A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: The Village

Date Viewed: 7/31/04

Details:

Bryce Dallas Howard

Joaquin Phoenix

Adrien Brody

William Hurt

Sigourney Weaver

Brendan Gleeson

Written, produced & directed by: M. Night Shyamalan

Score: ++

The Review: From the opening strains of shakuhachi through the exquisite violin of Hilary Hahn, the mood is nailed: uncertain, not really spooky, but certainly haunting. Excellent drama cum thriller (at least it is being conspicuously advertised as such). Highly recommended.

M. Night Shyamalan has done it again: after the doubled nadir of Unbreakable and Signs, he has brought to the screen a fresh, novel and creative story more in the spirit of O'Henry than Henry James. He has extracted what was curious and interesting about The Sixth Sense and used it to seed and nurture a very different film. At the same time cutting edge and classically nuanced, it is uncommonly good. Well-structured, cinematographically understated, it was a treat worth waiting for. In a summer silly season of clones and sequels, this film's novelty and approach to entertainment is very much welcome.

The Village is located in an open farmable valley in Covington Woods, and the date is difficult to determine. Architecturally, it could be anytime post-colonial up through World War I, although the towers constructed on the edge of the fields pull the optimal date away from the earlier edge of this range. The style is reminiscent of the utopian or religious settlements scattered across the Northeast or Midwest US in the late 1800's, and the language, while not formally Biblical, is distinctive and certainly consistent with this timeframe and locale. It seems a successful standalone farming village of measured calm, almost Japanese in simplicity, replete with honesty and forthright attention to communication with peers. But there is a secret -- of course -- actually many secrets. Unlike Sixth Sense, whose secret is singular but causes the entire movie to reform in front of your eyes once you understand, in Village there are layers upon layers: a veritable onion of secrets, twists and nuance. But yes, again, as each point is revealed, the movie denatures and refolds in front of your eyes: the onion is actually a palimpsest. And unlike Sixth Sense (in my opinion), Village seems as if it will bear multiple viewings.

Well cast with both big names and unknowns. Bryce Dallas Howard is superb, who plays Ivy, the blind daughter of one of the elders, Edward Walker (Hurt). Even with all the acting powerhouses around her, Howard is deservedly the focal point of this film.

(31-July-04)

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