Great Character: Dana Barrett (“Ghostbusters”)
With Halloween approaching, our theme this month is Supernatural Characters. Today in his regular weekly guest post, Jason Cuthbert looks at Dana Barrett from the the 1984 movie Ghost Busters, written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis.
The imaginative science fiction and fantasy realms of cinema have been rather generous to the three-time Academy Award nominated actress and native New Yorker Sigourney Weaver. Speaking of threes, there is also a certain trio of iconic sci-fi franchises that Sigourney has played a significant role in: Alien, Avatar and Ghostbusters. Weaver has woven four Alien voyages into her radical resume, along with three more upcoming Avatar odysseys that could potentially pull her back to the planet of Pandora and movement being made on possibly three-peating with the paranormal in Ghostbusters 3. Sigourney Weaver’s supernatural role as the sultry haunted orchestra musician Dana Barrett in the 1984 global event Ghostbusters surely cemented Sigourney’s Queen of Comic Con status for years to come.
Ghost Busters from IMDB:
Three unemployed parapsychology professors set up shop as a unique ghost removal service.
It’s not everyday that the demon possession of a love interest attractor character is not considered a dating deal breaker. Convincing the audience of this is one of the many benefits of director Ivan Reitman casting the smart and sexy Sigourney Weaver in the role of Dana, written with comedic precision by legendary facilitators of funny, the brilliant real life paranormal expert and day-one Saturday Night Live player Dan Aykroyd (The Blues Brothers, Spies Like Us) and joke generator for Playboy, Second City and National Lampoons Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Analyze This).
Bill Murray’s effortless charmer protagonist Dr. Peter Venkman may bust ghosts out of the land of the living for a living, but the business and client boundary between Dana and himself is completely invisible. Unfortunately for him, Dana Barrett initially sees business and pleasure as polar opposites.
DANA BARRETT: You know, you don’t act like a scientist.
PETER VENKMAN: They’re usually pretty stiff.
DANA BARRETT: You’re more like a game show host.
PETER VENKMAN: They’re usually pretty stiff.
Dana’s avoidance of intimate relations with virtually every guy in Ghostbusters is a smart way of solidifying the hard-to-get emotional security shield that even Peter Venkman’s poltergeist-blasting proton pack would struggle to penetrate. Dana’s neighbor Louis Tully (Rick Moranis) may offer to share health store beverages and awkward party invitations, but these attempts at a deeper friendship only lead to Dana tip-toeing past his apartment to avoid human contact. Even her musical male colleague gets his Dana moments interrupted by an eager Venkman who openly refers to him as “the stiff.” Its Dana’s allure that drives Venkman to single-handedly want to end her ghost issues to resume his attempts at solving the issues of her lonely bed.
DANA BARRETT: Yes, we both have the same problem… you.
We know Dana Barrett is independent, has a desirable apartment, has infectious fashion-savvy and can see through the lustful male ego like a plate glass window. This woman of high standards eventually comes across a major dilemma that she will not be able to attack solo — a full blown demonic possession. Ironically Dana requires the man that she reluctantly entertains to gain control over her own body again.
DANA BARRETT: There is no Dana. There is only Zuul.
Peter’s unreciprocated love connection could have easily pushed him far, far away from Dana once she became the flesh vessel for Zuul the ghoul. But her ideal traits and spicy rebuttals have made Dana worth the extra hassles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9L7UUp0FxY
But even as a levitating phantasm, Dana Barrett makes for one intense sex symbol spook. She set a high standard by which supernatural women will need to step their game way up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGNoXIhKTLw
For her intelligent reactions merged with street-smart social skills, her self-respect that is never fueled by the need for male validation and a seductive spark, even with a hellish apparition playing puppet master with her physique — Dana Barrett is a spirited GREAT CHARACTER.
Such a fun movie and a great twist when the Barrett does her homage to The Exorcist.
For you Ghostbusters fans, join us in comments for a discussion. And thanks once again to Jason! You may follow him on Twitter: @A2Jason.
Comment Archive