Sixth Sense, The (1999)
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
Collector's Edition
Hollywood superstar Bruce Willis (Armageddon, The Siege) brings a powerful presence to an edge-of-your-seat supernatural thriller that critics are calling one of the year's best movies! When Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Willis), a distinguished child psychologist,
meets Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment - Forrest Gump)...a frightened, confused eight-year-old, Dr. Crowe is completely unprepared to learn the truth of what haunts young Cole. With a riveting intensity you'll find thoroughly chilling and utterly
unforgettable, the discovery of Cole's sixth sense leads them both to mysterious and unforeseeable consequences!
Storyline: Malcom Crowe is a child psychologist who receives an award on the same night that he is visited by a very unhappy ex-patient. After this encounter, Crowe takes on the task of curing a young boy with the same ills as
the ex-patient. This boy "sees dead people". Crowe spends a lot of time with the boy (Cole) much to the dismay of his wife. Cole's mom is at her wit's end with what to do about her son's increasing problems. Crowe is the boy's only hope. Written by
Jeff Mellinger
Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on October 16, 2008 --
Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord.
There's the quotable one liner ("Don't disturb my friend, he's dead tired") and then there are those lines that become a part of the lexicon. Few films in the storied history of cinema can boast one single line of dialogue that has become completely
ingrained into culture, where the mere mention of the line recalls not just an actor, a director, a scene, or even a film, but conjures up a philosophy or a way of life, or lends itself to many pertinent issues and discussions across a broad range of
topics. Among the most well-known are, "There's no place like home," as delivered by Dorothy in 1939's The Wizard of Oz; "Here's lookin' at you, kid," from the 1942 treasure Casablanca; "Show me the money!" from 1996's Jerry Maguire;
Jack Nicholson's famed, "You can't handle the truth!" from 1992's A Few Good Men; and perhaps the most recognized and utilized line in all of cinema history from a 1994 film, a short, sweet, and simple philosophy that would make the ancient Greeks
proud, Forrest Gump's "Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Director M. Night Shyamalan's (Signs) debut film, The Sixth Sense, itself offers a simple sentence that has come to embody the film, a director,
a style, and a means of communicating about the unknown, the frightening, the unusual. "I see dead people," delivered powerfully by young actor Haley Joel Osment (Artificial Intelligence: AI), is the film's trademark line, a powerful announcement
that eloquently yet simply embraces a concept and tells a complete story, and is one that has become a part of the everyday lexicon of film lovers and casual viewers alike. While "I see dead people" is the literal theme of the picture, it may also be seen
as a metaphor for many individuals in the film and in the audience, speaking for those who are figuratively dead, such as the patient Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis, Unbreakable) encounters at the beginning of the film, or for anyone who may
relate to the story of lost and not-fully-realized love, which is a running theme throughout the picture.
Dr. Malcolm Crowe is a renowned child therapist who is confronted and shot by one of his former patients, Vincent Grey (Donnie Whalberg, Saw IV). The following fall, seemingly recovered from his wounds, Crowe begins working with a disturbed young
boy by the name of Cole Sear (Osment) who is ostracized at school, comes from a broken family, and suffers from acute anxiety. As their relationship grows, Cole reveals to Dr. Crowe his lifelong secret -- he sees dead people. They are everywhere, he
explains, seeing only what they choose to see, and they certainly do not see one another. It is these visions, the maddening, horrifying images that plague Cole's world, that are the root cause of his problems. Meanwhile, Malcolm must deal with an
ever-growing chasm between himself and his wife Anna (Olivia Williams, To Kill A King).
Watched in proper context, The Sixth Sense is an emotionally draining film. It's the story of love lost and may be viewed as a metaphor for the importance of embracing life, the ones you love, and the power of the spirit both in life and in death.
