M. Night Shyamalan's The Village

[cine]

No you really don't...

[ProgWRX]

this film is the most fascist piece of cinema i have seen in a long time.  this is a movie for george w. supporters.  I suspect m. knight doesn't know he created propaganda for the masses but the rhetoric at the end of the film should have suggested the final decision made by the elite "elders" was the wrong choice to make.  i back this up with adrian brody's martyr like representation to turn their cause into a crusade.

m. knight. suggests that few people should make decisions for the majority of a society.  that is not democracy.  The best way to rule over people is to trick them into fear of the unknown, keep them complacent.  shame on you mr. Shyamalan.

-sl-

um i think you got things BACKWARDS.

[Just Withnail]

No you really don't...

Thanks, I needed to hear that.

[Pubrick]

this film is the most fascist piece of cinema i have seen in a long time.  this is a movie for george w. supporters.  I suspect m. knight doesn't know he created propaganda for the masses but the rhetoric at the end of the film should have suggested the final decision made by the elite "elders" was the wrong choice to make.  i back this up with adrian brody's martyr like representation to turn their cause into a crusade.

m. knight. suggests that few people should make decisions for the majority of a society.  that is not democracy.  The best way to rule over people is to trick them into fear of the unknown, keep them complacent.  shame on you mr. Shyamalan.

-sl-

um i think you got things BACKWARDS.

totally. if anything it's quite obvious that the elders made a stupid choice and they even say so themselves that death is gonna follow them anywhere they go.

what might be perceived as a redemption for the town is Dallas Howard coming back, but that was just for lucius, not for the town's ideals which lucius might reject when he comes to.

[brockly]

this film is the most fascist piece of cinema i have seen in a long time.  this is a movie for george w. supporters.  I suspect m. knight doesn't know he created propaganda for the masses but the rhetoric at the end of the film should have suggested the final decision made by the elite "elders" was the wrong choice to make.  i back this up with adrian brody's martyr like representation to turn their cause into a crusade.

m. knight. suggests that few people should make decisions for the majority of a society.  that is not democracy.  The best way to rule over people is to trick them into fear of the unknown, keep them complacent.  shame on you mr. Shyamalan.

-sl-

i walked out the theatre thinking the exact opposite, as P and WRX already said. after all, the only transgression that occurs is done so by a villager, and while most of the elders were willing to let lucius die to keep the town's fear of the woods alive, william hurt's charatcer realises that they made a stupid choice and tells his daughter the truth. and when she finally discovers the real world, the first person she meets is more then willing to help her, contradicting all the bullshit the elders had taught them about how egotistical the outside world is. thats why she says that she's surprised to hear kindness in his voice, or whatever. so, yeah, i thought the film was infact quite anti-bush, which was one of its few redeeming qualities



edit:

i back this up with adrian brody's martyr like representation to turn their cause into a crusade.

adrian brody nearly killed lucius and it seemed as if he was trying to kill BDH as well in the woods when he was chasing her and stuff. she killed him in self defence and we are not supposed to sympathize with the guy.... well, the fact that he's a retard and in love with her and looks like an albatross may induce a little, but still, i would hardly call it martyr. i think that scene was pretty much just to add some horror to the film, because it is an m. night shyamalan movie.

[socketlevel]

you all bring up interesting points, but i think your ideology and (possibly) love for the film maker are blinding you from the rhetoric.  I would love nothing more to think m. knight was saying these things.  dissect the film as far as acting and filmmaking and you'll see that this is not the case.  he distracts us by investing so much stake in the protagonist character's illness.  Also there is a whole sequence where the park ranger must sneak past his boss (played by m. knight)  to get the medicine,  who are you routing for in that scene?  if he got caught then the whole society would collapse, ultimately a good thing.  we want him to get away with it so he can come back to the girl.  and even there we are assured that he won't tell anyone.  when we should be happy that he might.

then at the end of the film, the only hesitation comes from brody's parents.  the audience fears the disruption that might come from their disapproval, then they ultimately see the error in their ways and agree with the rest of the elders.  it's more a comment on how contemporary society is violent and dangerous (even though i do get your point about how she says that she thought his voice would be more hostile), it is less about how horrible the notion of their community is.  i think this is m. knights ignorance as a filmmaker, he didn't know what he was saying with the film's subtext.  in turn for his careless decision making ability, he made a very dangerous movie.

i like what you guys are saying, but i think it's an ideal.  the same script, regardless of dialog, can be depicted in a multitude of different ways.  there is nothing in the rhetoric that suggests what you're saying, give it a second look.

-sl-

[Ghostboy]

I agree with socketlevel, but I don't think Shyamalan made a fascist movie on purpose. I think the whole movie was just so muddled that he failed to present what he was trying to present clearly enough; he said the film was supposed to be an indictment of the horrible state of the world, and he ultimately comes out in favor of the community (which goes against everything I think he was trying to do with the creatures, which ties into why I think the film is unsuccesful as a whole).

And I don't think it is a dangerous film; people would have to love it for it to have any sort of power. Pretty much everyone has forgotten this already.

[socketlevel]

And I don't think it is a dangerous film; people would have to love it for it to have any sort of power. Pretty much everyone has forgotten this already.

good point, i guess i fear the day he does make a successful film with these same ideologies.

-sl-

[meatball]

well, the fact that he's a retard and in love with her and looks like an albatross may induce a little

Please post a picture of an albatross. I'd like to see what you mean.

but i think your ideology and (possibly) love for the film maker are blinding you from the rhetoric

Hardly.

[NEON MERCURY]

well, the fact that he's a retard and in love with her and looks like an albatross may induce a little

Please post a picture of an albatross. I'd like to see what you mean.

adrien brody



albatross


he does have a point there

[Pubrick]

R.I.P. - that joke.

anyway, i don't give a fuck about m night s., i hated signs, and i've lost interest in unbreakable and 6th. this film has sum powerful moments i think which outweigh his other films. his flaw may be that his films lack rewatchability.. he likes the idea of being popular too much.

[brockly]

but i think your ideology and (possibly) love for the film maker are blinding you from the rhetoric

no, no its not.

anyway, you bring up some good points. i didnt like the film enough to go on defending it. i still think its m night's best.

anyway, i don't give a fuck about m night s., i hated signs, and i've lost interest in unbreakable and 6th. this film has sum powerful moments i think which outweigh his other films. his flaw may be that his films lack rewatchability.. he likes the idea of being popular too much.

exactly.. i loved unbreakable when i saw it in the theatre, but i was only 13-14 years old when it came out. saw it again recently on tv and didnt care for it at all. never liked 6th sense. this film at least had some great moments, unlike his other movies.

[The Perineum Falcon]

this film at least had some great moments, unlike his other movies.

I thought all his films have some great moments, this one just seemed to have more (but I'm a sucker for period pieces).

[MacGuffin]

Miramax has officially announced the release of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village: Vista Series for 1/11/05 in full frame and anamorphic widescreen versions. Also on the way is The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan documentary (also 1/11/05).

[diggler]

unbreakable was my favorite of his.

i think shyamalan is a very talented director. he knows the importance of the understatement. but some of his writing is a little hoaky.  his movies have a lot of creative scenes, but when you step back and look at the big picture, it's usually a mess.

the biggest surprise of the village for me was(SPOILERS) when pheonix gets stabbed. i groaned at the "other twist", but at least thought it was cool how they concluded it.