The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale and Lost

by Michael Bamberger

Book Overview

Bamberger takes readers inside the world of M. Night Shyamalan, offering a profile of this acclaimed director who has remained separate from the Hollywood system, and providing a look at the creation... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 159240247X
• ISBN13: 9781592402472
• Release Date: June 2007
• Publisher: Gotham Books
• Length: 283 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Awesome book for M. Night fans!!

I have been on the fence wheter or not to pick up this book. To me, the title sounded like another persons attemt to smash Night's work and I just wasnt into that. After a while I broke down and got it and started reading. WOW!! I could not put this book down! It was so insightful! Not only was it a good look at the industry and the inner workings of it, it also exposed Night as a human who goes through the same struggles that we all do. Alot of times we the public tend to see our hero's or favorite celeb's as perfect beings who are up on a pedestal above us all, not feeling the things we "normal" people feel and not dealing with the normal crap we deal with. It's refreshing to know that someone who inspires you goes through the same ideas, thoughts, doubts about his work as you do. As an M. Night fan I can say this was one of the funnest reads of my life. Pick this up if your a movie fan, but definitely pick this up if your an M. Night fan. You will not be dissapointed!

Great Book for Filmmakers and Students of Film

I can see how non-filmmakers might find this book irritable in its celebration of a subject who is at once self-indulgent and arrogant while at the same time self-doubting and needy of approval. Consider, however, in the cutthroat film industry that relies so much on mass approval, how arrogance and affinity for wide acceptance not only come with the territory, but are necessities for survival. True, the book does drop quite a few names, but if you're writing about one of Hollywood's most well-known directors (whether you like his work or not, Shyamalan has relatively become a household name), doesn't it make sense for your cast of characters to include some pretty famous people? As someone who understands what it takes to bring an idea from concept to finished product and who has managed a creative team from the director's chair, I found this to be a fascinating study of an important figure in contemporary cinema. What some have attributed to Bamberger's lack of familiarity with the film industry, I found to be an uncannily perceptive look at the way a filmmaker thinks--Yes, how an actor eats Fritos does matter! Of course, the syllable an actor stutters on matters! And yes, believe it or not, a director does care what the audience thinks of his film-- sometimes dreadfully so, to the point that he dedicates every moment of his waking life trying to make every last detail of it just a tiny bit better. I had no desire to see Lady in the Water (loved The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable, indifferent to Signs, hated The Village). But having read in this book about all that went into the film's creation, I knew that seeing the finished product would be a great educational experience for me. Indeed it was. I didn't love the movie--thought the concept could have used a little more development--but seeing the result of everything that had been discussed and mulled over, considered and reconsidered in the book, gave me a lot of insight into Shyamalan's creative process. I do agree with an earlier reviewer that more time could have been spent discussing the aftermath of the film's lukewarm performance at the box office, how it may or may not have affected Shyamalan's outlook on filmmaking. It's often said on a film production that the director's job is the loneliest because while everyone else can go to the director when they get stuck, the director has no one but him/herself to turn to. Bamberger conveys this idea superbly by showing us that even one of the most well-known filmmakers of our era has insecurities and doubts about his work, which are in turn balanced by an all-encompassing sense of pride and loyalty to his story. This book reminds those of us in positions of creative leadership that we are not alone.

