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M. Night Shyamalan: Where he’s been and where he’s going
“An M. Night Shyamalan Film.” What do those words mean to you?
For a filmmaker whose filmography is not all that long, Shyamalan inspires a great deal of heated debate. Some view him as a unique genius; others see him as a self-obsessed one-trick pony who has exhausted that one trick.
I think Shyamalan falls somewhere between those two extremes. On the eve of the release of Lady in the Water, which will be a watershed film for him (no pun intended), I’ll recap his career up to now and offer some advice.
Wide Awake: I’ve not seen Shyamalan’s debut film, Praying with Anger, but this was his first movie for a major studio. He hadn’t really found his feet yet as a director, and there’s no “twist,” but Shyamalan already shows an affinity for otherworldly themes as he tells the story of a boy who searches for God after his grandfather dies. Shyamalan also reveals a knack for directing young actors, which would become rather important in his follow-up.
The Sixth Sense: That it still works amazingly well long after you know the secret is a testament to Shyamalan’s gifts as a writer and director. Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment’s performances give the film its heart, and there’s another young actor who would become famous later: the little girl who died because she was poisoned is a very young Mischa Barton, late of The OC. Pun intended.
Unbreakable: Yeah, the ending is rather obvious if you think about it, but this very unusual superhero tale was highly underrated. Shyamalan’s direction is particularly insightful: notice how in the opening scene on the train, he goes to pains to never show another character in the frame with Willis, heightening Willis’ sense of isolation. Shyamalan has said he envisioned this as a trilogy. I’d love to see the next chapters.
Signs: Some of the writing is overly precious (“swing away”) but Shyamalan was still firing on all thrusters as far as his direction goes, with some suspenseful scenes that would do Hitchcock proud. The ending sequence, with the family holed up in the cellar, is Shyamalan’s riff on Hitch’s The Birds.
The Village: Shyamalan lost a lot of viewers with this one, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as people made it out to be, particularly because of Bryce Dallas Howard’s amazing performance. I will allow, however, that this film doesn’t hold up to repeat viewings because once you know the secret, it doesn’t enrich the story. Night’s “trick ending” hook had backed him into a corner.
I’ll review Lady in the Water tomorrow, so for now, I will only offer this analogy. If The Village found Shyamalan at a crossroads, then Lady in the Water finds him lying in the ditch off the shoulder.
I have long believed that Shyamalan is a much better director than he is a writer. To reclaim some of his luster, he should bring his very distinctive style to someone else’s screenplay. Shyamalan has complained that he can’t talk in anyone else’s “voice,” but I think he forgets that in the movies, your camera can be quite the instrument itself. Steven Spielberg, to whom Shyamalan is often compared, writes very few of his movies and he’s done OK.
I’d like to hear from you. What do you think of Shyamalan’s output up to now, and where should he go from here?
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coming Attractions
Comments
By Kelle
July 20, 2006 3:22 PM | Link to this
I cannot deal with and do not typically enjoy what “pop culture” has labeled scary movies. To me, M Night’s movies are much more thrilling because of what you don’t hear, what you don’t see, what you don’t know. That said, I completely agree with your take, Sir Critic, on his career and the history of his movies. My favorite being Signs/Sixth Sense and my least favorite being The Village. If I read your blog correctly, or between the lines correctly, I’m disappointed at the thought that The Lady in the Water won’t list as one of my new favorites. Your idea of him directing someone else’s movies is intriguing even though it almost seems sacrilegious. However, if he cannot continuously grow and become a better screen writer, then he needs to do just that.