The Others (2001)

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writer:

Alejandro Amenábar (written by)

Release Date:

10 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sooner Or Later They Will Find You.

Plot:

A woman who lives in a darkened old house with her two photosensitive children becomes convinced that her family home is haunted.

Plot Keywords:

Daughter | Nazi Occupation | Claustrophobic | Able To See The Dead | Atmospheric

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 22 wins & 36 nominations

Cast

Nicole Kidman	...	Grace Stewart
Fionnula Flanagan	...	Mrs. Bertha Mills
Christopher Eccleston	...	Charles Stewart
Alakina Mann	...	Anne Stewart
James Bentley	...	Nicholas Stewart
Eric Sykes	...	Mr. Edmund Tuttle
Elaine Cassidy	...	Lydia
Renée Asherson	...	Old Lady
Gordon Reid	...	Assistant
Keith Allen	...	Mr. Marlish
Michelle Fairley	...	Mrs. Marlish
Alexander Vince	...	Victor Marlish
Ricardo López	...	Second Assistant
Aldo Grilo	...	Gardener

Also Known As:

Autres, Les (France)
Otros, Los (Spain)
The Darkness (USA) (working title)
Otros, Los (Mexico) (Peru) (Venezuela) [es]
Outros, Os (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
The Others (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Άλλοι, Oι (Greece) [el]
Aherim, Ha- (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Alloi, Oi (Greece) [el]
Autres, Les (Canada: French title) [fr]
Inni (Poland) [pl]
Más világ (Hungary) [hu]
Teised (Estonia) [et]
The Others (Finland) [fi]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements and frightening moments.

Runtime:

101 min | Finland:104 min | USA:104 min

Country:

USA | Spain | France | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:PG-13 (certificate number not assigned) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Iceland:12 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Portugal:M/16 (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | South Korea:All | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Madrid, Spain

Company:

Cruise/Wagner Productions

Trivia:

The film opened in the US at number 4 in the box office charts and stayed around that figure for its initial run. Seven weeks into release it actually climbed up to the number 2 spot.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the fight between Grace and Anne in the bedroom, the lamp on the floor disappears and reappears between shots.

Quotes:

Grace: My husband went to war and did not come back. Who will do the cooking?
Mrs. Mills: I'm sorry, miss.
Grace: Who will do the cooking?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Who's on First: The Movie (2005)

Soundtrack:

Vals Opus 69 No.1 (Op. Posth.)

Suspenseful, stylish horror film ***/****

The others ***/****

"The Others" is a suspenseful horror film unlike many these days. Most are concerned with blood and gore, teenage girls getting naked, body count, and not scary. "The Others" is atmospheric, spooky, bloodless, and carried by strong acting and fleshed out characters. Yet, it takes too long to make an impact and the final payoff is not as shocking as it should be.

The plot is simple and not especially innovative (your average ghost story), but it seems fresh thanks to strong acting and a well-crafted, eerie atmosphere that rivals that of a Tim Burton film. Nicole Kidman is Grace, a beautiful young married mother who must raise her two children, Anne (Alakina Mann) and Nicholas (James Bentley) alone in their gigantic (actually, ridiculously large) mansion on a British isle, around the end of WWII. They are alone, for the husband and father has been at war and has not returned, and their housekeepers mysteriously vanished. Suddenly, a trio of friendly caretakers arrive one day. Mrs. Mills (Fionnula Flanagan) is the amiable old lady, Lydia (Elaine Cassidy) is a mute young girl, and Mr. Tuttle (Eric Sykes) is the not-so-social gardener. However, there is a strange, arcane facet to the trio; they have little background and had no way of knowing that Grace was offering positions at her manor. Aside from this, Grace must deal with her children, who have a deadly allergy to light, which means that the house must be dark all the time, allowing for a spooky dark, shadowy ambience. Anna and Nicholas, most importantly, have been visited - by a family of ghosts. Noises - crying, piano music, and running - have been heard. And curtains that stop light from entering the house are opening and closing by themselves. The film is based around Grace's efforts to solve the enigma.

I love the atmosphere of "The Others," set in a nostalgic and ominous 1940's estate. Snowy mist blankets the grass and crisp fall leaves. Murky waters of a lake border the chateau. Elegant furniture, polished marble and wood floors, neatly-woven blankets, tautly fabricated furnishings of wood and olive green cloth, coal black German sedans, lightly wrinkled sweaters and jackets are all seemingly authentic from the era. One spectacular and tense scene has Grace haplessly stumbling through an impenetrably thick ocean of milky fog that weaves through overhanging trees and a ground of crunchy bronze and russet leaves.

The action takes a while to get started up, which is a major negative. This is due to the director, Amenabar, spending time to develop an involving plot, 3-D characters, and the aforementioned décor. While Amenabar succeeds in those respects, we find ourselves wishing something would happen. Many people will easily become bored, feel tempted to sleep or leave, etc., but I, while not exactly enthralled by that point in the film, was still enjoying it.

When we finally are treated to doses of suspense and chills (not so much horror and terror), it is satisfying. You most likely will find yourself on the edge of your seat or huddled in a ball anxiously awaiting the potentially fatal results of Grace's investigation. This is not so much because you care about her character, but really because you expect a sudden scream and heart-stopping outburst of maniacal ghosts. Most scenes are chilling, including the door shutting in the piano room, the old lady in the white dress, and the final chaotic conclusion. However, I can not say that I was truly horrified and paranoid from this film, unlike "The Sixth Sense," where I was freaked out for months. I was still very entertained.

I must commend all the actors in the film, especially Nicole Kidman. The acting was down to earth and realistic, despite Nicole Kidman forced into saying some foolish lines ("Something.. Diabolical!). The two child actors, Mann and Bentley, were excellent in a fairly difficult role for children.

Another important downside to the film was the "shocking" conclusion. While I must admit that I found it brilliant, it lacked the powerful punch I wish it had. I don't know why this is, it just isn't. I am disappointed at how much potential the ending could have packed and how little it did.

Overall, I found "The Others" a highly entertaining thriller with magnetic milieus and plenty of startles.