The story arc between Malcolm and Anna plays out as a secondary one in the context of the screen time offered to the story, but their relationship is the driving force behind the plot. Malcolm's interaction with Cole allows him not to see what Cole
himself sees, but to see what Cole sees in Malcolm, as he slowly comes to realize his fate and correct the errors of his past. The story, for all its twists and turns, ends in a shocking realization, but the realization allows for both Malcolm and Anna to
move on in peace and love as the events depicted throughout the film are finalized and accepted by both individuals. The sadness of the film, of the love lost between the characters, is obvious throughout, and brilliantly connected to the primary story of
the film and tied in with the revelation that comes at film's end. Anna's sadness is well-conveyed in every shot in which she appears. Each frame offers a subtle hint to the film's climax, and, as such, each hint is so well-integrated into the frame that
the first-time viewer will likely gloss over them, assigning to them only tertiary importance as extraneous objects. It seems to be these objects -- several used tissues, for example -- that truly tell the tale and reveal as much to the audience about the
story and its arc as does the final, blunt revelation.
It is the way that director M. Night Shyamalan effortlessly unravels a complex plot through subtle touches to every frame that is the true revelation in the film. He expertly reveals two major plot devices that come as surprises to first time viewers,
doing so in his own time, never forcing the pace, but allowing the film's nuanced approach do the storytelling instead. The first secret is revealed only halfway through the film, and the other not until the final moments of the picture. Despite no real
focus over the course of the first half of the film, only that of the set-up and development of a doctor and a patient, the film never feels dull or slow, and certainly never meanders despite its exceptionally long establishing exposition. The film
remains focused on the prize, reveling in its cleverness, slowly unraveling context clues from character names (Cole's last name, Sear, is a homonym for "seer," a person with exceptional insight into future or otherworldly events) to the cold temperatures
signifying the presence of something out of the ordinary. It is through these subtle suggestions scattered throughout the film that make it infinitely re-watchable and also what make the film one of the most expertly crafted films to date.
The Sixth Sense is a product of reserved filmmaking in every facet. Its story is slowly but surely unraveled with nearly unprecedented attention to every small detail to ensure faithfulness to the film's climactic and disturbing reveal in the final
frames. Its imagery is generally dull and uninteresting, and its sound design somewhat pedestrian. Nevertheless, it all comes together to weave a tale of many underlying themes that are supported by a primary story that is poignant and timeless, a tale of
love and the importance of life and the spirit both now and forevermore. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, whose next two films are as equally engaging, and arguably more so, The Sixth Sense is the work of a master filmmaker and one of the finest
storytellers of this generation. Disney presents The Sixth Sense on Blu-ray in a solid package. Featuring faithful-to-the-source audio and video and providing an excellent selection of bonus materials, this package is a worthy addition to any film
library. Highly recommended.
Trivia:- Reputedly, Haley Joel Osment got the role of Cole Sear for one of three reasons. First, he was best for it. Second, he was the only boy at auditions who wore a tie. Third, director M. Night Shyamalan was
surprised when he asked Haley Joel Osment if he read his part. Osment replied, "I read it three times last night." Shyamalan was impressed, saying, "Wow, you read your part three times?" To which Osment replied, "No, I read the script three times."
- Toni Collette (Lynn Sear) has said that she was so moved by the emotional resonance of the story while filming, she did not even realize it was a horror film until after its release.
- The movie's line, "I see dead people," was voted as the #100 of "The 100 Greatest Movie Lines" by Premiere in 2007.
- Is one of only four horror films to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture; the other four that have received nominations are: The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
- The Latin phrase Cole speaks in the church when he first meets Malcolm, "De profundis clamo ad te domine," translates to "Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord." These are the first few words of Psalm 130 in the Book of Psalms.
- M. Night Shyamalan (Director Cameo): Dr. Hill, who examines Cole Sear after the "accident" at the birthday party.
