![]() They fear a group of unseens monsters, dubbed "Those We Don't Speak Of," who lurk in the woods that surround the village. ![]() They seem mostly content in their simple lives, yet uneasiness blankets the air. The characters in The Village are isolated, living closed off in a very secluded, very small Pennsylvania village sometime in the late 19th century. Yet fear is an essential element to its DNA. In the first few minutes of the film alone, it's blatantly clear that The Village is not your standard horror film. Cinematographer Roger Deakins creates a visual style for the film inspired by the autumnal landscapes of Pennsylvania painter Andrew Wyeth, and James Newton Howard employs a mournful, haunting score enhanced by violinist Hilary Hahn. It's a solemn reflection on grief, and also quite lovely in its reflections. While there are some chilling moments in the film, it becomes abundantly clear as you watch it that The Village is not a horror movie. Before its release, co-star Sigourney Weaver was even quoted as saying the script gave her nightmares for two weeks. Like most Shyamalan films before it, it was sold as something frightening – a spooky horror movie that would terrify audiences. ![]() Marketing is likely to blame for much of the animosity towards The Village. But the film is more than its twists, and deserves to be watched with fresh eyes. Yes, it does have that expected Shyamalan twist – two of them, in fact. A melancholy meditation on grief and fear, it radiates sorrow in ways his other films do not. The Village is one of Shyamalan's most interesting films, and perhaps one of his best. More often than not, when people want to hold up examples of Shyamalan's lesser work, they tend to lump The Village in with misfires like The Happening. While Lady in the Water might have been the film that torpedoed the last remaining shreds of good will towards Shyamalan's work, it was 2004's The Village (which came out 13 years ago yesterday) that started the dissent. Nothing can quite capture the meteoric rise of Shyamalan's early career, though. Eventually, the filmmaker fell almost completely out of favor, only managing to climb back on top slowly with recent films The Visit and Split. Yet after Signs, a rift began to form between Shyamalan's work and how the public perceived it. He found monumental success with his 1999 ghost story The Sixth Sense, and continued to garner acclaim and stellar box office returns with its two follow-ups, Unbreakable and Signs. ) "No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear." –C.S. Night Shyamalan unjustly maligned The Village. ![]() (Welcome to The Unpopular Opinion, a series where a writer goes to the defense of a much-maligned film or TV show, or sets their sights on something seemingly beloved by all. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |