The Sixth Sense

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

Already now known for the most famous words ever "I See Dead People", the movie was and remains a pure artistic intelligent picture which undoubtedly belongs in the annals of best movies ever made. The director M. Night Shymalan has become without doubt one of my favorite directors to date and along with it, there are many more behind the screen that share his wisdom for creating magic on the big screen. One of his loyal partners has become James Newton Howard. Having done already this movie and Unbreakable, and just finishing up on Signs, it is without doubt one of those fruitful collaborations that make things happen on screen. The Sixth Sense as a score is nothing of mastery on disc, but on the screen it is without doubt 100% effective and even when you listen to the music on CD, there are moments still that raise my hair like that, even with the room fully lighted. It is simply the mood and craftsmanship that made the score so effective during the movie that you constantly remember what particular scene was carrying that particular score. Now, we have come to accept it as underscore for most of the time on soundtrack, but grown to appreciate it as music that makes movies better.

The soundtrack is of course thriller based and even the slightest touch of the violin can raise your neckhair like that, just because you know what it represents during the movie. If you don't know what its about (meaning you haven't seen the movie), I would stop reading here, simply because it reveals a side which can destroy your whole experience when finally watching it. So, The Sixth Sense has got two main themes, both piano based and light in nature. Cole's theme is most notably used during the first tracks, like in 'Run to the Church', 'Photographs' and even very briefly during 'Suicide Ghost', it is a theme that definitely holds a kind of mystery. The other theme (representing Malcolm) is used much more, and also is the only theme that is entitled to grow to bigger proportions. 'De Profundis' is the first track where it reveals itself but moments such as in 'Malcolm's Story / Cole's Secret' or in 'Tape of Vincent' are the moments that make the score feel alive. Of course what would this movie be without the shrieking violin (such as in 'Hanging Ghosts') or the occasional dissonance? Truthfully, the dissonance is most welcome in creating an unforgettable scary feeling, since totally taken away from context, this score still raises my hair like that and is simply darn effective. Track 5 scared the living hell out of me during the movie, and even on disc, it works like the best scary track ever composed.

Still, the commotion about this score and the sole inventive climax that made the movie such a hair-raising experience is track 11. Besides from being the best known spoiler track ever written, 'Malcolm is Dead' is also a track that can be entitled as the best of the score. First the conclusive choral based music starts to put you into disbelief before a very soothing and satisfying musical finish closes the score. This sole attractive lighthearted touch was first noted during track 6 but appears here once more and is most welcome in giving both the movie and the score a somewhat happy ending. Of course, I know that The Sixth Sense isn't really suited for repeated listening, it isn't a dream of a score and mostly, the music is simply underscore based like. But the themes Howard has composed have a compelling effect during the movie, the scary mood surrounding the confrontations are most effective on disc and several strong highlights make this score worth hearing. Still, the overall listening experience isn't as profound as I had hoped. But what it does during the movie is without a doubt as interesting as the story itself. Howard put fear and disbelief into one and gave it a musical name, and that is what they call having The Sixth Sense.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Run To The Church (1.21)

2. De Profundis (2.23)

3. Mind Reading (2.45)

4. Photographs (0.55)

5. Suicide Ghost (1.33)

6. Malcolm's Story / Cole's Secret (4.01)

7. Hanging Ghosts (2.31)

8. Tape Of Vincent (3.30)

9. Help The Ghosts / Kyra's Ghost (4.29)

10. Kyra's Tape (2.02)

11. Malcolm Is Dead (4.44) Excellent Track

Total Length: 30.15

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=== Link to Composer Site: James Newton Howard ===