Distributed by

Warner Bros.

Cert:

Cat.no: D 034646

Running time: 103 minutes

Year: 1999

Pressing: 2000

Region(s): 2, PAL

Chapters: 19 plus extras

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1

Languages: English, Italian

Subtitles: English, Italian, French

Widescreen: 1.85:1

16:9-Enhanced: Yes

Macrovision: Yes

Disc Format: DVD 9

Price: £19.99

Extras : Scene index, Storyboard to film comparison, The Cast, Music and Sound Design, Reaching the Audience, Rules and Clues, Deleted Scenes, A Conversation with M. Night Shyamalan, Publicity, Filmmaker/Cast Biogs

Director:

M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense)

Producers:

Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel

Screenplay:

M. Night Shyamalan

Music:

James Newton Howard

Cast:

Malcolm Crowe: Bruce Willis (Armageddon, Billy Bathgate, Blind Date, Bonfire of the Vanities, Color Of Night, Death Becomes Her, Die Hard 1-3, The Fifth Element, Hudson Hawk, In Country, The Jackal, Last Boy Scout, Last Man Standing, Look Who's Talking 1 & 2, Mercury Rising, Pulp Fiction, The Siege, The Sixth Sense, Striking Distance, Sunset, Twelve Monkeys)
Cole Sear: Haley Joel Osment (Bogus, The Sixth Sense)
Lynn Sear: Toni Collette (The Boys, Clockwatchers, Emma, Muriel's Wedding, The Pallbearer, The Sixth Sense, Velvet Goldmine)
Anna Crowe: Olivia Williams (The Postman, Rushmore, The Sixth Sense)

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I don't want to say too much about the plot because it's there for you to discover, but suffice to say that everything good you've heard about this film is true. Bruce Willis adds another string to his bow as a first-rate actor and newcomer Haley Joel Osment is certainly set to become a big star following this film and is in the running as the lead role in the Harry Potter movie when they get round to making it.

I'm just not a fan of Toni Collette - as Cole's mother - and wish she'd been replaced, but as least she doesn't spend her time getting on your nerves like she did in Muriel's Wedding.

The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 cinematic ratio and is anamorphic. With no artifacts, the image is crystal clear and has realistic flesh-tones. The average bitrate is 6.34Mb/s, occasionally peaking over 8Mb/s.

When it comes to the sound, it's not about what you can hear in the main, but what you can just about hear. The film is full of genuinely-spooky moments, all reproduced faithfully in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Extras :

Chapters :

Languages and Subtitles :

And there's more... :

There are 4 Deleted Scenes including an extended ending, a Publicity section that contains the trailer and two TV spots and finally the extensive Filmmaker/Cast Biogs, even though they didn't seem to work on my DVD-ROM player.

Menu :

Overall, this is a very well-written and well-crafted film. It also has a memorable beginning, but, like the majority of the plot, it contains a surprise that you should only know of when you're watching it. Sadly, I knew of the film's ending before I watched this DVD, partly thanks to a newsgroup article that didn't have Spoiler noted (bugger!) and then I had it confirmed by an idiot on the otherwise-excellent Baddiel and Skinner Unplanned show on ITV.

I can see why The Daily Telegraph called it a 'must-see twice' film, but since I already knew the ending, I tried to look upon each scene from both perspectives. While the disc has many extras, is it a film you can watch over and over again? Probably not and for that the film loses a point.

FILM CONTENT PICTURE QUALITY SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2000.