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M. Nightly Retrospective: 'The Sixth Sense'

Day One of a six day look back at M. Night Shyamalan's last five films and then some...

A look back at M. Night Shyamalan's first major studio feature, 1999's The Sixth Sense
Photo: Touchstone Home Entertainment
Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is a little boy who sees ghosts. Bruce Willis plays a child psychiatrist trying to help him get to the bottom of the problem.

  • BOX OFFICE: $293,506,292 domestically, $672,806,292 worldwide and #27 all-time
  • PRODUCTION BUDGET: $40 million
  • Nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay and three more Academy Awards
  • Opened on M. Night Shyamalan's birthday
  • Following The Sixth Sense, Shyamalan was said to be in talks with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas to help in writing the fourth Indiana Jones film. (source)
  • Bruce Willis earned about $14 million for his part in the film (source), co-star Haley Joel Osment was paid $150,000 (source). Willis's private jet tab alone was $450,000.
  • M. Night Shyamalan has a cameo in the film as a doctor who examines Cole after the incident at the birthday party.

ONE GOOD:

"The Sixth Sense" has a kind of calm, sneaky self-confidence that allows it to take us down a strange path, intriguingly. ~ Roger Ebert, "Chicago Sun-Times"

ONE BAD:

Too plodding to be a thriller, too one-dimensional to be psychological, and not nearly frightening enough to be chilling, this film sets up a problem, and then never bothers to solve it. ~ Jeff Gray, "Globe and Mail"

I am not afraid to admit I didn't figure out the twist of The Sixth Sense before the final moments. I could tell something was up but I was never able to put all the pieces together. Regardless of whether or not you figure out the twist there is more to this film than just the ultimate outcome. It's a ghost story in the purest sense as a spectre dominates almost every second of its running time. None of the scares feel cheap and best of all, the twist actually does hold up under scrutiny upon repeated viewings.

The Sixth Sense also offers up the first of many fantastic scores provided by James Newton Howard for a Shyamalan film. Howard has scored all of Night's major studio efforts and while this one isn't the best of the bunch it certainly adds a lot of welcome atmosphere to the project.

After watching The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs, The Village and Lady in the Water I came to notice a lot in terms of how Night likes to shoot his films. Most notably are several shots involving reflections and several bird's-eye shots. Over the next few days you will see some of that in the pics I provide from each film.

As for The Sixth Sense, from a visual perspective it is not Shyamalan's best, but it certainly is a nice starting point.

Red plays a large, and rather intricate, role in the film. I can't say I completely understand its significance.
Photo: Touchstone Home Entertainment

Photo: Touchstone Home Entertainment

An impressive shot I have always remembered from this film
Photo: Touchstone Home Entertainment

Click on "Next Page" to check out ten more screen grabs from The Sixth Sense.

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Post #1
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I am absolutely thrilled you are doing this retrospective! M. Night's films are so interesting and amazing – each and every one – and it will be nice to revisit them all. I never realized The Sixth Sense was nominated for Best Picture! I think that is really neat. It's a great film, one of the better ones. And I'm with you – I couldn't figure out the twist either until it actually happened. And, wow, was it completely shocking. M. Night truly is a genius – there's no denying that.

- IsItThursdayYet
( June 8th, 2008 | 9:29 pm )
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Post #2
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The twist got me as well.
Jeff Gray's critique tells me he didn't get it. He seems determined to put it into one of the standard category boxes but Night's films are somewhere in a grey area inbetween the boxes.

That and the fact that you (at least I did) sympathize with the boy's fears and frustration makes this thing work. It's a little boy with a big burden, how can it not work on your feelings.

It drew me into the slow winding river with here and there a few small rapids but nothing that really gets your hart pumping when there was suddenly that big drop at the end.

- RaTTleR_NL
( June 9th, 2008 | 6:47 am )
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Post #3
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I have no problem admitting the twist got me too. In fact it actually adds to the repeated viewings, it's interesting to see the small details that escape you in the initial viewing that woud have given away the twist.

M. Night is a genius filmmaker and I'm looking forward to his upcoming "The Happening." The subtleties and smallest details bring you back for more.

I am truly enjoying the retrospective. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.

- melsgirl
( June 9th, 2008 | 11:44 am )
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Post #4
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I think the red in the movie was supposed to represent if a ghost had touched the object or something of that sort. I'm not entirely sure…

- MrsJ
( June 9th, 2008 | 7:30 pm )
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