"Only he who is pure of heart can take the sword from the stone... let the boy try."

And so on Friday, 6 August 1999, the boy did try... and the boy was pure of heart, and was a pure talent. At long last the sword had been claimed, and it was wielded like nobody had ever seen before. Word of this young swordsman quickly spread forth across the land, in both song and story, and all were left in awe at how he could handle the blade with such ease... almost as if by magic.

Magic indeed, as today marks the fifth anniversary since the release of "The Sixth Sense". This is probably the most significant date of all, aside from a certain date in April , as this was the final boost needed to allow Haley to ascend to the top of the mountain. A place where only a few, if there even were any others in the past, had ever been before. A place where a child actor is at the same level, or even surpasses, the level of any adult actor. Instead of what was usually expected from a child actor... "reacting to" the adult actors, a child actor standing at the summit is... "acting with" the adult actors. I think Roger Ebert summed it up best in his review of "The Sixth Sense"...

Quote:

Roger Ebert: "Haley Joel Osment, his young co-star, is a very good actor in a film where his character possibly has more lines than anyone else. He's in most of the scenes, and he has to act in them--this isn't a role for a cute kid who can stand there and look solemn in reaction shots. There are fairly involved dialogue passages between Willis and Osment that require good timing, reactions and the ability to listen. Osment is more than equal to them. And although the tendency is to notice how good he is, not every adult actor can play heavy dramatic scenes with a kid and not seem to condescend (or, even worse, to be subtly coaching and leading him). Willis can. Those scenes give the movie its weight and make it as convincing as, under the circumstances, it can possibly be."

But how can someone so young manipulate so much power with such ease, were there not at least a thread of magic woven throughout his skill. Almost as if he was speaking of himself, Haley said it best in the film, "Some magic's real." That seemed to be the essence of the film, as M. Night Shyamalan said...

Quote:

M. Night Shyamalan: "In all great movies... the great, great, great movies... there's some element of magic. When I say magic, something that goes beyond paper where you put A with B and you get this. It is something beyond that, and you can't recreate it if you tried... and Haley is our magic."

We all know the history of events as they unfolded from that time, and many of us have had the great fortune, and have been lucky enough to enjoy them every step of the way. I think today would be a very good day to watch, enjoy, and appreciate everything about this film... one more time... even if just to remind yourself that some magic IS real. Haley is the best.

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This article first appeared on the official Haley Joel Osment Message Board at Kidactors.com on 6th August 2004. We are honoured to be given permission by FAIR to have it archived here.

 

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