comedy
than horror, and the characters handle bizarre situa-
tions with comedic wit and mock-seriousness, thereby
concocting one of the most financially successful
comedies of the 1980’s, one that spawned a sequel,
Ghostbusters II(1989), and created a large audience
of admirers.
The film’s special effects and studio work were
seamlessly integrated with location shooting in New
York City to provide an apocalyptic finale that threat-
ened a believable urban setting with demoniac inva-
sion. In perhaps the film’s most famous sequence,
the city of Manhattan is threatened with destruction
by a gigantic Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. (Ghost-
busterswon an Academy Award for Best Visual Ef-
fects.) This combination of realism and supernatural
effects, fright and fun, appealed to the wide audi-
ence that drove the film’s profits. The knowing deliv-
ery of many of the film’s lines bySaturday Night Live
alums Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd caused them im-
mediately to enter the popular vernacular, as they
were quoted repeatedly throughout the remainder
of the decade. Murray and Aykroyd, along with Har-
old Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie
Potts, and Rick Moranis, created characters that
were by turns likable, sympathetic, and ridiculous—
characters whose reactions to the strange things
happening to them form the core of the movie.
In addition to its 1989 sequel, the film’s popular-
ity engendered several television series—animated
and live-action. One television spin-off in particular,
The Real Ghostbusters, borrowed from fairy tales and
folklore to give the material greater breadth and
appeal.Ghostbusters’s success also generated a mer-
chandising machine that included toys, video games,
and the inevitable fast-food tie-ins.
Impact Ghostbustersblended wacky humor, dead-
pan delivery, scampering ghosts, oddball characters,
and escalating mayhem mixed with the trappings of
parapsychology. It helped establish that big-budget,
effects-driven films could broaden their appeal by
incorporating humor and refusing to take them-
selves too seriously, luring audiences for whom ef-412 Ghostbusters The Eighties in America
From left: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis in
Ghostbusters.(AP/Wide World Photos)