Rosemary's Baby and DS

Thomas Tryon is also the author of "Harvest Home".....a brilliant novel, but a disappointing TV re-make.

I wonder if John Karlen ever worked with Uta Hagen when he was still in New York......?

I can't imagine anyone calling "Sixth Sense" derivative.  It's a film that absolutely must be seen twice, just to admire the fact that there are no mistakes, no slip-ups.  In my opinion, it's a stunningly well-crafted film.

It's really quite tiresome to page through the IMDB reviews of RB and ponder the barely literate scrawlings of folks weaned on Michael Myers crap who just... don't ... get it.

One can only wonder what they'd say if they were to see a Bergman film (or Bunuel, or Eisentein, or ... ).  But I suppose we can guess:  "it was boring," "it was dumb" or "it sucked."  (Was thrilled to chance upon "The Seventh Seal" late last night, one of my top 10 ... but couldn't spare the early morning hours for yet another viewing of "Rebecca" -- also in my top 10 -- or "The Picture of Dorian Gray", per another thread.  Great night for TCM!)

I haven't seen "The Sixth Sense," so I could be mistaken, but the ending sounded like it was lifted from a '70s made-for-TV movie where an isolated group of people came to the horrifying realization that they were all dead.  Not sure if that has anything to do with "The Sixth Sense" or not, but I do remember reading somewhere that the surprise ending had been done before.  Of course, we've talked about Dark Shadows and Shakespeare borrowing shamelessly ...

There is nothing new under the sun.....it's all in how you use a classic idea.....what makes your take on it different.

If "borrowing" was a felony, Dan Curtis would be doing life, wouldn't he? 

At the risk of repeating myself, "Sixth Sense" is so carfully crafted that once you've seen it the first time, you almost HAVE to go back and watch it again to see if you can find a single mistake...

And that's a rave review from someone who, in all other cases, finds Bruce Willis unbearable to watch.

but I do remember reading somewhere that the surprise ending had been done before.

OK, after some more thought, I'm not sure if I actually read that or not.  It might have been my conclusion after reading about the Sixth Sense's surprise ending.  I'm the one who thought of this particular TV movie sounding very similar.

Then again, "Shakespeare in Love," which I truly enjoy, was lifted from the novel "No Bed for Bacon", whose authors were dead so the film writers didn't have to acknowledge it ... 

"Borrowings" do go on a bit in the movie business, and sometimes (though not too often, I'd hazard to say) the result is spectacular.

MODIFICATION:  POSTED BEFORE I READ RAINEY'S POST ABOVE (NEAR-SIMULATANEOUS POSTINGS!  )

SPOILERS:
The Sixth Sense was a very well-crafted film, and I enjoyed it immensely the first time through. I don't have a lot of interest in seeing it again, however. All the hints that Bruce Willis is dead are there; but one would have to be a very astute viewer to pick up on them until they all come together at the climax. I bet the filmmakers were sweating it when they showed it to the very first audience, to see whether they had pulled it off with just the right balance. One clue too many or too obvious, and the whole thing would be spoiled.

The Others similarly struck me as a beautifully made movie, although I guessed the characters were in their "afterlife" the moment Nicole Kidman went into the fog and couldn't get away from the house. Having seen The Sixth Sense not that long before, it was fresh in mind and I had a feeling The Others was going for the same kind of effect. The similarity did not diminish either film for me, though. If anything, I enjoyed The Others even more on my second viewing of it.

--M
http://home.triad.rr.com/smrainey

Vlad: I rented the VHS  for 'The Other' (Tom Tryon) from either Blockbuster or Hollywood Video.  How about that scene with the baby? I stopped breathing during it.

Didn't see the movie when it came out, caught up with it years later. But I did read the book which really unnerved me. I had read a review that made it sound like Bewitched. Hey, I was thirteen and extremely naive.

The book is much more intense. But I can't picture Nicholas or Angelique putting up with Minnie Castavet for very long.

Alexandra's exit from the show probably ended the idea of adapting the storyline to DS. But it does raise an interesting question. Who would have been the father?