Summer with the Ghosts
Encyclopedia
Summer with the Ghosts is a direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
film released in 2003 by La Fète and Sterling Entertainment, and is part of the Tales for All (Contes Pour Tous)
Tales for All
Tales for All is a series of children and family films produced by the company Les Productions la Fête. These films were also published as books.-Partial List of Titles:The films are also referred as Tales for All #1, Tales for All #2, etc....
series of family movies. It is a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
/adventure
Adventure
An adventure is defined as an exciting or unusual experience; it may also be a bold, usually risky undertaking, with an uncertain outcome. The term is often used to refer to activities with some potential for physical danger, such as skydiving, mountain climbing and or participating in extreme sports...
/comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
, focusing on the holiday of a ten-year-old girl called Caroline, who has come to attend her father
Father
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
's film-making of a perimedieval romance
Romance (genre)
As a literary genre of high culture, romance or chivalric romance is a style of heroic prose and verse narrative that was popular in the aristocratic circles of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a knight errant portrayed as...
.
Plot Synopsis
Upon arriving in AustriaAustria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Caroline meets her father and his crew, which include the ubiquitous director's assistant Marcus, the irascible sound manager Steven, and the aged, gentle special effects manager Otto. These, among others, have come to Austria to make the film against the backdrop of a long-historied castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
.
While exploring this castle, Caroline meets and befriends a boy called Iakob and his dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
Hannibal; who in turn introduce her to the castle's community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
of ghosts. These ghosts are variously the animated memories of the castle's deceased inhabitants or spirits of the nearby forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
. All are longtime friends of Iakob.
Shortly after Caroline's introduction to the Ghosts, Otto's equipment begins to malfunction during the filming of crucial scenes. Iakob suspects the Ghosts; he and Caroline investigate, accompanied by Otto. At a lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, they learn that the Nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s (the ghosts of heiresses consigned to the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
) have sabotaged Otto's tools so as to avoid being disturbed by them. To prevent such trouble without mitigating the film-making, Caroline and Iakob arrange for the relocation of the set to another courtyard
Courtyard
A court or courtyard is an enclosed area, often a space enclosed by a building that is open to the sky. These areas in inns and public buildings were often the primary meeting places for some purposes, leading to the other meanings of court....
, which is larger and better situated.
Later, more trouble arises. A rooster
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
living in the castle is in the habit of crowing every day at a particular hour
Hour
The hour is a unit of measurement of time. In modern usage, an hour comprises 60 minutes, or 3,600 seconds...
; the Nuns depend on this for knowledge of when to wake and when to sleep. Without the rooster's crow, the Nuns would wake at the wrong hour and be disintegrated by the sunlight. Because the crowing interferes with the film's sound effects, sound manager Steven attempts to remove or kill the rooster; whereupon Caroline and Iakob endeavour to keep the rooster safe without allowing him to cause trouble.
More trouble arises when a group of boys with whom Iakob habitually plays sports envy his attention to Caroline. To punish Iakob, these boys distract Caroline, seize Iakob, and imprison him in a shed. Caroline, offended at being left alone, returns without investigation. Sometime after nightfall, Iakob is discovered by Hannibal, who overcomes a strong fear of ghosts
Fear of ghosts
The fear of ghosts in many human cultures is based on beliefs that some ghosts may be malignant towards people and dangerous ....
to solicit help from the Nuns.
During the next day, Caroline refuses any contact with Iakob, believing that he was a willing participant in the plot. Iakob, uncertain of what he must do, visits the Nuns and asks for help. Initially, the Nuns reject his request; but Amalia, the eldest Nun, visits Caroline and leaves with her a scrying
Scrying
Scrying is a magic practice that involves seeing things psychically in a medium, usually for purposes of obtaining spiritual visions and less often for purposes of divination or fortune-telling. The most common media used are reflective, translucent, or luminescent substances such as crystals,...
mirror
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
. Looking into this mirror, Caroline sees the truth of the earlier events and consequently forgives Iakob.
