The Village in Regards to Communication Theories

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The first time I saw the 2004 movie, The Village, I was kept guessing about the storyline and characters until the very moment at the end when one of the main characters, Ivy Elizabeth Walker stumbles past the villages outskirts and it is revealed that the 19th century village is actually in current times. This twisted ending surprised audiences around the world, and received mixed responses. Upon watching the film again after being exposed to the ritual view of communication, it is interesting to analyze The Village and the film is put into perspective. By common rituals, beliefs, rules and practices made by the village elders, they were able to make this 19th century village a reality in modern times by practicing Carey’s ritualistic view of communication. Carey’s ritual view of communication is a communication theory which states that the realities people live in are shaped by communication. The ritual view of communication suggests that the society we are living in at the time shapes and maintains the beliefs at the time. As stated by Carey, “communication is symbolic process whereby reality is produced, maintains, repaired and transformed.” This is important because in M. Night Shyamalan’s film, The Village, the villagers, due to their upbringing and lack of exposure to the outside world, has a completely different culture and communication than that of the rest of the world. The film begins by showing the village and villagers which act and appear to be in past 19th century times. The village lacks electricity, the children attend school at a school house where the village elders are their teachers, and the villagers live off the land and are completely self-sufficient. Women are dressed very conservatively (in comparison to modern day dress) and in dull muted colors. Men dress in slacks and long sleeved button down shirts, often with a coat

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