Witherspoon trained with the circus and worked with elephants and horses for five months to prepare for the movie's stunts. Witherspoon scored major points with daughter Ava Phillipe when she introduced the thenyear-old to Pattinson on the movie's set, along with her younger brother, Deacon. Witherspoon and Pattinson formed a close friendship while filming.
So close, in fact, that a source confirmed to E! News the actor sought refuge at Witherspoon's estate in Ojai, Calif. For the period piece, costume designer Jacqueline West worked closely with Witherspoon in particular to nail Marlena's glam look. They even smoked differently. While Witherspoon said she had previously "made a conscious effort, throughout my career to not end up in a bathing suit in a movie," she learned to embrace Marlena's circus wardrobe for the film.
They're beautiful. Reese Witherspoon "Walk the Line" stars as the film's leading lady hitting her stride late in the film. Hal Holbrook "All The President's Men" opens up the film with the portrayal of present day Jacob Janowski found in a parking lot outside of the circus who begins telling the story of his early years connecting to one of the biggest circus disasters in history.
Pattinson plays the younger Jacob, a veterinary student at Cornell whose his life is turned upside down. He drops out of school deciding to go jump a train. He realizes that he has joined the ranks of the Benzini Brothers Circus changing his life forever.
He is thrown into the harsh reality of the Big Top meeting a man named August Waltz who reluctantly gives him a job working with the animals. Jacob becomes infatuated with August's wife Marlena Witherspoon who is a part of the lead act in the show that develops into a friendship between man, woman and a majestic elephant. However, life is a battle and the story is extremely dramatic leaving everyone's life at risk with August's alcoholic greedy rage on their doorstep.
Cristoph Waltz does what he does best with his most recent interpretation of a complicated ill-willed bad guy that audiences grow to hate, however, the depth of his performances make him memorable. He is able to give life to the cold soul of August making the viewer root for his demise along with his change of heart.
Pattinson shows that he is more than just a tween king vampire, however, his full potential is not unleashed. The real star of the show is the majestic elephant herself Rosie and the character's journey to protect her hitting the right notes in the second half.
The magic and magnificence of the film is lost within the overly dramatic, lengthy exposition. The melodramatic backdrop of the film is omnipresent leaving little room for comic relief and the growth of the beautiful creatures to coexist. The most disappointing part of the film is Witherspoon's odd character development making her very plain until halfway through the film.
Overall, the film has an average script that is aided by the performances of its actors. It is hard to overlook the melodrama as Waltz controls the show, which is actually more about life and relationships than the circus.
FAQ 3. What is "Water for Elephants" about? Is "Water for Elephants" based on a book? How does the movie end? Details Edit. Release date April 22, United States. In the beginning the story takes place at Poppy Pyms family Circus but soon changes to St. Smithens boarding school.
The relationship between Marco and Celia end up causing a very dramatic ending to the novel where all the people who are part of the circus have to come together to save what they love and make sacrifices.
If younger kids drink too much they can die from alcohol poisoning. They get drunk and drive. Instead some of them drank illegally at speakeasies. They called it a speakeasy because people would have to whisper a secret word to be able to get in. Many speakeasies had hidden compartments that hid their alcohol for when the police came to expect Speakeasies.
Some speakeasies had hidden compartments that were not as well hidden than others. This led to many speakeasies being discovered and shut down due to the deficiency of their hidden. Living conditions for the angel actually become worse. He could have gotten rabies anywhere, maybe even on the way to Baltimore. Also, Dr. If Poe was drunk, he would have taken the drink, and also, rabies victims are afraid of water. Even though the selling of liquor was illegal it provided jobs for those who couldn't make an income.
It was a way for those who didn't have jobs to provide for their families so they could buy food and pay for shelter. But at the same time they risked going to jail and leaving their families. The Greasers did not have a curfew. And hey, maybe one day I'll appreciate where the characters ended up. Today is not that day. On a similar note, I've heard some people complain about the sex scenes, and while the descriptions are a bit odd, I had no problem with there being sex in the book.