Later, Caroline and Iakob notice that an unusual number of near-fatal accidents are occurring to Otto. Suspecting the ghosts of mischief, they confront the Nuns, who confess to desiring to kill Otto so that he may remain in the castle as a ghost. Iakob dissuades them, saying that even if Otto becomes a ghost, he will not forgive the Nuns for arranging his death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
.
On the night before Caroline's departure, the ghosts invite Caroline, Otto, Lakob, and Hannibal to a farewell party. In the courtyard, the whole community of ghosts and spirits stand as if on a stage and recite a poem that evidently they have composed for the occasion;
"We are standing here,
Where we belong,
Singing to you
A good-bye song,
For Caroline... and Otto."
Having sung this repeatedly, with variations, the ghosts descend their platform and begin to dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. Otto, Caroline, and Iakob join in. Caroline thereafter makes another farewell to Iakob in the morning; and he, in turn, watches from the castle's wall as she departs.
Characters
Caroline: The eleven or twelve-year-old protagonistProtagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. Shown to be affection
Affection
Affection or fondness is a "disposition or rare state of mind or body" that is often associated with a feeling or type of love. It has given rise to a number of branches of philosophy and psychology concerning: emotion ; disease; influence; state of being ; and state of mind...
ate, strong-willed, resourceful, persuasive, and very serious at different points of the film. Although Caroline does not at first believe in the existence of ghosts, she is soon convinced otherwise. She has a firm sense of right and wrong, but has been known to act under the influence of injured feelings. It is implied early on that Caroline feels neglect
Neglect
Neglect is a passive form of abuse in which a perpetrator is responsible to provide care for a victim who is unable to care for himself or herself, but fails to provide adequate care....
ed by her parents.
Peter, Father of Caroline: A secondary character given a small but significant part in the plot. It is for his purposes that Caroline is brought to Austria, and therefore as a result of his career as a filmmaker that she experiences the events of the story. Throughout the film, Peter is busy directing the film, though he is evidently fond of his daughter.
Marcus: Peter's assistant. Friendly to Caroline, though like many of the film crew he pays little attention
Attention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
to her.
Caroline's Mother: An unseen character. Although not divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d from her husband, she often sees little of him because of spending many weeks on tour as a musician. Caroline's care is divided between them.
Otto: The special-effects manager of Peter's film crew. Otto is an old man, perhaps over seventy years old. He is very fond of Caroline, whom he has met several times, and is easily persuaded by her. Otto is soft-spoken, modest, and cheerful as a rule, even when taken aback by the presence of ghosts or spirits. Otto becomes endeared to the Nuns (see below), who admire him for his ability to dance. It is remarked that he has long yearned to initiate the phosphorescent glow produced by tree stumps, at which he has evidently marvelled. His use of archaic equipment has made enemies for him among the film crew, though Peter refuses to give up faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
in Otto.
Iakob: An Austrian boy, perhaps one year older to Caroline, who lives in the village near the film crew's site. Iakob and his dog Hannibal are frequent visitors to the castle. Iakob himself is on friendly terms with all the ghosts, and is familiar with the environment as well. He plays sports with some other local boys on certain days, and becomes fond of Caroline. Iakob involves himself directly in the ghosts' affairs when they are in trouble.
Hannibal: Iakob's loyal dog. Hannibal has a strong fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
or repugnance of ghosts, which he must overcome in order to help his master. Caroline is enraptured by Hannibal, whose name she pronounces excitedly when they meet.
Lady in White: The acting leader of the castle's community of ghosts. She is a ghost of the castle's mistress Elisabeth, whose portrait hangs on one of the walls. It is this portrait, presumably animated by its model, that points Caroline to the place where Iakob habitually sits, creating the children's first meeting. Elisabeth is said to have been killed by a misfired bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
.
