M. Night Shyamalan's Recreation of 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' Proves Talent is Ageless

It's hard to believe that M. Night Shyamalan is only 48 years old. For a filmmaker who has been dominating the box office for two decades, you'd expect the director to be entering his elderly days as a seasoned vet. But Shyamalan, whose Glass opens in theaters today, has been a filmmaker for as long as he can remember, back when it was him and him alone starring in some playful recreations of famous movie scenes.  

For one of his earliest films, Shyamalan did something that many filmmakers deter their peers away from: working with children and working with animals. Of course, the child in question was Shyamalan himself and the animal was a confused, friendly canine, but even as a kid, Shyamalan was breaking all of the rules. 

A remake of the opening scene from Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark, the short features Shyamalan as Indiana Jones, attempting to steal precious treasure. What he doesn't expect is that the treasure is tied to a rope that, on the other end of it, has an angry dog ready to lunge at all intruders. The dog chases after Shyamalan and "attacks him," before the treasure-seeker is finally able to get away. What a twist!

Even in its raw grunginess, there's a competent level of skill on display throughout the scene. The sound design (a whipcrack here, some heavy breathing there) is impressive, as is the musical score that hokily amps up the tension. Is it high art? No, but it's interesting to go back and watch the early, early shorts of someone interested in film, just starting to figure it all out. That's apparent in the video below. 

Will you be seeing Shyamalan's latest, Glass, this weekend? Let us know in the comments below.