Water for Elephants. Rated M (mature themes and violence). 120 minutes. Directed by Francis Lawrence. Screenplay by Richard LaGravenese, based on the novel by Sara Gruen.
When young veterinary student Jacob (Robert Pattinson) loses his beloved parents in a car accident, he finds himself not only orphaned, but suddenly destitute. Forced to leave the repossessed family home, Jacob jumps onboard a moving train and discovers that Fate has determined his future in the most extraordinary way.
While it is owes a significant debt to Cecil B. DeMille’s superior circus epic The Greatest Show on Earth (1952), Water for Elephants boasts lavish production and costume design by Jack Fisk (Mulholland Drive, There Will Be Blood) and Jacqueline West (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Social Network) respectively, and is beautifully photographed by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (21 Grams, Brokeback Mountain, Babel).
Lawrence’s (I Am Legend, Constantine) camera is never very far away from the intense personal drama – almost to the point of claustraphobia, and while LaGravenese’s (The Horse Whisperer, The Bridges of Madison County) screenplay works beautifully much of the time, the laboured run home and the chaotic ending are less-than-satisfying.
The cast, including Pattinson (Twilight), Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Legally Blonde) as the circus’s star attraction Marlena and Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds) as the cruel and abusive circus owner August, are all excellent – but are acted off the screen by the memorable Tai, who plays Rosie the elephant. And while an elephant doing a headstand might have once been an awe-inspiring sight, it’s impossible to ignore ‘the elephant in the room’ – which is “how on earth did she learn to do that?” And it is this sad bewilderment that ultimately overshadows everything the filmmakers were trying so hard to achieve.
This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.
No comments:
Post a Comment