Malcolm Crowe - Compare And Contrast

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Examine the way that two scenes from 'The Sixth Sense' are presented in order to maintain the audiences belief that Malcolm Crowe is alive. Evaluate the importance of the two scenes in the film as a whole After watching 'The Sixth Sense' I am going to examine the way that the way scenes are directed and produced to make us believe that Malcolm Crowe is alive. 'The Sixth Sense' is a psychological thriller, which typical of the genre of thrillers has a large twist in the story.

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The film is set around Malcolm Crowe someone, who has been killed and has turned, unnoticed by the audience, into a ghost. The child in the film believes he can see ghosts and is trying to voice his dark secret. Whilst watching 'The Sixth Sense' for the first time this scene seemed fairly innocent and normal and you were able to relate it in some ways to real life. It wasn't until we get to the end of the film and watch this scene again that it takes on a different perspective.

At the start of the scene when Cole first walks through the door Malcolm is clearly sitting in the centre of the room, Coles mother doesn't acknowledge or introduce Cole to Malcolm, she seems oblivious that there is another man in the room. If this were a real life situation and when you got home from work and there was someone sitting in the centre of the lounge you would want to know who he/she is and what he or she is doing in the house.

An effect in the film that gives this scene an eerie feel to it is how the director has used lots of shadows.

He has made sure that the house in the film is shaded and all the props inside are dark colours and appear dirty. This seems to me like quite a stereotypical 'haunted house' because of this but without the cobwebs. After Cole has walked through the door his mother comes up to him and starts talking to him, at this point the camera zooms in so that only Cole and his mother are in the screen as if they are close together and nobody else is in the room. When Cole's mother is talking to him she doesn't make any eye contact, which we can see, with Cole.

His mother acknowledges Cole and knows that he is there because she goes up to him and removes his coat but still no eye contact is made. If this were in real life there is usually a bond between mother and child and the mother, even if it weren't for the full duration of a conversation, would make some eye contact with her child. Another film effect that the director uses is with the makeup around the eyes. Most of the actors and scenes are set in the dark so it isn't very often that we are able to see the whites of the actors' eyes.

This I think is because the director doesn't want us to clearly see who or what they are making eye contact with. Another point that I noticed had become more annoying as I watched the film is of the volume that the actors speak at when they deliver their lines. When nearly all the actors deliver their lines they are talking very quietly to each other, almost a whisper. It is as if they know someone is listening to them and they don't want them or it to hear. It stands out most when Coles mother is talking to him after he has arrived home from school, they are talking for quite a while about their perfect day.

In real life if you get home from school you would talk at a clearly audible volume to someone in the house about your day. What seemed strange to me was that Malcolm was there to talk to Cole about his behaviour and psychological problems and his mother is about to engage into a deep conversation about what they would want to do if they could have a perfect day. Whilst the conversation is going on between Cole and his mother the director again closes in on them to give the feeling that they are alone in the house or are blanking out Malcolm.

When the camera does pan round and shows Malcolm he seems so far away. The room they are in isn't that big this can be interpreted that Cole isn't comfortable with the situation or should I say that the director is trying to prescribe to us that he isn't. This is like most of the points that I make just seem normal, if someone strange is in the house that you haven't met is there you are usually more anxious. Once his mother has finished the conversation Cole acknowledges that Malcolm is there but his mother still doesn't acknowledge him.

When you look at the way the set has been arranged the chairs and tables are placed to make it look as if Cole's mother has been in conversation with Malcolm previous to Cole getting home from school. When his mother goes into the kitchen for the first time she says she is going to make triangle pancakes for tea she says that Cole has got an hour before tea. The tone of her voice when you listen carefully suggests to the viewer that it has a deeper meaning it can be translated to that Cole has got an hour with Malcolm to go through things before it is time for tea.

The way the script has been written has been with a lot of deep thinking on how the first time you watch it the line means one thing and the second time you view the film nearly every line takes on a totally different meaning. Slightly side tracked from the original point Cole seems very wary of who is around and watching him before he goes to approach Malcolm to show the viewer that although his mother might not be watching some other people may be watching him that the viewer can not see.

It seems innocent because he could just be checking to make sure his mother isn't going to com in whilst he approaches Malcolm or that he has something to tell, Malcolm that he doesn't want his mother to listen to. The meeting between Malcolm and Cole looks normal and you wouldn't expect or question that Malcolm wants who he said he was. Malcolm has the dress sense of a psychiatrist being in a smart suit and acts like a psychiatrist. His laid back attitudes and being able to play the mind game with Cole is probably a way for psychologists to try and enter your mind.