The Nuns: Five white-robed ghosts, name
Name
A name is a word or term used for identification. Names can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. A personal name identifies a specific unique and identifiable individual person, and may or may not include a middle name...
d Amalia, Barbara, Constanza, Dolores, and Illalia. They are virgins who received no offer of marriage and therefore were consigned to the convent, whose strict rules they broke by going in secret to a certain lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
and dancing on the shore. When this was discovered, they were wall
Wall
A wall is a usually solid structure that defines and sometimes protects an area. Most commonly, a wall delineates a building and supports its superstructure, separates space in buildings into rooms, or protects or delineates a space in the open air...
ed into an alcove and left to die. As ghosts, the Nuns maintain their custom
Norm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
of dancing by the lakeside. They are very frivolous and at times mischievous. Each major decision they make is made after brief discussion among themselves. They are very drawn to Otto, who is an able dancer, and he to them. The Nuns are prone to forget their own actions day-to-day, though they can be reminded. They are shown using psychokinesis
Psychokinesis
The term psychokinesis , also referred to as telekinesis with respect to strictly describing movement of matter, sometimes abbreviated PK and TK respectively, is a term...
to open a door, whereas Amalia in particular possesses a scrying
Scrying
Scrying is a magic practice that involves seeing things psychically in a medium, usually for purposes of obtaining spiritual visions and less often for purposes of divination or fortune-telling. The most common media used are reflective, translucent, or luminescent substances such as crystals,...
mirror.
Weinschadt: A cheerful, friendly, melodramatic, woodwose
Woodwose
The wild man is a mythical figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe, comparable to the satyr or faun type in classical mythology and to Silvanus, the Roman god of the woodlands.The defining characteristic of the figure is its "wildness"; from the 12th century...
-like spirit who lives in the forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
near the castle. Each evening, Weinschadt moves through the forest, becoming or ceasing to be invisible at intervals, and triggers a shimmering green glow in rotting tree-stumps. He then inevitably wanders off singing "It's so nice to be 'Schrat", indicating his contentment. Although he is aware that the phosphorescence
Phosphorescence
Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...
is caused by luminous bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, Weinschadt derives great satisfaction from playing a part in the ignition. He is sometimes shown flirting with the Nuns.
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie Court.The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin...
s: Several small, excitable spirits who are only seen in the courtyard where the ghosts convene. They serve as look-outs when the ghost community have invited Caroline, Otto, and Iakob for the final celebration.
The Headless Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
: A minor character, distinguished largely by the fact that his head
Head
In anatomy, the head of an animal is the rostral part that usually comprises the brain, eyes, ears, nose and mouth . Some very simple animals may not have a head, but many bilaterally symmetric forms do....
is cut off, presumably in battle. His backstory is never told. Unlike most "headless" ghosts in fiction, he is incapable of articulate speech
Speech
Speech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
, possibly because of his beheading. His head is often used as a plaything by the Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin is a term typically applied in folktales to describe a friendly but troublesome creature of the Seelie Court.The most commonly known hobgoblin is the character Puck in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Puck, however, is only another name given to a much older character named Robin...
s.
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga
Baba Yaga or Baba Roga is a haggish or witchlike character in Slavic folklore. She flies around on a giant pestle, kidnaps small children, and lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs...
: Here, a hag-like ghost who appears in the convention of ghosts on the night
Night
Night or nighttime is the period of time when the sun is below the horizon. This occurs after dusk. The opposite of night is day...
of the full Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
. She is prone to exaggerate when speaking.
Steven: The irascible, belligerent sound manager of Peter's film crew. Steven is sour-tempered, hasty, often reckless, and sometimes careless, though he is known to be worried when his equipment goes missing. His role in the film is largely based on his attempts to silence or kill the rooster
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
who warns the Nuns of their proper time to sleep and wake. Steven is also gullible, as shown when Caroline is able to easily trick or flatter him.