Despite big-name billing, The Sixth Sense is a riveting thriller Essays

Despite big-name billing, The Sixth Sense is a riveting thriller Essays Despite big-name billing, The Sixth Sense is a riveting thriller Essay Despite big-name billing, The Sixth Sense is a riveting thriller Essay The big name in The Sixth Sense is Bruce Willis, who gives a strong but subtle performance. But the real star is the films writer/director M. Night Shyamalan. Remember the name of this 29-year-old Philadelphia filmmaker because he is a major talent with a vision and voice as remarkable as a young Spielbergs. Also pay attention to 11-year-old Haley Joel Osment, Willis co-star. You probably dont remember him as Forrest Junior in Forrest Gump, but youll never forget him after The Sixth Sense. The movie deals with child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Willis) who, after receiving a prestigious award for his work with children, is brutally accosted by one of his failures (Donnie Wahlberg). A year later, Malcolm tries to atone for his earlier mistake by taking the case of a young boy named Cole Sear (Osment), whose unvoiced fears have driven him away from everyone, including his mother (Toni Collette of Muriels Wedding). His commitment to the boy, however, further alienates Malcolm from his wife Anna (Olivia Williams) who feels that Malcolm has all but abandoned her. And the fact that she is wooed by one of her co-workers doesnt help the domestic situation. When Cole finally reveals his secret to Malcom, the psychologist is ready to concede that the boy is beyond his help, delusional and paranoid to the extreme. Cole thinks that he sees dead people all the time, everywhere. They are the ones, he claims, who are responsible for the cuts and bruises on his body, not his mother (as the emergency room physician suspects). At first skeptical, Malcolm soon has reason to believe the boy. When Cole begs him for help with the ghosts (Make them go away!), Malcolm responds quite sincerely, Im working on it. It would be absolutely criminal to reveal anything more about the plot, and you should avoid friends who have seen the movie and want to tell you about it. Suffice it to say that The Sixth Sense is genuinely creepy, heart-warming and utterly surprising the best American film of the summer. A major Internet source remarked how the film seemed to come out of nowhere, with little pre-release publicity despite the presence of Willis. Thats all for the good since too much hype, with which we have been inundated this season (The Phantom Menace, The Blair Witch Project), cant help but dull almost any films reception. Whoever was responsible for keeping The Sixth Sense under wraps probably guessed that a movie this good only needs word-of-mouth to get its audiences. Its unclear whether Bruce Willis got his $20 million standard fee, but hes worth it in The Sixth Sense for the marquee value of his name alone, which will draw people to the movie who might otherwise have passed it up. Even more to his credit, Willis gives a superb performance in a very different kind of role than action fans might expect. Everything the macho star does in The Sixth Sense is restrained and convincing. Willis has always been a good actor with considerable range, whatever his detractors might claim. This movie should effectively silence his naysayers. Everyone else is also quite good, especially young Osment, who conveys his characters tortured anxiety with aching conviction. Collette, nearly unrecognizable from her Muriel role, plays the boys mother like a real parent, not a movie mother. Her frustration, her fear and her love are all palpable. Ultimately, however, The Sixth Sense is a triumph for its writer/director, Indian-born M. Night Shyamalan. Last year in Wide Awake, the filmmaker explored another facet of childhood fears, as its diminutive hero sought to determine the existence of God after the death of his grandfather. Though his last film wore sentiment on its sleeve, Shyamalan nevertheless coaxed wonderful performances from his child performers as well as from Rosie ODonnell, who played a frisky but kind nun. The Sixth Sense is both darker and more mature, even though it incorporates elements of horror and the supernatural. A few scenes in this movie will scare the bejeezus out of you, others will touch your heart. Again, like early Spielberg, who was equally wonderful with children and other worlds, Shyamalan spins an engrossing tale of terror, love and redemption. Most directors would have given their eyeteeth for Shyamalans screenplay, but its doubtful any of them could have directed it so well.

