Patrick Swayze brought a dancer’s ease to tough men and unembarrassed sincerity to romance. We rate him most when that physical assurance makes affection believable, though Ghost also shows how much a responsive partner matters.
Fi1m perspective
In the pottery scene in Ghost (1990), Patrick Swayze makes being close to Demi Moore seem easy. The contact matters more than the setting, which production designer Jane Musky has made a little too tidy. Adam Greenberg’s photography keeps our attention on the couple, with the clay providing a welcome mess. Swayze gives the scene the physical ease the film needs us to remember. We believe these two enjoy being together before the supernatural explanations begin to try our patience.
His breakthrough as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing (1987) had already put movement at the centre of his appeal. The dancing tells us about Johnny as well as showing what Swayze can do, making his physical skill useful to the romance. Road House (1989) leaned on the tough leading-man image; in Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break (1991), he made an anti-authority figure persuasive. These parts suit an actor who can look rugged without moving heavily. The risk in such casting is repetition, however well he carries it off.
Jerry Zucker’s Ghost asks us to take his feelings seriously, and also makes his limitations clearer. As Sam Wheat, he is so earnest that we need Moore’s more immediate grief to keep the romance from becoming solemn. We were moved more than we expected by Molly’s tears, because Moore makes the loss personal and Swayze has made Sam’s affection easy to believe. Whoopi Goldberg supplies the comedy, but all three treat the improbable situation seriously enough to hold it together. His contribution is substantial, even if he is not the person doing the most affecting work.
Later roles took him beyond his established romantic and action leads. He played the drag queen Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo (1995), then took a supporting part as Jim Cunningham in Donnie Darko (2001). For a first encounter, though, choose Ghost and watch how comfortable he and Moore are together. The plot will require rather more patience.
Biography
Patrick Swayze was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. Born in Houston, Texas on 18 August 1952, he died in Los Angeles on 14 September 2009.
He gained recognition for roles in The Outsiders (1983), Red Dawn (1984) and the miniseries North and South (1985–1986). His breakthrough came with Dirty Dancing (1987), earning a Golden Globe nomination. He starred in Road House (1989), Ghost (1990) as Sam Wheat and Point Break (1991) as Bodhi. Later credits included To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and Donnie Darko (2001).
Swayze co-wrote and performed "She's Like the Wind" for the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.
