I See Dead People - a Film Critique
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I See Dead People – A Film Critique
In the genre of horror movies, only four movies have been nominated for Best Picture. One of those nominated was The Sixth Sense. Nominated for six academy awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actress, this movie became almost a religious experience for viewers because the movie facilitated examining grief and the afterlife. Once could go so far as to say that the film allowed some to come to terms with their own experience with loss. In a very real sense, movies are therapy for our culture and one of the primary issues dealt with in therapy is loss. The Sixth Sense became a sort of therapy for many viewers.
Anyone can enjoy a film by simply watching it. Discovering the theme, however, is often a different story. The movie The Sixth Sense thrills the viewer with plot twists and misleading clues, but also makes a statement with a social impact. By analyzing the techniques and methods of film making used it will become clear that the director, M. Night Shyamalan, managed to create one of the most noteworthy films of the late twentieth century.
The word criticism usually has a negative connotation. Criticism of a film, however, often is the tool used to find a deeper meaning or an analysis of what the film makers’ message to viewers will be. This essay will use a structural approach in critique. This will be achieved by examining the film’s structure and how the constructions of scenes and shots tell the story (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). This approach will dig deeper to find the meaning of the film through hidden messages, or symbolism, within the film in order to discover whether the film does what it sets out to do.
The film The Sixth Sense had enormous success at the box office because of the simple twist at the end of the film. Opening on August 6, 1999, which also happened to be the director’s birthday, it
I See Dead People – A Film Critique
In the genre of horror movies, only four movies have been nominated for Best Picture. One of those nominated was The Sixth Sense. Nominated for six academy awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Actress, this movie became almost a religious experience for viewers because the movie facilitated examining grief and the afterlife. Once could go so far as to say that the film allowed some to come to terms with their own experience with loss. In a very real sense, movies are therapy for our culture and one of the primary issues dealt with in therapy is loss. The Sixth Sense became a sort of therapy for many viewers.
Anyone can enjoy a film by simply watching it. Discovering the theme, however, is often a different story. The movie The Sixth Sense thrills the viewer with plot twists and misleading clues, but also makes a statement with a social impact. By analyzing the techniques and methods of film making used it will become clear that the director, M. Night Shyamalan, managed to create one of the most noteworthy films of the late twentieth century.
The word criticism usually has a negative connotation. Criticism of a film, however, often is the tool used to find a deeper meaning or an analysis of what the film makers’ message to viewers will be. This essay will use a structural approach in critique. This will be achieved by examining the film’s structure and how the constructions of scenes and shots tell the story (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2011). This approach will dig deeper to find the meaning of the film through hidden messages, or symbolism, within the film in order to discover whether the film does what it sets out to do.
The film The Sixth Sense had enormous success at the box office because of the simple twist at the end of the film. Opening on August 6, 1999, which also happened to be the director’s birthday, it
References: Bruce, D. (2005). The sixth sense [Online forum message]. Retrieved from http://hollywoodjesus.com/sixth_sense.htm Goodykoontz, B. & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. IMDb.com (2011). The Sixth Sense (1999). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167404/ Lavik, E. (2006). Narrative structure in The Sixth Sense: a new twist in “twist movies”. The velvet light trap, Number 58, 55-64. Totaro, D. (2003). Visual style in M. Night Shyamalan’s “fantastic” trilogy, part 1: the long take. Retrieved from http://www.horschamp.qc.ca/new_offscreen/shyamalan_pt2.html