"The Village" - M. Night's Best?

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:45am

So I just re-watched M. Night Shymalans's "The Village" again last night. I know people think he's a pretentious and predictable film-maker and he catches a lot of flack for his choices, but I'm willing to suspend my judgement on the man (briefly) just to be able to discuss the movie.

This movie is beautiful. Sigourney Weaver (phenomenal), Bryce Dallas Howard (brilliant), William Hurt (played simpley and effectively), and Joaquin Phoenix (withdrawn and outstanding) are all so amazing in this. I love the cinematography in the scene where "Those We Don't Speak Of" come into the village and Ivy (Howard) is standing on the front porch with her arm outstretched waiting for Joaquin Phoenix to come into the house. It's such an amazing shot and it makes Ivy absolutely beautiful and advances her character so much. Later on, she has a gorgeous scene with Joaquin Phoenix where they Ivy brings up dancing at her wedding. That scene was so good.

You think that the big reveal happens when Ivy goes into the shed with William Hurt's character and he explains the situation to her. But then she's in the woods on her way to the towns and she hears that branch break and you hear William Hurt's voice saying to her "There were rumors of creatures in the woods" and you suddenly are right back in the fray. You're not sure of anything anymore. Ivy frantically wipes the mud off of her yellow cloak and is so panicked and you just suddenly see "Those We Don't Speak Of" right there with her. And you're terrified all over again. Not because something pops out at you but because you're doubting yourself and you're terrified for the vulnerable girl, blindly feeling her way through the woods.

She finally makes her way to the road, and I've decided I won't discuss what happens next, only to say that I was completely surprised and was left just absolutely astounded that I had been led down a path that was so duplicitious. I took the bait and couldn't have been happier.

I think the movie really stands up well over time, as we might have a different outlook now on the idea of using fear as a means to control the world you've created. Sorry if any of this was unwanted, I just felt really strongly about the movie and wanted to see if there was anyone out there that might be like-minded.
Updated On: 7/14/08 at 09:45 AM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:51am

not even third best.

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:53am

I enjoyed The Village, but it wasn't his best, IMO. The Sixth Sense wins that one, by far.

***SPOILERS***



The Village played like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone for me. In fact, there is a similar episode from the original series where a father goes from the prairie to get medicine for his son and crosses into "modern times." Perhaps it is because I was familiar with that TV show (my all-time favorite show ever) that I feel the way I do about The Village.

[Elphaba]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:57am

besty, that's one of my fav Twilight Zone episodes....that along with Agnes Moorhead bashing "aliens"......or so we think.

I did like the Village a lot, but I agree The Sixth Sense, much better

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 9:58am

Best, that's pretty much how I felt about THE SIXTH SENSE. An overgrown TWILIGHT ZONE episode. The acclaim that movie got/gets still amazes me.

[lesmis]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:00am

I liked The Happening

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:03am

Maybe because I saw The Sixth Sense the week it opened and didn't know his directorial style or even that there was a twist at the end. It's great when something isn't "oversold" to you or leaked in advance.

I didn't see the ending coming at all, and neither did anyone else in the audience, judging from the huge collective GASP when the secret was revealed. I've watched it again recently and think it holds up completely, regardless of the twist. Masterful filmmaking.

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 10:03 AM

[shameless]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:19am

I'm not a big fan of Shyamalan so I'm not sure where I'd rank The Village, but I will agree that the acting was outstanding.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:22am

"Sigourney Weaver (phenomenal)"

Really? I felt embarrassed for her. Some of the lines she had to recite were just heinous.

It seems like all she gets are what basically amount to cameo roles lately.

[Taryn]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:26am

The Village had some of the most ridiculous, clunky dialogue. A horrible movie. Are we supposed to believe that these people left modern society and suddenly decided to start speaking in their exaggerated ideas of "olden times" speech?

I didn't see the twist coming, but at the same time wasn't surprised at it. It just seemed ridiculous and uninteresting.

