Today is Day 4 of the "14 Days of Screenplays, Version 3.0" challenge and the featured screenplay is for the movie The Sixth Sense (1999). You can download the script from myPDFscripts.com here.Background: The Sixth Sense was written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie currently has an 8.2 rating on IMDB.com and is ranked #130 out of the top 250 movies.
On his interactive website, Shyamalan writes in response to the question, "What demon was I exorcising in making [The Sixth Sense]?"
Fear of dying before I telling my loved ones what I feel about them.I remember being blown away by the movie The Sixth Sense. Yes, the Big Twist at the end surprised me. But what really struck me was how self-assured everything about the movie was - the writing, casting, acting, staging, directing. It felt very much like the creation of a truly gifted filmmaker.
Letting go of my desire of being an Art Film Director. I realize I'm not complicated enough to do that.
In reading the script, I can't help but recall those same thoughts and feelings. The screenplay displays a deft touch, not at all over-the-top. Whatever happened to that touch has been the subject of innumerable online discussions. I'd prefer to just focus here on how good the script for The Sixth Sense is - and what we can learn from it.
I want to give time for people to weigh in about the script, those who have read it for the challenge as well as anyone else who has read the script in the past. I'll update this post with my thoughts on the script later tonight.
What did you think of The Sixth Sense?
For links to all 14 scripts in the challenge, go here.
And remember: We'll be reading 1 script per day and discussing them through November 22. I'll be posting something everyday at 4PM U.S. Eastern Daylight Time / 1PM PST for your comments.
The script for Day 5 of the challenge is (500) Days of Summer, available at myPDFscripts.com.
UPDATE: What is a screenwriter responsible for when they write a screenplay? In a word: Everything. From the very first moment on P. 1 to the very last image before FADE OUT, the screenwriter's task is not only to tell a story, but also create an entire story universe.
Just by looking at the first half of act one in The Sixth Sense, we can see how Shyamalan masterfully accomplishes both goals. It starts with the first image:
INT. BASEMENT - EVENINGFirst images are important. Darkness. Then light. A basement. A quiet opening. But why open on a light bulb (in the movie it's a full 12 seconds of the bulb "sparking" to life)? I have a theory, which I'll provide at the end of this post, but for now, let me just say I suspect Shyamalan is being clever here.
A NAKED LIGHTBULB SPARKS TO LIFE. It dangles from the ceiling of the basement.
Then we meet our first character ANNA CROWE as she moves down the basement stairs. What do we learn through her entrance?
The way she's dressed ("in an elegant summer dress") suggests not only a specific season, but also that perhaps she's been to some sort of social function. When she crosses to a wine rack, it suggests that she has access to money - who else but well-to-do people can afford to have "a rack of wine bottles covering one entire wall"? The fact that she looks for "just the right" bottle reinforces the sense that she is well-heeled, someone in a socioeconomic class who knows about fine wines.
Shyamalan uses this tiny little moment to give us a lot of information about Anna -- all without dialogue.
Anna selects the bottle of wine. Then something happens:
Anna turns to leave. Stops. She stares at the shadowy basement. It's an unsettling place. She stands very still and watches her breath form A TINY CLOUD IN THE COLD AIR. She's visibly uncomfortable.Anna got spooked. And check out that scene description: The light bulb doesn't merely go off, it "dies." We don't just fade to black, rather "dripping black devours" the room. What does this tell us about the story universe? It gives us a big hint about its genre. This is not a teen comedy or a musical. No, this movie is a scary story.
Anna Crowe moves for the staircase in a hurry. Each step faster than the next. She climbs out of the basement in another burst of LIGHT QUICK FOOTSTEPS.
WE HEAR HER HIT THE LIGHT SWITCH.
THE LIGHTBULB DIES. DRIPPING BLACK DEVOURS THE ROOM.
And what about that "TINY CLOUD IN THE COLD AIR"? Could that be a foreshadow that this is a 'ghost' story?
Now we move to another location, the dining room upstairs, and here we meet our second character, MALCOLM CROWE ("intelligent eyes that squint from years of intense study"). The food, empty bottle of wine, the low lights, the music all suggest a romantic celebration:
MALCOLMWhat do we learn here in this scene? With Malcolm's Dr. Seuss speak, we are hearing his voice and personality. But why all the description of the framed certificate? Shyamalan wants to make sure we understand that this is a prestigious award.
That's one fine frame. How
much does a fine frame like
that cost you think?
Malcolm points to the HUGE FRAMED CERTIFICATE propped up on a dining room chair. It's printed on aged parchment-type paper. The frame is polished mahogany.
As Anna reads the text of the award, we find out that Malcolm is a psychiatrist, a good one -- this is all backstory, providing a context for Malcolm's character by giving us a glimpse of his personal history. But what transpires next reveals an important detail about the couple's relationship.
ANNAWhat is Anna saying when she puts that heavy emphasis on the phrase "including meme"? That the recent years have not been easy for her, experiencing how her husband put her in second position to his career. And yet, she is conflicted because she recognizes "that my husband has a gift." This dialogue not only provides backstory, it also starts to lay out one of the most important themes of the movie - the emotional distance that has grown between Malcolm and Anna.
This is an important night
for us. Finally someone is
recognizing the sacrifices
you made. That you have put
everything second, including
me, for those families they're
talking about.
One more interesting thought arises in this little scene. Why is Malcolm so prone to making jokes, ridiculing this award he's just received? Maybe he's just a funny guy. Or perhaps it suggests that Malcolm is also conflicted. Perhaps Malcolm doesn't believe that he deserves the award, that he knows he has imperfections. And, indeed, one flawed judgment from his past is going to come back to haunt him - in the very next scene.
