M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village", as does much his previous work, harkens back to an earlier era of scare movies, where what you don't see is more crucial than what you do. Literate and visually expressive, "The Village" relies on the soundtrack's unsettling noises, the strangely disturbing harmony of its colors and pristine innocence of its rural setting to provoke audience goose bumps.
Unlike "The Sixth Sense", however, the film's key revelation might be too mild to jolt audiences. Some may even feel cheated. The temptation is to declare the film's main appeal will be to older audiences. Yet Shyamalan's track record argues that his own branded style of suspense connects with all sorts of audiences. "Signs", a fairly routine alien movie, brought in more than $400 million worldwide, while "Unbreakable", which most critics and even many fans deem a misfire, still attracted $249 million worldwide. Thus, "The Village" may well salvage the Walt Disney Co.'s summer.
For most of the picture, the scene never changes. The writer-director traps his viewers in a 19th century town -- press notes claim the year to be 1897, but the design and costumes make it look much older. This almost too idyllic village spreads out over fertile farmland surrounded by a stately forest. A utopian community of hard-working, God-fearing folks have settled here, far from "the towns," as they quaintly refer to the wicked world. They also have a quaint way of speaking that combines flourishes of 19th century English with a Midwestern pithiness.
There is one problem: No one ever ventures into the woods. Threatening creatures lurk there, creatures they keep at bay with a color code that banishes all things red and finds safety in yellow. Large torches light the perimeter at night and a tower watchman is always on duty.
The death of the brother of village elder August Nicholson (Brendan Gleeson) prompts the usually silent and brooding Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) to volunteer to go beyond the boundaries to fetch emergency medicine for future use. Council head Edward Walker (William Hurt) rejects this plan, and Lucius' mother, Alice (Sigourney Weaver), can't imagine what possesses him to want to go to the towns.
Meanwhile, Edward's youngest daughter Ivy Bryce Dallas Howard), who is blind, boldly expresses her affection for the taciturn Lucius, who makes a striking contrast to her other best buddy, Noah Percy (Adrien Brody), the village simpleton, who laughs at all the wrong moments and plays rough games like a 10-year-old. As this chaste romance develops, the "truce" between the forest creatures and villagers gets broken. Signs appear on villagers' doors and livestock turn up dead and skinned but not eaten. A sense of dread sweeps the village.
The question in audience minds as the tale unfolds is where the real threat to the village lies. Is it beyond the forest boundaries, where one catches glimpses of what look like live red scarecrows? Or is it in villagers' homes, where locked strongboxes contain "secrets" from the elders' pasts?
Working with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Shyamalan favors simple camera compositions and little cutting, which allows actors to carry the day. And the one who gradually emerges to do so is Howard. Ivy becomes the story's emotional center. In a village where reticence is the norm, this live wire turns her affliction to her advantage and learns how to read emotions with her other senses. The young, theater-trained actress, who is Ron Howard's daughter, gives the role plenty of spunk but lets her vulnerability show through when she reaches the limits of her bravery.
Brody lends exasperating sweetness to his mentally unstable young man, while Phoenix is his exact opposite, so in control of his emotions that he appears not to have any. Hurt is the village's spiritual force, kind and forgiving yet fierce in his devotion to the community. As the widow Hunt, Weaver manages to suggest the mischievous woman she once was even as she plays her role as a village "elder." Gleeson is fine as always but feels underutilized in a role that lacks real dimension.
Designer Tom Foden's art department has expertly constructed 20 buildings on the 40-acre town site, creating a bucolic paradise. Ann Roth's earthy but surprisingly rich costumes indicate that this village must possess some pretty mean seamstresses. James Newton Howard's score becomes overwrought at times, but the dire tones do suit the mood.
THE VILLAGE
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures presentsa Blinding Edge Pictures/Scott Rudin production
Credits:
Writer-director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producers: Scott Rudin, Sam Mercer, M. Night Shyamalan
Director of photography: Roger Deakins
Production designer: Tom Foden
Music: James Newton Howard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Christopher Tellefsen
Cast:
Lucius Hunt: Joaquin Phoenix
Noah Percy: Adrien Brody
Ivy Walker: Bryce Dallas Howard
Edward Walker: William Hurt
Alice Hunt: Sigourney Weaver
August Nicholson: Brendan Gleeson
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time -- 107 minutes...
