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TPE project:
Fear
in movies
The Village
Contents
I) About the movie
1) General information
- Directed by : M.Night Shymalan- Release date : August 18th 2004
- Duration : 108 min
2) Synopsis
In 1897, at first glance, the isolated village of Covington, Pennsylvania seems picture perfect, but this close-knit community lives with the frightening knowledge that creatures reside in the surrounding woods. The evil and foreboding force is so unnerving that none dare venture beyond the borders of the village and into the woods. But when curious, headstrong Lucius Hunt plans to step beyond the boundaries of the town and into the unknown, his bold move threatens to forever change the future of the village…
II) Analysis of the movie
1) Introduction
In the middle of the 1970s, Edward Walker used his wealth to build a remote village with a view to being self-sufficient. This utopian project was endorsed by some people who wished to flee from man’s madness ( greed, rapes, murders …).
a) Credits
The credits are important, as they introduces the atmosphere of the movie, they start with a process that will be used all along : so that the spectator is steeped at once in mystery and danger.
We can see tree limbs that look black because they have been taken against the light. The low-angle shot shows a grey overcast sky which conveys an impression of doom to the forest. So the spectator feels oppressed.
However thèse are only trees. The fear springs from our imagination, the back-lighting, the low-angle shot and the flowing motion of the camera contribute to increasing it.
2) Atmosphere
a) Music
The sounds and the music play a major part in the movie.
We can often hear a strange sound from the forest, like a long moan that terrifies the villagers. This moaning keep the villagers in the grip of fear, each time they hear it, they are reminded of the mysterious creatures’threat.
During the scenes in which the camera seems hidden in the forest, the constant cracking of leaves and snapping of tree limbs Under someone’s or something’s footsteps only reinforce the feeling of some creature on the lurk, watching the village.
Since the main character is blind, all sounds contribute to increasing the spectator’s anxiety because she must find her way through the menace. We can realize how perturbing sounds can be when only heard in a tall forest.
The music accompanies Ivy’s feelings and sensations. It enables the Spectator to identify with her and to share her fears and worries.
b) Setting and time
The film takes place in a village in a clearing surrounded by a forest, this is in America but there isn’t any precise information. It might be the end of automn, there is mist, the trees have already lost all their leaves, which make their stark outlines all the more suggestive threatening.
While in this film there isn’tany date, we may deduce the story takes place at the end of the XIXth century, since at the beginning we can read 1897 on the tombstone.
3) Characters
Ivy is the main character, a girl affected of blindness.
Noah Percy is Ivy’s friend, he is suffering from lunacy.
Lucius Hunt, a brave and self-confident young man, wants to enable the village to get more effective medecine than their traditionnal remedies. He is in love with Ivy, his childhood friend
The Elders form the Council of the village, they are the most important people in this village, which they have built.
4) Cinema techniques
The movie shows specific shots, often long flowing ones.
At the beginning of the movie, as we still know nothing of the village and its location, there is a suggestive shot. In a puddle of water moving red-clad figure is reflected. The Spectator can imagine some unknown threat.
Some are subjective, the village is filmed as if someone were watching the forest : the camera is at eye level, it is filming from behind trees, as it were hidden.
Here the camera moves to the left, as if some character were walking :
Similitary, when Finton and Lucius are at the top of the mirador and attentive to the forest, the threat is conveyed by an eye level shot as if we were looking at the mirador and moving away ever deeper into the forest.
Only the mirador is lit up, the forest remains in the half-light, the trees too, we can never see what is Inside. The plan is shown repeatedly, as if the mirador were being permanently watched.
As before the shots in the woods don’t permit to see Inside. The visibility is stopped right from the border.
When we see the Young playing the courage game, only four trees are visible, behind all is black, something can be hidden in the forest but we can’t see it.
After this shot an other reinforces our fear, the boy is seen at back, the camera is Inside the forest, it is again a subjective view.
In the forest Ivy is filmed on back, we can’t see neither on front of her, nor behind her, nor next to her. This is as if the Spectator doesn’t see anything, we are a little bit blind, as Ivy is.
Furthermore there are sounds, Ivy turns her head trying to find their origin but the Spectator doesn’t see where she turns, the shot stays on her face and her blind eyes who search. We realize how much it is dangerous to be here for her who hasn’t the eyesight. When she runs panic-striken, it is a low-angle show on her face, it brings her blindness out and worrys the spectator.
With this shot the anxiety is at its height. She stops, the threatening shot is low-angle and go away more and more, all the red berrys confirm the danger she runs : the red attracts creatures.
The Spectator adhere the faiths of the village.
Then a creature appears. The scene plays on the heavy wait and the surprise.
Between the chasing scenes of the creature and Ivy, there are shots of very high trees which are violently pushed by the wind. They give rythm to the very intensive music of the chase. This long naked trees outlines worry without reason, they increase the anxiety of the chase scene.
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