Product: 13 Ghosts (1960)
Rating: 5.0
Who Says You Can't Go Home Again
Last night I recaptured a treasured childhood memory when I watched "13 Ghosts" in it's new DVD incarnation. I was pleased to find that the film was entirely restored, including not only trailers but theatrical prologues and epilogues that I haven't seen since I was 6 years old. The "Illusion-O" process worked fully as well as it did in 1960 and overall, I was not merely pleased, but actually blissful at being able to so fully re-create that important (and influential) childhood experience.One small criticism, there is only ONE Ghost Viewer packaged with the DVD, and also, the RED filter is a teensy bit too dark, although the blue filter worked perfectly.Looking at the film again from an adult vantage point I was struck by how much the film has to do with "secrets". From Buck's Birthday wish right through to Elaine's cryptic line "Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies", the whole plot of the film seems to be an exploration of secrecy/privacy within the family dynamic. Buck's Birthday Party presents the visual motif of the circle (in this case the family circle) which is threatened by squares and angles (in the form of the book, and the squarish ghost viewers.) The family circle expands to include Ben, a grave mistake, during the Ouija scene, and sets the stage for the frightening scene which follows. Buck's keeping of his secret is accompanied by his exclusion from the circle (of the Seance) and his subsequent endangerment.All three circle scenes have "group communication" as their theme. All the "square" scenes (dealing with the book, the four-poster bed, the secret panel in the staircase and, of course, the glasses) are about priviliged/private, secret communication. Plato Zorba, a man well used to keeping secrets, has been living in Los Angeles since the time of Buck's birth. Buck and Plato are stongly connected,and have a similar attitude toward "spirits" and, of course, secrets. It is Buck's need to differentiate himself from his family, and to trade on his secrets which leads him to confide in the one person unworthy of such confidence.Wonderful movie for kids, wonderful movie for adults, wonderful movie - period!