Posted on 08/02/2004 6:04:08 AM PDT by BluegrassScholar
M. Night Shyamalan's new film, The Village, begins with one of the director's trademark spooky conceits: a preindustrial village separated from the world by a forest full of monsters. It's an apt metaphor for Shyamalan's own hermetic universe. He lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife and children and insists on shooting most of his films within a day's drive. His movies have their own internal schemas, their own calling cards, their own signature sound effects. And the oh-so-polished presentation leads to the nagging question: Is M. Night a filmmaker or is he a marketing plan?
To understand the Shyamalan phenomenon, turn to his high-school yearbook. In a photograph doctored to look like the cover of Time magazine, M. Night is wearing a bow-tie, cummerbund, tuxedo top, and sneakers. The headlines above the photo read "Best Director" and "N.Y.U. grad takes Hollywood by storm." Born in India and raised in an affluent Philadelphia suburb, M. Night grew up ensconced in the world of regulated suburban achievement: polo shirts, test prep, and college stickers covering the rear window of the Volvo station wagon. He may have wanted to be Spielberg, but money would be the measure of his success.
Wasting no time, Shyamalan graduated NYU early. At the age of 21, he was writing, directing, and producing his first film, Praying With Anger. He played the lead, an Indian-American college student who discovers the spirituality of India. Released in 1992, the movie grossed a meager $7,000 dollars. He next wrote and directed a movie called Wide Awake (1998) for Miramax. It was the story of a sports-loving nun, played by Rosie O' Donnell, who helps a boy find God after his grandfather dies. The rough cut was too treacly even for Harvey Weinstein (a soft-touch for little kid movies, especially foreign ones), who unleashed a legendary speaker-phone tirade that humiliated Shyamalan and made O'Donnell cry.
M. Night Shyamalan's new film, The Village, begins with one of the director's trademark spooky conceits: a preindustrial village separated from the world by a forest full of monsters. It's an apt metaphor for Shyamalan's own hermetic universe. He lives outside of Philadelphia with his wife and children and insists on shooting most of his films within a day's drive. His movies have their own internal schemas, their own calling cards, their own signature sound effects. And the oh-so-polished presentation leads to the nagging question: Is M. Night a filmmaker or is he a marketing plan?
To understand the Shyamalan phenomenon, turn to his high-school yearbook. In a photograph doctored to look like the cover of Time magazine, M. Night is wearing a bow-tie, cummerbund, tuxedo top, and sneakers. The headlines above the photo read "Best Director" and "N.Y.U. grad takes Hollywood by storm." Born in India and raised in an affluent Philadelphia suburb, M. Night grew up ensconced in the world of regulated suburban achievement: polo shirts, test prep, and college stickers covering the rear window of the Volvo station wagon. He may have wanted to be Spielberg, but money would be the measure of his success.
Wasting no time, Shyamalan graduated NYU early. At the age of 21, he was writing, directing, and producing his first film, Praying With Anger. He played the lead, an Indian-American college student who discovers the spirituality of India. Released in 1992, the movie grossed a meager $7,000 dollars. He next wrote and directed a movie called Wide Awake (1998) for Miramax. It was the story of a sports-loving nun, played by Rosie O' Donnell, who helps a boy find God after his grandfather dies. The rough cut was too treacly even for Harvey Weinstein (a soft-touch for little kid movies, especially foreign ones), who unleashed a legendary speaker-phone tirade that humiliated Shyamalan and made O'Donnell cry.
Shyamalan now had two bombs to his name and supported himself by screenwriting. There was, however, one chance to turn things around—a long shot. M. Night was in pursuit of the screenwriter's holy grail: the perfect script, one so redolent of profit, star-friendly roles, and greenlight power that the studio executives simply could not turn it down.
Not only did Shyamalan write that script-The Sixth Sense (1998)—he also realized that he had written that script. He flew to Los Angeles, rented a suite at the Four Seasons, and gave the final draft to his agents on Sunday, telling them to auction it off on Monday. Disney offered him $3 million and promised him he could shoot the film. On the Philadelphia set, Shyamalan somehow transformed himself into a disciplined director. He made the film very simply, with long, soothing takes. He coaxed a good performance out of Bruce Willis by essentially requiring him not to act, while Haley Joel Osment turned in one of the greatest natural performances by a child actor. The movie wasn't like a Spielberg film, except for the feeling that you should call your mother afterwards. The closest influence was Hitchcock: the point-of-view editing, the emotional close-ups of actors, the fixation on detail, and the eerie score. It also adhered to Hitchcock's definition of terror: "If you want the audience to feel the suspense, show them the bomb underneath the table." We knew the ghosts were coming to chat with Haley Joel, and that's why we were under our seats.
The Sixth Sense became one of top 10 grossing films of all time, and what does M. Night do with his newfound power? He stays put in Philadelphia, refusing to move to L.A. and play ball. He creates a local film industry around his productions. And most importantly, he begins the process of burnishing his legend. When a reporter asks him what he wanted his name to mean in the future, he replied, "Originality." Access to his scripts in progress is extremely limited, lest anyone reveal their secrets.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.msn.com ...