Unlike "The Sixth Sense", however, the film's key revelation might be too mild to jolt audiences. Some may even feel cheated. The temptation is to declare the film's main appeal will be to older audiences. Yet Shyamalan's track record argues that his own branded style of suspense connects with all sorts of audiences. "Signs", a fairly routine alien movie, brought in more than $400 million worldwide, while "Unbreakable", which most critics and even many fans deem a misfire, still attracted $249 million worldwide. Thus, "The Village" may well salvage the Walt Disney Co.'s summer.
For most of the picture, the scene never changes. The writer-director traps his viewers in a 19th century town -- press notes claim the year to be 1897, but the design and costumes make it look much older. This almost too idyllic village spreads out over fertile farmland surrounded by a stately forest. A utopian community of hard-working, God-fearing folks have settled here, far from "the towns," as they quaintly refer to the wicked world. They also have a quaint way of speaking that combines flourishes of 19th century English with a Midwestern pithiness.
There is one problem: No one ever ventures into the woods. Threatening creatures lurk there, creatures they keep at bay with a color code that banishes all things red and finds safety in yellow. Large torches light the perimeter at night and a tower watchman is always on duty.
The death of the brother of village elder August Nicholson (Brendan Gleeson) prompts the usually silent and brooding Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix) to volunteer to go beyond the boundaries to fetch emergency medicine for future use. Council head Edward Walker (William Hurt) rejects this plan, and Lucius' mother, Alice (Sigourney Weaver), can't imagine what possesses him to want to go to the towns.
Meanwhile, Edward's youngest daughter Ivy Bryce Dallas Howard), who is blind, boldly expresses her affection for the taciturn Lucius, who makes a striking contrast to her other best buddy, Noah Percy (Adrien Brody), the village simpleton, who laughs at all the wrong moments and plays rough games like a 10-year-old. As this chaste romance develops, the "truce" between the forest creatures and villagers gets broken. Signs appear on villagers' doors and livestock turn up dead and skinned but not eaten. A sense of dread sweeps the village.
The question in audience minds as the tale unfolds is where the real threat to the village lies. Is it beyond the forest boundaries, where one catches glimpses of what look like live red scarecrows? Or is it in villagers' homes, where locked strongboxes contain "secrets" from the elders' pasts?
Working with cinematographer Roger Deakins, Shyamalan favors simple camera compositions and little cutting, which allows actors to carry the day. And the one who gradually emerges to do so is Howard. Ivy becomes the story's emotional center. In a village where reticence is the norm, this live wire turns her affliction to her advantage and learns how to read emotions with her other senses. The young, theater-trained actress, who is Ron Howard's daughter, gives the role plenty of spunk but lets her vulnerability show through when she reaches the limits of her bravery.
Brody lends exasperating sweetness to his mentally unstable young man, while Phoenix is his exact opposite, so in control of his emotions that he appears not to have any. Hurt is the village's spiritual force, kind and forgiving yet fierce in his devotion to the community. As the widow Hunt, Weaver manages to suggest the mischievous woman she once was even as she plays her role as a village "elder." Gleeson is fine as always but feels underutilized in a role that lacks real dimension.
Designer Tom Foden's art department has expertly constructed 20 buildings on the 40-acre town site, creating a bucolic paradise. Ann Roth's earthy but surprisingly rich costumes indicate that this village must possess some pretty mean seamstresses. James Newton Howard's score becomes overwrought at times, but the dire tones do suit the mood.
THE VILLAGE
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures presentsa Blinding Edge Pictures/Scott Rudin production
Credits:
Writer-director: M. Night Shyamalan
Producers: Scott Rudin, Sam Mercer, M. Night Shyamalan
Director of photography: Roger Deakins
Production designer: Tom Foden
Music: James Newton Howard
Costume designer: Ann Roth
Editor: Christopher Tellefsen
Cast:
Lucius Hunt: Joaquin Phoenix
Noah Percy: Adrien Brody
Ivy Walker: Bryce Dallas Howard
Edward Walker: William Hurt
Alice Hunt: Sigourney Weaver
August Nicholson: Brendan Gleeson
MPAA rating: PG-13
Running time -- 107 minutes...
- 8/20/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.