A fascinating look into the inner workings of a fascinating man

If you've watched M. Night Shyamalan's films and never experienced a sense of deep, soulful emotion and a desire to know the man behind it, stop reading this review now, because this book is not for you. But if, like me, you've been curious about the director with such an intriguing name, boyish good looks, and some truly amazing cinematic moments, then read on, as this book will quench your thirst for knowledge about the enigmatic M. Night Shyamalan. The author meets Night, as he calls himself, at an elite, Main Line Philadelphia party, and after approaching Night with the idea of writing a book about him, begins to "hang out" with the director. The time frame nicely corresponds to Night putting the finishing touches on the script for his latest movie, The Lady in the Water, and this book, while clearly about the director himself, could have also been titled "The Making of The Lady in the Water." The reader follows the progress of the movie from the initial lukewarm reaction to the script at Disney (Night's former studio) to casting calls and hiring of the actors to storyboarding and initial rehearsals and finally, to shooting and then editing the film. And the process, far from being tedious to read about as I had expected, is completely captivating; the reader is treated to an insider's view like no other I've ever encountered before. Although I've already seen Lady in the Water (and liked it, although The Sixth Sense will always be my favorite), this book made me want to see it again, this time from a totally new perspective. In addition to Night himself, several movie cast members are prominently featured in the book, particularly lead Paul Giamatti, who comes across almost exactly like he does on screen--as a warm, funny, likeable everyman. But, of course, it is Night who is the true star of the book, and he is fascinating. The author's portrayal shows some evidence of hero worship, and why not? Night is talented, smart, witty, and yes, a bit arrogant. But he is also caring, vulnerable, anxious, high-strung, and at times wreaked with self-doubt. This amazing dichotomy is depicted in such detail as to be completely believable: here is a man who both over-celebrates his successes and at the same time is keenly aware of his failures. Here is a person who is real, maybe as real as anyone can be. Here is someone who, when asked to finish the sentence "I believe _____," simply replied "I believe." He may not be a hero, but M. Night Shyamalan is clearly a complex, interesting man, and this detailed glimpse into his life and work makes for a remarkable read. Highly recommended for fans of the director and movie-making in general.

The Man Who Heard Voices

I've been around Hollywood long enough to tell a good "behind the scenes" story from a bad one. Let me tell you, this author caught the paranoia, second-guessing, anxiety, hope, and dreams of the movie-making process to a T. It's a good topic for a gifted story-teller: What does a top-rated, well-respected director do when he writes a movie script that others "don't get." Is it because it is so visionary? Or is it flawed to everyone but the writer? Needless to say, the Hollywood studios that want to do long-term business with M. Night Shyamalan are caught between a rock and hard place. Should they greenlight his project just to keep him happy? Or tell him the truth and risk losing him to another studio? I've rarely seen this much behind-the-scenes truthfulness. I guess it's because the author, a Sports Illustrated reporter, doesn't need his next paycheck from Hollywood. He names names, reports on over-the-top behavior, and interviews everyone from the crew and junior asistants to the studio executives. But his biggest advantage in writing (reporting) this story is that the famous director believes so much in this project that he gives the author the benefit of his daily thoughts, worries, and insights -- perhaps because he thinks he will be finally vindicated when the movie appears on screen. The reader doesn't have to have already seen the movie to appreciate this story. But he should be familiar with Shyamalan's track record of hit movies, like "The Sixth Sense," to realize the clout Shyamalan has in getting his way. Whether you love the movie or "don't get it," the book by itself is a great insight into the Hollywood process. It goes a long way in illustrating why we get the movies we do at our local multiplex.

Behind the Scenes, Where We'd All Like to Be!

I loved this book, and hope Mr. Bamberger will write more like it. It is insightful, informative, and downright fun. Paul Giamatti, someone I already liked as an actor, comes across as one of the most interesting people in the business or elsewhere. Why he wasn't nominated for "Sideways" is one of life's big mysteries. I hope he knows how much he's liked. Shyamalan is a very interesting person as pictured here, a truly patient filmmaker, and an original thinker. Maybe he isn't always portrayed as someone we'd like to know, but how could he be? That would be whitewashing the truth, since no one in the position of movie director could be easy to be around all the time. Bryce Howard comes across as very idealistic, with her vegan foods and dreams for world peace. And the DP, Doyle, is a most outrageous character--one would think Shyamalan would have axed him a long time ago. It's easy to write about the characters in the book here because Bamberger really brings them to life. He is a great writer, but anyone who thinks this is a scholarly work on Shyamalan is wrong. However, it's certainly more than an US Magazine article, as has been suggested. What's wrong with breezy writing, anyway? I recommend this book whole-heartedly. Film buffs will not be disappointed.