That sums up the big problem with Shyamalan in Slate's mind.
How dare he work outside the system! How dare he not "play ball" with the important people in Hollywood! How dare he want to live with his family in his own hometown rather than learn to live like the elite in LA!
He must be stopped I tell you!
BTW, the definition of "Blockbuster" is a movie which makes over $100 million. Here are the Box Office results of his (major) movies and why this Slate article is so full of crap.
1999 The Sixth Sense $293.5 million
2000 Unbreakable $95 million
2002 Signs $227.9 million
2004 The Village $50.8 million (opening weekend)
Unbreakable (undeniably his weakest film) was $5 million short of "Blockbuster" status. His other films are well beyond normal Blockbusters and will allow him to be the scourge of Slate for as long as Slate is around. In fact, he will be able to laugh about that long forgotten internet "magazine" decades before he retires in luxury from his non-Holloywood filmmaking.
"Critics were enjoined after the screening to avoid revealing the plot secrets. That is not because we would spoil the movie for you. It's because if you knew them, you wouldn't want to go. The whole enterprise is a shaggy dog story, and in a way, it is all secrets. I can hardly discuss it at all without being maddingly vague."
Roger Ebert (one star)
2) Your logic faults are right on. And I knew within five minutes that the "monsters" were going to turn out to be Hurt and his hellow Elders wearing suits. Which is too bad, because the movie might have been much more effective if they were real.
3) Bryce Dallas Howard is a revelation, and deserves to have a long, successful career in Hollywood.
(Safe to read, no spoilers, just my opinion)
I have really enjoyed Shyamalan's work. I thought Signs was great and the Sixth Sense will be a classic.
That said, I saw The Village on Friday evening with a group of teens. YEECH! It was long, pretty predictable and STUPID! And for crying out loud, move on with this color "red" thing. He used it in Unbreakable and Sixth Sense. Try another device! The story was so unbelievable that it was annoying. There was some suspense, which is what we were expecting, but it all fell apart in the last third.
The teens I took said it was not what they expected, but for the most part, "thought" they liked it. Coming out of a movie not sure whether you liked it or not is generally not a good thing. I also drifted to sleep in the first third for about 5-10 minutes. The last movie I did that in was Vanilla Sky. At least I only spent 6 bucks. I should have waited until Tuesday night, the $4 show.
Anyone else?
I saw this movie with my son and we were both bored to tears. At one level the movie can be viewed as a metaphor for the USA post 9/11 with the William Hurt character as The President scaring people with 'the aliens' beyond our borders and the safe color business. The only good thing about this movie was Bryce Howard who almost single handedly saved the movie.
"Boy this guy really must not like M Night personally. this is one personal hit piece."
Hit piece ordered by Harvey fatso Whinestein? Possible
I'd give:
Signs 10
Unbreakable 7
Sixth Sense 9-9.5
Village - You owe ME points for seeing it.
Signs was quite good, and the critic is too harsh I think about Unbreakable. I haven't seen the others.
Personally, I have enjoyed all of the Shyamalan movies that I have seen. The critic seems to be concerned that Shyamalan is marketing his films (ie, he's not content to be a starving artist), and trying to satisfy his audience.
I give it a 7 out of 10. The first two thirds of the film, plus the acting carried the film...
Somone told me she is Ron Howard's daughter. Anyone know if this is true? I liked her too. As for the movie, see it at the dollar theatre or rent the DVD. It's not worth the ticket price. I loved sixth sense and Signs, but this movie was simply (in my opinion) boring.
Also, if you like scary movies...try Stir Of Echoes with Kevin Bacon. The blockbuster kid (great boy- a fellow horror/ ghost story fan) sugested it, and it was very good. I think it bombed at the Box Office because there were too many good movies out when it was released.
Yes, she is indeed Ron Howard's daughter, and I agree her performance was the best part of the movie. I was disappointed because I had been looking forward to the movie for quite a while. I won't hold it against Shyamalan though, his previous movies (especially Signs) are good enough for me to give him another chance or two.
Unbreakable was awesome! But then again, I am a major comic geek...JFK
That bad?
He's not the only one in Philly. Well, maybe now: [Saturday] "Blob director dies: Irvin Shortess "Shorty" Yeaworth Jr.,
who directed the 1958 cult movie "The Blob"...much of which was filmed in his Chester County backyard.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1180604/posts
>>>...,and what does M. Night do with his newfound power? He stays put in Philadelphia, refusing to move to L.A. and play ball.<<<
This statement alone shows the bias of so-called "critcs".
Barry Levinson did the same thing in Baltimore. He made his movies, Diner and Avalon, in his own neighborhood. In Providence, Frank Corrente and in Manhattan, Woody Allen.
All darlings of various film critcs. This is not a review, it is more of a personal attack on M. Night with some subtle bashing of religious/spirtual themed movies.
I am glad I read it, though, since I am now forewarned to aviod the one with Rosie O'Donnell in the starring role.
Thanks for the spoiler warning, dork.
"That bad?"
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