[Course Description] [Schedule and Course Outline][Lessons (Resource Questions)][Mid-Term Exam] [Paper Assignment (and Examples)] [Final Exams]

Final Exam: The Sixth Sense

You must answer question one or two. Do not answer both.

1. Single out a scene from The Sixth Sense, one edited according to Hollywood conventions. Describe the conventions that order this scene, telling how they create coherence and advance the narrative.

2. The "Anniversary Dinner" scene--where Malcolm (Bruce Willis) arrives late to find Anna (Olivia Williams) dinning alone--is fairly unusual for the cinematographic choice(s) that it employs. What is gained--or, perhaps, lost--by this approach? (For example, what "problems" does it solve?) What might have been lost if another approach--say, shot-reverse figures--had been used?

You must answer either question 3 or 4. If you want, you may answer both.

3. How does The Sixth Sense grant viewers access to the psychological states of its characters? Does it use cinematic means that are objective or subjective? Why do you think this choice was made?

4. Generally speaking, is The Sixth Sense a restricted or an unrestricted narrative? Substantiate and qualify your answer. Then, tell how this choice of range affects the viewing experience.

If you choose, answer one of the next two questions, but do not answer both.

5. Use William Labov's theory of narrative to provide you with vocabulary for answering these questions: What possible "results or resolutions" are first-time viewers of The Sixth Sense cued to expect? What "result or resolution" do we get? How might Labov explain the structural difference between what is expected and what is delivered?

6. In answering this question, use vocabulary provided either by Labov's theory of narrative or B&T distinction between plot and story: Explain how the Anna's suitor functions for first-time and, then, for second-time viewers of The Sixth Sense.

If you choose, answer one of the next two questions, but do not answer both.

7. Pretend that I'm the producer of The Sixth Sense. You're the writer/director. I find out that Cole's nemesis--the kid that picks on him-- starred in a TV commercial and thinks he's something of an acting prodigy. I say, "Night, you're making a big mistake. In making the bratty character a child actor, you're running the risk of making the audience hyper-aware that Cole is himself an actor playing a role." How would you respond to my concern?

8. Pretend that you're the writer/director of The Sixth Sense, and answer this question: Why give Cole and his mom, Lynn, a puppy? Brainstorm as many answers as possible.

You must answer one, and only one, of these final questions. They work off the assumption that nobody enjoys film for purely formal reasons. Content always matters.

9. According to its makers, The Sixth Sense brought in disproportionately large dividends from two widely separated demographics: older women and young boys. How would you account for this phenomenon? What's your theory?

10. In your opinion, what is the implicit meaning of The Sixth Sense? To what extent do you believe this meaning contributed to the financial success of the film?