(Possible Spoilers) *** The trivia items below may give away important plot points. ***
- M. Night Shyamalan deliberately used the color red to depict when the world of the living and the world of the dead would cross over. If red was in a scene where that was not the case, he would change it. The door to the church where Cole and Malcolm
first interact is red, and the statue Cole takes from the church has a red robe. The doorknob to Malcolm's basement is red. Cole's school uniform jacket is reddish (maroon); he is often approached by the dead people while at school and/or wearing his
uniform. Anna wears a red dress at the restaurant where Malcolm is "late" for their anniversary. When Malcolm is watching his wife Anna in the shower and notices her prescription in the cabinet, it is in a reddish-brown container. Lynn Sear's nail polish
is red when she is pointing out the white spots (ghosts) on all the pictures of Cole in the hallway. Cole's "free association" writing is in red ink; the writing presumably records things he has heard from the dead. At the birthday party, all the visible
balloons are pastel-colored, except for the red balloon that floats up the stairway and leads Cole to the small closet. Cole is wearing a red sweater when he is attacked by the spirit in the closet. Cole's blanket at the hospital is reddish (pink) when he
confesses to Malcolm that he sees dead people. The birthday gift Anna gives to Sean is in a red box, and she is wearing red when the two of them embrace and Malcolm breaks the shop door. When Malcolm listens to a taped session with Vincent, as he turns up
the cassette recorder volume, the control numbers go from white to red. Kyra Collins appears in Cole's fort, and the blanket covering it is red. The box containing Kyra's VHS tape is trimmed in red and has a red-lined interior. The outfit worn by Mrs.
Collins at Kyra's wake is bright red, and she is the only person wearing a bright color. In the video, the soup Mrs. Collins brings to Kyra is tomato soup, and the bottle of pine cleaner Mrs. Collins adds to the soup has a red cap on it. The bicyclist
Cole sees next to the car is wearing a red helmet. The blanket that Anna Crowe covers herself with while watching the wedding video is red.
- In the scene when Cole says the famous line, "I see dead people," the camera does a closeup on Bruce Willis's face. Producer Frank Marshall was worried that might have given the game away. It implied that Malcolm was a dead person. Fortunately, none
of the audiences in the test screenings or afterwards picked up on it.
- When Cole and Malcolm are entering Kyra's bedroom at her wake, Malcolm is standing directly behind Cole; however, when the camera cuts to the shadows on the floor as the door opens, we only see Cole's shadow. Another clue that Malcolm is actually
dead. Also, on the doorknob, we can see the reflection of Cole's face but not Malcolm's face (although we probably can see his body).
- Throughout the movie, Malcolm never moves any objects (except the Latin dictionary), and he does not interact with anyone but Cole. For example, he never opens a door, the chair he sits in, in the restaurant with his wife, is already pulled out, and
when he reaches for the check, his wife just beats him to it.
- While circling a passage in the notes, Bruce Willis does so with his right hand. Willis is actually left-handed; he learned how to write right-handed so that viewers wouldn't notice that his wedding band was no longer on his hand. Willis also draws
the circle clockwise (like a left-handed person would), while most right-handed people would draw it counter-clockwise.
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[CSW] -4.0- You have to have this one in your collection. This is one of those movies like The Sting that throws you off from the start and then hits you like a racing freight train at the end. Every person I ask who have seen this movie, I ask the
question "when," and they all say right when the movie maker wanted us to know. That is good, no great, movie making. Bruce's performance was as great but Haley's was outstanding, and please don't follow the same path as some other cute kid actors have
done. Savor this one. It does what a movie is supposed to do. It has some fantastically scary moments and an amazingly well done double-twist ending. It's hard to top the horror of Sixth Sense... regardless of your feeling for M. Night Shyamalan.
This one is masterfully plotted, suspenseful and emotionally powerful. Perhaps most impressive about this 1990s horror classic is it's thought provoking take on the afterlife, a realistic depth not typically seen in the genre. Well-acted and
intellectually scary, this is one horror film that will probably be considered a classic.
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--- JOYA ---
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