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A Look at a Modern, Innovative Man:  M. Night Shyamalan

     There are many great minds in this world, but few that have what it takes to be truly

innovative.  For example, have you seen the amount of lemon lime sodas stocked on

grocery store shelves?  There are at least ten kinds, ranging from Sprite to 7-Up.

Only one person could have created that tangy taste.  Therefore, the rest of the products

have branched off of the original and are no longer truly innovative.  M. Night Shyamalan,

possibly one of the best film writers and directors of our time, is among those few inventive

people. His skill is compared to that of Steven Spielberg.  Not only can he produce chilling

and  action-filled  tales, but he can weave in symbolism, unexpected endings to his movies,

and other unique talents that make his name known.

     As stated above, Shyamalan uses a great deal of symbolism in his films.  Most instances

would go unnoticed to someone who isn't paying attention to fine details, but they make the

movies what they are.  Faith and its evils are amongst the most popular types of symbolism

that Shyamalan uses.  He prefers to do this through a variety of colors.  (Red is evil and

green is faith.) These signs are made to "intensify the disturbing qualities of his films."

(Fletcher, 1) Spirituality and family also have roles in Shyamalan's works.  He hints to many

popular Hindu beliefs- "that there is more to life than the physical plane, and that to

understand life, one must view it through spiritual eyes." (Fletcher, 2) The color red in the

Indian flag represents courage and self-denial.  In The Sixth Sense, one of M. Night

Shyamalan's biggest hits, Dr. Crowe is in self-denial about being deceased.  Shyamalan

himself said that he used the color red in order to emphasize "anything in the real world that

had been tainted by the other world." One of the other characters, Cole, runs by red houses,

red flowering bushes, and through a red door into a church.  The latter shows that Cole

might be questioning his faith.  A final example of this color symbolism, in The Sixth Sense,

happens during a scene after a girl's funeral.  The child's father puts a tape in the VCR

which shows his wife wearing red to the funeral.  In this case, the color is meant to represent

how unremorseful the woman was.

     "Shyamalan uses four main suspense characteristics in two of his films: time pressure or

a time constraint, conflict between person and nature or events in the environment, conflict

between person and self, and uncertain outcome of main character/s." (Fletcher, 6) All of

Shyamalan's movies show how past happenings come to affect the present through

flashbacks or reminders to the audience.  The main reason that his films are so catchy is the

obvious effort and intellect behind them.  They aren't as frightening as the trailers might lead

you to believe.  They're meant to leave you  pondering all the way home from the theater.

Shyamalan can even "use the movement at the periphery of the screen and the sudden

revelation of a grotesque sight to shock the audience." (Redington, 1) He's also innovative

for his surprise endings.  You would have to be extremely observant to figure out what the

twist will be before it comes.  It determines the entire fate of the movie and not only becomes

the resolution, but the climax.  There is no falling action- you are kept on the edge of your

seat throughout the whole movie.  Some critics cannot stand Shyamalan as a director

because, as quoted by Leonard Maltin, "Nothing is there by accident.  That's why it works so

well.  There are no MTV-style editing tricks.  It isn't built upon the foundation of a

soundtrack to sell CDs.  It draws upon the most fundamental -- one might say old-fashioned

-- sense of telling a story.  It's everything Hollywood doesn't want." (McCafferty, 4)

You either hate Shyamalan, or you love him.  His characters are not only easy to relate to-

they're also played by a wonderfully talented cast.  "We feel their desperate longing even

before  before we know what they yearn for." (Cline, 1) When M. Night Shyamalan writes,

he gets into it in a very emotional way. It's more then just a job for him.  He stated that

he tries to write about things that are important to him- that his films are about his family,

and if he's "writing about aliens taking over the world, it's from the point of view of a

family". (Foley, 3) He wants to defy what the viewer expects.  Another unusal thing he does

is exclude humor.  Shyamalan believes it "empties the tank of tension" and he "has to fill it

up all over again." (Foley, 1) Last but not least, Shyamalan makes a cameo appearance

in each film he directs.

     M. Night Shyamalan is a gifted person when it comes to creativity.  No other movie

director can compare with the "unexpected plot twists, realistic treatment of horror or

science fiction themes, sharp screen play, effective background score, and sybolism" used.

(M. Night Shyamalan, 1) His appealing storylines and characters will make him stand the

test of time.  At the ripe age of 34, he has a long life ahead of him...in which time he will

hopefully produce more stunning films.

