The Village M Night Shyamalan Analysis

Not What It Seems American society isn’t really what it seems to be. Other societies may look at America and perceive that it is a positive place. What others might not know is that secrecy that the government has hidden from the people. America portrays itself to be a democracy, supposedly controlled by the people, but that isn’t the reality. There isn’t much that the people know to be so called “in control.” The government only shares what can be controlled. This limits the knowledge of the people. The Village’s writer, M. Night Shyamalan, shows in the film that the elders make all the decisions for the village. In turn, the filmmaker is stating that people are under the discretion of the government, that fear can be controlled, and how important innocence is. In The Village, the society is enclosed in a wooded area away from the rest of the world. There is no outside interaction because it is forbidden by the elders. The elders serve as the government in this aspect. The village people follow the rules and regulations put into place by the elders. The age and knowledge of the elders compared to the villagers puts them as the leaders. They are in control of everything that happens
and are also who to go to when there are issues that need to be resolved. The U.S. government also acts in the same way because they are who to go to when the people have problems. However, the people are unaware of the government’s intentions, but they are seen to be good. The people are at the discretion of the government because of the lack of information that is given. The people only know what the government wants them to know. The people vote for their President, but it isn’t a direct vote. An Electoral College is in place and the voting is done by these members. The government only shares the information that can be controlled by them. Things that are sensitive or that may cause questioning are not open to the people. The US has secret service departments. The C.I.A and F.B.I are intelligence agencies that operate without sharing any knowledge with the people. In The Village, the elders meet in a room without the rest of the villagers to discuss matters too sensitive to share. That’s the same manner that the government acts in, secrecy. In the film, Lucius Hunt says “There are secrets in every corner of this village. Do you not feel it? Do you not see it?”(Shyamalan, The Village). This can be interpreted as meaning that not all people are blind to the fact that there is hidden information, or secrets. But the vast majority of people aren’t in full comprehension of everything that is done. There are a select few that aren’t sure of what is being hidden, but are sure that something is. The film shows how the elders got all of the villagers to act in the manner that was acceptable. Fear was used to control the people of the village, but the villagers were unaware. Fear can be used as a tool to control a people. “Those We Don’t Speak Of,” are creatures created to keep the children from going into the woods. This is a fear that the elders created so that no one would decide to leave the village. The fear of the unknown is what kept the people from leaving; they knew the creatures were out there from growing up with the legends and stories instilled in them from birth. American society also uses this technique. Since the people don’t necessarily understand what is outside of the U.S., the government can utilize the fear to keep the people in order and also gain supporters. Trying to get something done with no supporters isn’t the easiest task to commit to. If fear can be instilled into the targeted audience, they would have no choice but to choose the safest route, they’d have to listen. Controlling a people that have no idea what are possible consequences are more effective than trying to control those who know. In this film, innocence is stressed in many different ways.
The village, as a whole, is seen to be a perfect, pure, and innocent place for anyone. This society is supposedly crime-free and basically free from altercations. The people of The Village go about their day without any concerns, doing their daily chores and routines. U.S. society, in essence, could be categorized as innocent because of the information that is withheld from the people. The people aren’t positive about all the evils that the government could be involved in. This would give society a look of innocence. More than likely, any member of society would disprove of any wrongdoings. The director wants his audience to understand that the thought of innocence and purity can be obtained but with certain
sacrifices. Wickedness must be sacrificed in order to achieve the rank of innocent or pure. The villagers didn’t use any form of currency. In the people’s eyes, money was the source of all wickedness. The towns used money and the elders saw the wicked ways that came with it. Finton said, “They’re wicked places where wicked people live, that’s all,” in the movie (Shyamalan, The Village). This was said in regards to the townspeople being corrupt and wicked. All of the elders lost someone close to them in the wicked town. That’s why they have the feeling against the towns and the people of the towns. Money, in U.S. society, can make any person an evil one. The filmmaker is stating that society is controlled by the government because of the limit it can put on the knowledge of the people. This is why the people are at the discretion of the government, the unknown makes them loyal to the government. Fear can be controlled to manipulate the masses into following the order and influence the behavior of society. Even though society uses money, being that it’s wicked, it still has a sense of innocence. The people aren’t aware of all the misdeeds that are committed and this gives them purity. In the end, the filmmaker is stating that the people aren’t in control, but, are being controlled.
Works Cited
The Village. Dir. M. N. Shyamalan. 2004. Buena Vista Picutres. DVD-ROM.