Overview of the Second Opium War

Overview of the Second Opium War In the mid-1850s, the European powers and the United States sought to renegotiate their commercial treaties with China. This effort was led by the British who sought the opening of all of China to their merchants, an ambassador in Beijing, legalization of the opium trade, and the exemption of imports from tariffs. Unwilling to make further concessions to the West, the Qing government of Emperor Xianfeng refused these requests. Tensions were further heightened on October 8, 1856, when Chinese officials boarded the Hong Kong (then British) registered ship Arrow and removed 12 Chinese crewmen. In response to the Arrow Incident, British diplomats in Canton demanded the release of the prisoners and sought redress. The Chinese refused, stating that Arrow was involved in smuggling and piracy. To aid in dealing with the Chinese, the British contacted France, Russia, and the United States about forming an alliance. The French, angered by the recent execution of missionary August Chapdelaine by the Chinese, joined while the Americans and Russians sent envoys. In Hong Kong, the situation worsened following a failed attempt by the citys Chinese bakers to poison the citys European population. Early Actions In 1857, after dealing with the Indian Mutiny, British forces arrived at Hong Kong. Led by Admiral Sir Michael Seymour and Lord Elgin, they joined with the French under Marshall Gros and then attacked the forts on the Pearl River south of Canton. The governor of Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, Ye Mingchen, ordered his soldiers not to resist and the British easily took control of the forts. Pressing north, the British and French seized Canton after a brief fight and captured Ye Mingchen. Leaving an occupying force at Canton, they sailed north and took the Taku Forts outside Tianjin in May 1858. Treaty of Tianjin With his military already dealing with the Taiping Rebellion, Xianfeng was unable to resist the advancing British and French. Seeking peace, the Chinese negotiated the Treaties of Tianjin. As part of the treaties, the British, French, Americans, and Russians were permitted to install legations in Beijing, ten additional ports would be opened to foreign trade, foreigners would be permitted to travel through the interior, and reparations would be paid to Britain and France. In addition, the Russians signed the separate Treaty of Aigun which gave them coastal land in northern China. Fighting Resumes While the treaties ended the fighting, they were immensely unpopular within Xianfengs government. Shortly after agreeing to the terms, he was persuaded to renege and dispatched Mongolian General Sengge Rinchen to defend the newly returned Taku Forts. The following June hostilities recommenced following Rinchens refusal to allow Admiral Sir James Hope to land troops to escort the new ambassadors to Beijing. While Richen was willing to allow the ambassadors to land elsewhere, he prohibited armed troops to accompany them. On the night of June 24, 1859, British forces cleared the Baihe River of obstacles and the next day Hopes squadron sailed in to bombard the Taku Forts. Meeting heavy resistance from the forts batteries, Hope was ultimately forced to withdrawal with the aid of Commodore Josiah Tattnall, whose ships violated US neutrality to assist the British. When asked why he intervened, Tattnall replied that blood is thicker than water. Stunned by this reversal, the British and French began assembling a large force at Hong Kong. By the summer of 1860, the army numbered 17,700 men (11,000 British, 6,700 French). Sailing with 173 ships, Lord Elgin and General Charles Cousin-Montauban returned to the Tianjin and landed on August 3 near Bei Tang, two miles from the Taku Forts. The forts fell on August 21. Having occupied Tianjin, the Anglo-French army began moving inland towards Beijing. As the enemy host approached, Xianfeng called for peace talks. These stalled following the arrest and torture of British envoy Harry Parkes and his party. On September 18, Rinchen attacked the invaders near Zhangjiawan but was repelled. As the British and French entered the Beijing suburbs, Rinchen made his final stand at Baliqiao. Mustering over 30,000 men, Rinchen launched several frontal assaults on the Anglo-French positions and was repulsed, destroying his army in the process. The way now open, Lord Elgin and Cousin-Montauban entered Beijing on October 6. With the army gone, Xianfeng fled the capital, leaving Prince Gong to negotiate peace. While in the city, British and French troops looted the Old Summer Palace and freed Western prisoners. Lord Elgin considered burning the Forbidden City as punishment for Chinese use of kidnapping and torture, but was talked into burning the Old Summer Palace instead by other diplomats. Aftermath In the following days, Prince Gong met with the Western diplomats and accepted the Convention of Peking. By the terms of the convention, the Chinese were forced to accept the validity of the Treaties of Tianjin, cede part of Kowloon to Britain, open Tianjin as a trade port, allow religious freedom, legalize the opium trade, and pay reparations to Britain and France. Though not a belligerent, Russia took advantage of Chinas weakness and concluded the Supplementary Treaty of Peking which ceded approximately 400,000 square miles of territory to St. Petersburg. The defeat of its military by a much smaller Western army showed the weakness of the Qing Dynasty and began a new age of imperialism in China. Domestically, this, coupled with the flight of the emperor and the burning of the Old Summer Palace, greatly damaged the Qings prestige leading many within China to begin questioning the governments effectiveness. Sources victorianweb.org/history/empire/opiumwars/opiumwars1.html state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/dwe/82012.htm