The Others (2001)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Alejandro Amenábar

Writer:

Alejandro Amenábar (written by)

Release Date:

10 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Sooner or later she'll see them, then everything will be different.

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:

Servant | Mansion | Photosensitive | Disease | Sunlight

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:

Les autres (France)
Los otros (Spain)
The Darkness (USA) (working title)

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:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Malaysia:U | Canada:G (Quebec) | USA:PG-13 (certificate number not assigned) | Japan:U | 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:

At one point a very scared Nicholas asks Anne to say something, anything, and she says, "My name is Anne and I'm walking. I'm walking and my name is Anne." This is a reference to director Alejandro Amenábar's first movie Tesis (1996) in which Angela asks the same thing of Chema, getting a similar answer.

Goofs:

Continuity: While walking in the fog, Grace's hands are very red from the cold when she puts them on her husband's neck. In the next shot they are much whiter, then back to red again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Grace: Now children, are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin... This story started many thousands of years ago, and it was all over in just 7 days. All that long long time ago, none of the things we can see now, the sun, the moon, the stars, the earth, the animals and plants, not a single one existed. Only God existed. And so only he could have created them. And he did.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

I Only Have Eyes for You

Subtle, genuinely creepy and ... SUBTLE

The Others is a very remarkable film from more than just one viewpoint. In an era where you can only impress young horror fanatics with bucket-loads of blood and gross-out effects, Amenábar actually re-teaches his audience that fear is especially caused by suggestion and the absence of explicit images. The Others is the first intelligent horror film in years, completely relying on atmosphere and eerie set pieces. It's such a relief to finally see a subtle film that is also effective! I'm normally not much of Nicole Kidman fan but she's very convincing as the prudish, over-concerned mother who desperately tries to protect her children from the outside world (daylight in particular). She lives in a remote mansion and waits, along with her 2 children, for WWII to be over. With the arrival of 3 servants, strange events star to occur in the old house and the daughter spots 'intruders' everywhere. The screenplay - by Amenábar himself - is not totally unique (filmfreaks who're familiar with expressionism highlights from the 60's will quickly guess the hidden plot twist) but it's filled with ingenious findings and sublime dialogues. The Others reminds you of 'The Innocents' and there are far worse films to get compared with, if you ask me! What also is rather amazing about this production is that Amenábar seems so confident! This is his first giant Hollywood adventure with stars in the cast and American money and yet he has total control over everything. The acting is great, the plot actually scares you and the directing is solid. The Others is a total winner and easily one of the greatest genre-films of the last few decades.