Description
A Look at a Modern, Innovative Man:  M. Night Shyamalan

     There are many great minds in this world, but few that have what it takes to be truly

innovative.  For example, have you seen the amount of lemon lime sodas stocked on

grocery store shelves?  There are at least ten kinds, ranging from Sprite to 7-Up.

Only one person could have created that tangy taste.  Therefore, the rest of the products

have branched off of the original and are no longer truly innovative.  M. Night Shyamalan,

possibly one of the best film writers and directors of our time, is among those few inventive

people. His skill is compared to that of Steven Spielberg.  Not only can he produce chilling

and  action-filled  tales, but he can weave in symbolism, unexpected endings to his movies,

and other unique talents that make his name known.

     As stated above, Shyamalan uses a great deal of symbolism in his films.  Most instances

would go unnoticed to someone who isn't paying attention to fine details, but they make the

movies what they are.  Faith and its evils are amongst the most popular types of symbolism

that Shyamalan uses.  He prefers to do this through a variety of colors.  (Red is evil and

green is faith.) These signs are made to "intensify the disturbing qualities of his films."

(Fletcher, 1) Spirituality and family also have roles in Shyamalan's works.  He hints to many

popular Hindu beliefs- "that there is more to life than the physical plane, and that to

understand life, one must view it through spiritual eyes." (Fletcher, 2) The color red in the

Indian flag represents courage and self-denial.  In The Sixth Sense, one of M. Night

Shyamalan's biggest hits, Dr. Crowe is in self-denial about being deceased.  Shyamalan

himself said that he used the color red in order to emphasize "anything in the real world that

had been tainted by the other world." One of the other characters, Cole, runs by red houses,

red flowering bushes, and through a red door into a church.  The latter shows that Cole

might be questioning his faith.  A final example of this color symbolism, in The Sixth Sense,

happens during a scene after a girl's funeral.  The child's father puts a tape in the VCR

which shows his wife wearing red to the funeral.  In this case, the color is meant to represent

how unremorseful the woman was.

     "Shyamalan uses four main suspense characteristics in two of his films: time pressure or

a time constraint, conflict between person and nature or events in the environment, conflict

between person and self, and uncertain outcome of main character/s." (Fletcher, 6) All of

Shyamalan's movies show how past happenings come to affect the present through

flashbacks or reminders to the audience.  The main reason that his films are so catchy is the

obvious effort and intellect behind them.  They aren't as frightening as the trailers might lead

you to believe.  They're meant to leave you  pondering all the way home from the theater.

Shyamalan can even "use the movement at the periphery of the screen and the sudden

revelation of a grotesque sight to shock the audience." (Redington, 1) He's also innovative

for his surprise endings.  You would have to be extremely observant to figure out what the

twist will be before it comes.  It determines the entire fate of the movie and not only becomes

the resolution, but the climax.  There is no falling action- you are kept on the edge of your

seat throughout the whole movie.  Some critics cannot stand Shyamalan as a director

because, as quoted by Leonard Maltin, "Nothing is there by accident.  That's why it works so

well.  There are no MTV-style editing tricks.  It isn't built upon the foundation of a

soundtrack to sell CDs.  It draws upon the most fundamental -- one might say old-fashioned

-- sense of telling a story.  It's everything Hollywood doesn't want." (McCafferty, 4)

You either hate Shyamalan, or you love him.  His characters are not only easy to relate to-

they're also played by a wonderfully talented cast.  "We feel their desperate longing even

before  before we know what they yearn for." (Cline, 1) When M. Night Shyamalan writes,

he gets into it in a very emotional way. It's more then just a job for him.  He stated that

he tries to write about things that are important to him- that his films are about his family,

and if he's "writing about aliens taking over the world, it's from the point of view of a

family". (Foley, 3) He wants to defy what the viewer expects.  Another unusal thing he does

is exclude humor.  Shyamalan believes it "empties the tank of tension" and he "has to fill it

up all over again." (Foley, 1) Last but not least, Shyamalan makes a cameo appearance

in each film he directs.

     M. Night Shyamalan is a gifted person when it comes to creativity.  No other movie

director can compare with the "unexpected plot twists, realistic treatment of horror or

science fiction themes, sharp screen play, effective background score, and sybolism" used.

(M. Night Shyamalan, 1) His appealing storylines and characters will make him stand the

test of time.  At the ripe age of 34, he has a long life ahead of him...in which time he will

hopefully produce more stunning films.