Guest:
Frank Mandosa
Film Lecturer and Podcast Host
Silver Screeners (Host) and Movies Across the Pod (Co-Host)
Cast:
M. Night Shyamalan, Writer/Director
James Newton Howard, Music
Bruce Willis as Malcolm Crowe
Haley Joel Osment as Cole Sear
Toni Collette as Lynn Sear
Olivia Williams as Anna Crowe
Donnie Wahlberg as Vincent Grey
Glenn Fitzgerald as Sean
Mischa Barton as Kyra Collins
Trevor Morgan as Tommy Tammisimo
Bruce Norris as Mr. Stanley Cunningham
*Recognition:
The Sixth Sense was released on August 2, 1999.
On a budget of $40 million, the film would be a global sensation in grossing $672.8 million at the box office and finishing far and away the #2 of 1999 both domestically and internationally.
The film was generally well received by critics, and it would go on to receive 6 Oscar Nominations for Best Picture, Director (Shyamalan), Supporting Actor (Osment), Supporting Actress (Collette), Original Screenplay (Shyamalan), and Film Editing.
After a six-month online promotion campaign, The Sixth Sense was released on VHS and DVD by Hollywood Pictures Home Video on March 28, 2000. It went on to become the top-selling DVD of 2000, with more than 2.5 million units shipped, and the all-time second best-selling DVD title up until then, as well as the top video rental title of all-time. The film generated at least $173,320,000 (equivalent to $307,000,000 in 2023) from the US home video market, including $125,850,000 (equivalent to $223,000,000 in 2023) from VHS rentals in the US.
In the United Kingdom, it was the third-most-watched film of 2003 on television, with 9 million viewers that year.
Since its release, The Sixth Sense has also received numerous accolades including in 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked the screenplay #50 on its list of 101 Greatest Screenplays ever written.
The AFI has also ranked it on the following lists:
AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills – No. 60
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes:
"I see dead people." – No. 44
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – No. 89
The Sixth Sense currently holds an 86% among critics on RT, a 64 on Metacritic, and a 4/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: The Sixth Sense is a haunting psychological thriller that unfolds with masterful precision under the direction of M. Night Shyamalan. Bruce Willis stars as Dr. Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist grappling with his own personal demons after a violent encounter with a former patient. He finds a chance for redemption in young Cole Sear, played with an eerie intensity by Haley Joel Osment.
Cole is a troubled boy who harbors a chilling secret: he sees dead people. As Dr. Crowe delves deeper into Cole's world, the film weaves an intricate tapestry of suspense and revelation. Shyamalan's meticulous storytelling and James Newton Howard's evocative score create an atmosphere thick with dread and poignancy.
The Sixth Sense is not just a ghost story; it's a profound meditation on grief, communication, and the unseen connections that bind us. The film's climax delivers one of the most unforgettable twists in cinematic history, leaving audiences reeling and re-examining everything they thought they knew.
Did You Know:
David Vogel, then-president of production of Walt Disney Studios, read M. Night Shyamalan's spec script and instantly loved it. Without obtaining corporate approval, Vogel bought the rights to the script, despite the high price of $3 million and the stipulation that Shyamalan could direct the film.
Reportedly, 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 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."
This movie was filmed in sequence.
This was the first of two movies that Bruce Willis owed Disney, after he caused another production, "The Broadway Brawler," to be shut down, due to him firing the director. He also was paid $10 million, half of his usual salary at the time.
M. Night Shyamalan originally pitched the film as a cross between The Exorcist (1973) and Ordinary People (1980).
Ask Dana Anything:
Frank Mandosa (Silver Screeners)
Is there a good film example of a trial/court proceedings?
Best Performance: M. Night Shyamalan (Writer/Director)/Tak Fujimoto (Cinematographer)
Best Secondary Performance: Hayley Joel Osment (Cole)
Most Charismatic Award: Toni Collette (Lynn/Mom)
Best Scene:
Break In
At the Supermarket
Locked in the Closet
Lynn Goes to Bat
The Tape
Cole Tells His Mom
Letting Go
Favorite Scene: Cole Tells His Mom/The Tape/Shyamalan Cameo
Most Indelible Moment: Letting Go
In Memorium:
Erica Ash, 46, American actress and comedian (Survivor's Remorse, The Real Husbands of Hollywood)
Best Lines/Funniest Lines:
Cole Sear: I see dead people.
Cole Sear: They don't have meetings about rainbows.
Malcolm Crowe: I think I can go now. Just needed to do a couple of things. I needed to help someone; I think I did. And I needed to tell you something: You were never second, ever. I love you. You sleep now. Everything will be different in the morning.
Malcolm Crowe: I know what I want: I want to be able to talk to my wife again. The way we used to talk to each other. Like there's no one else in the world except us.
Malcolm Crowe: Keep moving, cheese dick.
Cole Sear: She wanted me to tell you she saw you dance. She said, when you were little, you and her had a fight, right before your dance recital. You thought she didn't come see you dance. She did. She hid in the back so you wouldn't see. She said you were like an angel. She said you came to the place where they buried her. Asked her a question? She said the answer is... "Every day." What did you ask?
Lynn Sear: Do... Do I make her proud?
The Stanley Rubric:
Legacy: 8.33
Impact/Significance: 9.83
Novelty: 8.33
Classic-ness: 7.5
Rewatchability: 7.17
Audience Score: 8.95 (89% Google, 90% RT)
Total: 50.11
Remaining Questions:
How is Malcolm able to communicate with Anna in her sleep?
What was more shocking: the reveal that Crowe was dead or that Kyra's mom poisoned her?
Is this the most indelible film twist ever?
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