The Sixth Sense is definitely his best movie. IMO, followed closely be Unbreakable. The Village is his WORST movie. (The Happening isn't included in these ratings, as it's the only one I haven't seen.)

[best12bars]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:29am

Well, I think The Village is hardly his worst next to The Lady in the Water. That stopped me from seeing his films cold. And when the reviews came out on The Happening and said it was actually WORSE than The Lady in the Water... I "stayed away in droves" as they say.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:35am

Don't forget Cherry Jones was in it.

I think that The Village was an interesting piece, but certainly flawed. I guessed the situation before it was revealed (and I'm usually the first one that is surprised by plot twists). The movie lacked a sense of urgency for the village. (For example, the musical Brigadoon has a real sense of urgency for the entire village). I think it could have been better written.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 10:48am

I did see the end of THE SIXTH SENSE coming, and just don't really see anything 'masterful' about Shyamalan's filmmaking. Competent, yes, but masterful, nope.

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 11:07am

In "The Village" I thought some of the shots were great. The scene on the porch with Bryce and Joaquin is shot really well. All of the stuff in the woods just captures an emotion (or series of emotions) that are just so palpable.

"The Sixth Sense" might be his best, but I feel like it's because (after "Unbreakable" which didn't really put up huge word-of-mouth for him) it was his first movie that people talked about. I wonder how people would feel if "The Village" had come first.

My big gripe with "Signs" is that he showed us the alien. You have a whole movie dealing with faith and then you show us the alien! I think I would have liked it much more if we had been left unsure of what the truth actually was and just had to come to our own conclusion about it.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:36pm

I thought it was his best when I saw it in a theater, and felt the same way when I re-watched it on DVD.

[StockardFan]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:53pm

I saw the 6th Sense early on as well and had no idea that I should even be waiting for a twist, so I was shocked.

I haven't seen the Village, but my cousin said she figured it out half way into the movie.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 12:55pm

I figured the movie out during the opening credits when -SPOILER - I saw the date on the tombstone. I thought the whole movie was just eh.

[MenzelManiac]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 1:27pm

The date on the tombstone is 1890. What gave it away?

[roquat]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 5:09pm

I'd call it second best, after SIXTH SENSE (I've noticed people tend to rate it based on whether they guessed the "twist" or not, and I didn't. It also seemed to me that it was a twist that actually worked as a metaphor, as in the best TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, rather than a twist for its own sake.) Bryce Dallas Howard was a genuine find and the picture's solemn style worked.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 5:37pm

I must have read it wrong, because I swear when it began the tombstone was a current date, because I immediately thought, "I wonder if they're pretending to live in an earlier era when it's really the present." I guess reading it wrong made me guess the secret, so I guess I can't fault the film for that.

[titleofusername]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 7:47pm

The Sixth Sense is easily M. Night's best film. Every single thing he has produced afterwards has been sub-par. 'Tis my opinion, of course.

[DG]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 7:51pm

I kind of assumed the premise of SIXTH SENSE, but mostly because I think in terms of story structure, and that seemed the obvious avenue.

What elevated it for me were the perfomances - especially Toni's and that AMAZING young person (easily the best child performance I've seen.)

His work always seems 'gimicky' to me.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 8:01pm

I hated the film until the twist ending and then I thought it was genius. I hated Sixth Sense, I figured out that crappy twist quite quickly. Unbreakable has to be one of the worst films I've ever seen. So, yes, I think Village is his best but best in a sea of pretention is what it is...

[DG]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 8:06pm

"I hated the film until the twist ending and then I thought it was genius. I hated Sixth Sense, I figured out that crappy twist quite quickly."

Bobby - I honestly can't quite figure out what you're saying here.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 7/14/08 at 8:18pm

DG, I'm trying to say that the film was a bore until, after the twist, I was able to go back and understand why the boring stuff was there. It all just seemed like a bad horror film until

SPOILER







Bryce Dallas Howard stumbled out of the woods and you realize it is present day. Then I was able to go backwards an find all the clues.