Moving to their bedroom, Anna and Malcolm engage in a playful striptease, only to be interrupted by a startling discovery: The shattered window. What does this tell us? Something is wrong, their privacy intruded upon by the outside world. And the image of the shattered glass - perhaps a portent of how the couple's lives are about to be shattered.
Now we meet the story's third character - VINCENT GRAY. His first words -- "You don't know so many things" -- speak directly to the story's Plotline (Malcolm's lack of insight into Vincent's condition a decade ago will lead to unforeseen consequences).
Vincent's dialogue no only provides backstory, it also conveys his goal: "I want what you promised." The exchange between Vincent and Malcolm is also a fascinating one because one character (Vincent) has such a clear emotional focus on the moment - revenge - while the other (Malcolm) is simply trying his best to gain focus ("I don't understand what you want").
By the way, there is an interesting bit of potential symbolism at play here as well in the use of the character's names:
* Vincent Gray - gray area, in the shadows, caught between right and wrong.
* Malcolm Crowe - the bird, black, night, ominous, a traditional symbol of death.
All things turn deadly, indeed, with the shooting:
Vincent turns to the sink. His hand goes in. He turns around and raises a gun at Malcolm. He FIRES. A VIOLENT, EAR-SHATTERING ECHO. Malcolm clutches his stomach and folds like a rag doll onto the bed.Three scenes, 7 1/2-minutes long. And Shyamalan has introduced key characters, established the story world, set the plot into motion, hooked the audience, and fooled millions of movie-goers right from the start, setting them up for the movie's famous surprise ending.
Continuing through the church scene, Shyamalan lays out other narrative elements:
* The fade-to-black time ellipsis ("Two years later") where we meet a (presumably) recovered Malcolm, establishing a new time-frame.All of this - and establishing a whacking good mystery re Cole - by movie minute 12 and script page 18. Shyamalan has provided the audience with an absolutely clear sense of what this film's story world is all about. Or at least he's led us to believe we think we know what's going on.
* The introduction of a new character COLE SEARS, a young boy with his own voice, backstory, and imperfections, even the symbolism of his name: Cole like "coal" -- have to dig to get at his truth.
* The script's comparison between Cole and Vincent, setting up a thematic element -- Malcolm seeing in Cole the chance to redeem himself for the mistake he made with Vincent.
* The little chase sequence, Malcolm hustling after Cole, trying to catch up, which suggests another thematic element, that Malcolm will always be one step behind in understanding Cole.
* Cole's exchange with Malcolm in the church: "Are you a good doctor," the boy asks. Malcolm's reply: "I used to be." Again playing to one of the story's central themes, Malcolm trying to seize this chance to redeem himself for his previous 'failure.'
As to why Shyamalan begins The Sixth Sense with the light bulb? Because we don't learn the Big Twist -- that Malcolm was killed by Vincent and he's a ghost -- until the very end of the movie, I suspect that Shyamalan is poking fun at us, playing off the symbol of a light bulb going off over our heads when we have an insight. It's like he's saying, "I'm going to give you a big hint right up front that about two hours from now, the light bulb over your head is going to light up in a big way when you suddenly get it -- and you'll realize how completely I've fooled you."
Maybe a stretch. Then again, why start with a light bulb?
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6 comments:
We studied the first few pages of "Sixth Sense" in my screenwriting class. What struck me was how much was accomplished in those few pages and how compelling it was. The very first scene, about as intense as could be imagined both gets the plot going and reveals the character of the psychiatrist, shows us what really makes him tick. Brilliant.
JD, you're stealing my thunder as in my update analysis, I'm going to go through the midway point in Act One of the script to show precisely that: How well Shyamalan lays out the story's key narrative elements, but also creates a clear sense of the story universe.
Well, I had a great teacher...she made many of the same points as you did in your analysis, actually. It's a little reassuring that even in a field as subjective as screenwriting, there can be some consensus about what 'works' and what doesn't.
The same unusual precision, self-confidence and storytelling art are on display also in Shyamalan's "Unbreakable", which I think is THE best comic book movie ever made. Too bad Shyamalan seems to have gone mostly downhill from there...I was not very impressed with "The Village" or "Lady in the Water'.
Great analysis Scott.
I've read this script a few weeks ago for the first time and I was astonished to discover how everything was perfectly connected and was leading to the twisted ending.
I mean, from the beginning, everything is in place for this great ending to happen. There's signals, hints, and it's a fun thing to read it now, years after I saw the movie for the first time.
I was also impressed by his writing style. It's beautiful without being over written. i really like his scene description. They goes to the point and are enjoyable to read.
It was definitly the work of a gifted writer, whatever we may think about his later works.
I read this a few days ago for the 1st time. I wanted to check out Shyamalan's writing style. Aside from finding all those "beats" annoying & unnecessary, I thought the wrting was good.
Unfortunately, I've never been a fan of the movie. I only like bits and pieces of the story-- the mother/son relationship, the bit at the end with the poisoned girl...
My reaction to the script story was the same as the movie: Dull and slow moving. Maybe it's b/c I generally don't find ghosts all that scary.
The twist at the end never worked for me b/c by that time I had tuned out of the story & didn't really care.
To add...
It's funny that Shyamalan says (probably disingenuously) he gave up his desire to be an art film director, b/c I think that's a big reason audience's respond to his movies the way they do.
Audience's sense that Shyamalan is trying to give them something thoughtful and provoking. His movies are for adults, or for people with adult sensibilities. They aren't empty popcorn movies for 12 yr olds.
He's striving to combine the Art movie with the HW genre movie. He may not always succeed, but audiences appreciate the effort. That's part of why his movies still generate interest, even after several turds.
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