The Village (2004) - 18 questions

Question: Was there ever a name provided for the character who was dancing with Ivy when she heard the children's screams? He also was one of the men carrying the sacrifice of meat, and might have been the Villager in the tower in the opening credits. He is tall and bearded, and seems to be the "go-to" guy here in the Village.

Answer: There was no name, and I was not under the impression he was indeed the "go-to" guy. Other than dancing with Ivy and participating in the meet ritual, he was not seen in the movie at all.

Question: The trivia section states that this film was originally given an R rating for "a single sound effect." Anybody have any idea what that sound effect was?

Answer: The sound effect which was removed was never identified, only a statement that the scene ultimately was better for the removal.

Question: How many towers were in the valley? Only one is shown in a distant shot, but most scenes show it right up to, and overlooking, a thickly forested area. However, there is one view where the trees in the near background had bare, upright branches.

Answer: There were two towers, one at the north end of the valley, and one at the south end.

Question: I've seen the movie once or twice, but I must've missed something. Could someone please tell me why Noah stabbed Lucius? Was it just something the director put in as an excuse to have someone go into the woods?

Answer: Jealousy. Noah wanted Ivy to himself, but Ivy was in love with Lucius. So Noah stabbed him.

Question: Does anybody know what city or state this takes place in?

Answer: Covington, Pennsylvania. They live in the middle of Covington Woods.

Question: Is the man who married Ivy's sister, Kitty, the same man who was supposed to escort Ivy into the woods, but chickened out before going in?

Answer: Yes. His name is Cristoph Crane.

Question: How did the big hole get made? Is this a literal plot hole?

Answer: It's a hollow in a forest, maybe a sinkhole or cave that collapsed. It's certainly plausible that it was natural; human influence isn't necessary to make a hole. And yes, it is literally a plot hole because it's a hole that plays into the plot, but it's not a "plot hole" in the colloquial sense.

Question: Has anyone else wondered what might have happened if Ivy wasn't helped inside right before the creature came to her? We don't know which elder was dressed up, but what would have happened if the elder/creature got to her first?

Answer: They left to escape violence. I doubt very seriously, that the elder would have hurt her. He/she most likely would have just knocked her down and growled at her a bit.

Question: Does anybody know anything about the song that Ivy sings to her sister? The lyrics, who wrote it, or anything?

Answer: It is not known who wrote it or who produced it, but the lyrics are: Baby sleep, gently sleep / Life is long and love is deep / Time will be sweet for thee / All the world to see Time to look about and know / How the shadows come and go / How the breeze stirs the trees / How the blossom grows / Sleep, baby sleep / Sleep, gently sleep.

Question: Perhaps I'm just grasping at straws here, but isn't there still hope that the woods are inhabited by monsters? No one was able to explain what killed the livestock.

Answer: The elders realise at the end of the movie that it was Noah who had killed all the livestock, when he was out dressed up as one of the "monsters". They then decided to use this as more proof that the monsters were real, to continue the story for the other villagers.

Question: Why was everyone standing up in the last scene of the movie? Did not make too much sense to me, but it was very apparent so it must have been some intentional directional move.

Answer: One of the elders asks if they all want to contine the village the way it is by telling people Noah was killed by the creatures in the woods, and keeping the real truth about the village from them. Standing up was the other elders' way of saying "yes."

Question: Does anyone know the alternative endings for this movie? I can't wait until the DVD. Was this the ending the M. Night Shyamalan wanted in the theaters?

Answer: According to Shyamalan, the ending we saw was the only ending created for the film. He has stated numerous times that the rumors of any alternate endings were untrue.

Question: Maybe I am being to analytical, but why do the villagers wear yellow robes? Taking into consideration the colour wheel and the red robes of the "things," wouldn't it make more sense to wear green as the safe color because green is the opposite of red?

Answer: It would probably depend on the colourings available to the villagers. Maybe it was easier to make yellow dye and paint than green. Also, if green was a safe colour, then the 'creatures' wouldn't have been able to walk on any grass and there wouldn't have been as much fear of them entering the Village.

Question: Does anyone know if Noah knew all along that the elders were dressing up as the "monsters?" I think he did, and that he thought it was just a game. Is that why he laughed and clapped every time the bell went off and they had to hide? Perhaps the elders didn't hide this from him because he was simple-minded and couldn't talk. So, when he went after Ivy in the woods, he thought it was all for fun. Does anyone else agree with this?

Answer: When the Elders found Noah missing, they referred to a costume that had been hidden under the floorboards. My guess is that at some stage Noah found that costume and may have figured out that it was a game then. I doubt if the Elders realized this until he went missing. Also, given that Noah had already stabbed Lucius, I don't really think that he was joking when he went for Ivy in the woods.

Question: Does anyone have any insight as to where all the people in the Village came from? I understand the motivation in being there as expressed by the elders, who know of the outside world and are escaping it, but what about everyone else who seems ignorant of that other world? The group scenes show at least a hundred people there. Were they all brought as children and raised with the stories of the creatures to keep them out of the woods? Seems like a lot of children for 8 or 10 elders to bring. Are all the adults, not just the elders, "in-the-know", having brought their children and kept them deceived? Any thoughts, or official insight, would be appreciated.

Answer: As covered towards the end of the movie, the elders met at a support group for the families of victims of violent crime (if you listen to the voiceovers, they all talk about how a loved one was murdered, and the photo shows them all standing in front of a consolation center). At the end of the voiceovers, you hear Mr. Walker talk about how he "has an idea" if they are willing to hear him out. Presumably, this idea is to separate from society as they end up doing. It is assumed that all of the adults in the village are there by choice. As for the children and young adults, they were likely born there, or moved there when they were too young to remember the outside world. Given the clothes and surroundings in the picture of the group, and the fact that the guard at the end is reading a 2004 newspaper, we can assume they have been in the village for at least 20-30 years. The end of the movie does a very good job of tying up loose ends. The newspaper and radio reports in the guard shack reinforce the idea of the violent society they are escaping. The conversation between the guards establishes that a rich benefactor is both paying them to protect a "wildlife preserve," as well as making sure the government does not allow flights over the village, which would spoil the illusion. The fact that Walker mentions that his murdered father was an excellent and rich businessman, coupled with the fact that the area surrounding the village is called *Walker* Wildlife Preserve, leads us to believe that his inheritance is financing their secret. All in all, it's a tidy bit of storytelling.

Question: What is the significance of the dead 7-year old boy in the opening scene of the movie? Does it have anything to do with the 7-year old mentioned on Shyamalan's newspaper?

Answer: No, they establish early in the movie that the boy died of a disease. The reason Lucius keeps requesting permission to go to the town to get medicine is to prevent someone else from getting the same thing. They are very effectively cut off from the outside world. The purpose of the newspaper report and radio news heard in the guard shack is to lend credence to their motives for establishing the village (ie, to escape a violent society).

Question: I'm not sure, but do the security guys, especially the one behind the desk, know about the people inside the village?

Answer: It isn't very clear, but the movie does give the impression that the guard in the shack (played by M. Night Shyamalan) probably knows, while the younger guard definitely did not. However, the young guard probably knows now... he obviously believed that Ivy lives in the sanctuary, and when he asked her name, he almost definitely noticed that she shares the same last name as the sanctuary (as seen on the guard vehicle).

Question: Could someone please tell me the name of the woods in the movie? I've been trying to think of it ever since I saw the movie.

Answer: Covington Woods (actually located in the Walker Preserve).