The setting is a circus, there is booze everywhere, and sex is gonna happen. Again - I think I went into this novel with high expectations and if I'm getting the wrong idea or whatever, that's my own doing. I'll probably pick it up again in the future to see if I think differently then. I wanted to like this book. I really did. I even enjoyed the first couple of chapters and was prepared for an entertaining summer read Eventually, however, the lack of imagination, melodrama, and just plain bad writing did it in for me.
At the risk of beating a dead horse albeit a dead horse with tremendous appeal to book clubs across the United States , let me enumerate the problems spoiler alert — not that I suggest you read this book anyway : 1. Neither the narrator, nor any of the other characters in Water for Elephants , for that matter, even remotely sound like they live in the s, nor does the old man sound like an old man in the present-day chapters in fact, he sounds exactly like he did as a year old in the s chapters.
This indicates that the author has either a completely tin ear for a dialogue or not enough imagination to put her self into the minds of her characters. In the movie version of this book which surely must the on the way , our narrator Jacob surely must be played by Alan Alda, age difference be damned. On at least half-a-dozen occasions, he breaks down in tears at the cruel injustice of the world, including becoming comatose for over an hour yes, over an hour — the author is explicit after putting down a sick horse — despite being a veterinarian.
Perhaps rethinking his line of work is in order. Melodrama and sentimentality, offered with the utmost sincerity, dominates all the action in the book.
Chapters are dotted with multiple fights, murders, stampedes and other calamities, creating not drama but rather a creeping sense of incredulousness in the reader. To illustrate with two examples: At the end of the s storyline, following a deadly stampede in which the villain is murdered yes, murdered by an elephant yes, an elephant , the narrator marries the girl thus rescuing her from an abusive relationship and takes from the recently failed circus 12 horses, a dog, a monkey, and an elephant yes, an elephant!
This is not played for laughs. We are meant to be moved by the noble sacrifice, I think. At the end of the present-day storyline, our same narrator, now widowed and without his menagerie, runs off to join the circus again and the age of 93, in what has all the makings of a Hallmark movie.
The book teaches and remember, this is a book meant for adults, not children such valuable lessons as: treating the elderly with respect is important; racism and antisemitism are wrong; violence against women is wrong; being cruel to animals or even thinking of them as less important than people is wrong; all people are important, not matter what there is; little people dwarfs have a difficult time in the world and deserve or respect; etc.
A narrator with a little bit more dirt on his soul would have been much more believable and ultimately more sympathetic. The circus collapses into a spasm of chaos and violence at the end of the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. Show full review. Caz littlebookowl. Oh man, this was lovely. I could not put this book down. I disagree with the statement that the ending was predictable. On the contrary I was pleasantly surprised that Jacob and Marlena ended up together because I thought the book was going to follow the format of those "never meant to be" loves. You know, where they hook up, yearn for each other, but can't grow old together. I think the biggest disappointment I had with the book was Marlena's relative weakness.
I think I would have loved the book even more had she been written as a stronger woman. Though I think her nature reflected that of most women back in the 30s.
Still, I got annoyed by the frequent crying she did. I was proud of her for standing up to August in the end. Even so, Marlena's weakness didn't stop me from loving the book. What drew me in the most was our flash forwards to year-old or is it 90?
With the exception of his grouchiness everything about him reminded me of my grandfather, who past away last Thanksgiving at It was the fact that he was failing physically but was holding on strong mentally that kept making me think of this man I admired so much. Also, Jacob's undying love for his wife was extremely remeniscent of my grandfather's relationship with my grandmother.
If you have elderly loved ones this is just another reason for you to pick up this book. It will probably make you want to call up said loved one and talk to them about their past and their memories. Animal lovers beware with this book. As much as Jacob loves and has a passion for the animals he cares for, there is also a lot of animal abuse that takes place throughout the novel.
Being a huge animal rights activist and just all around animal lover, I knew that the animals probably weren't going to be treated very well seeing as 70 years ago animals in the circus were only taken care of as long as they were bringing in a profit, even then But despite having prepared myself, I was still caught of guard often.
So just know that upon picking up this book. The happy animal moments do outweigh the cruelty, though, and if you know animal behavior at all you'll find yourself giggling and cheering quite a bit. On a final note, this book is being praised as a romance novel, but it's so much more than that. There are so many layers and characters in this book that to shove it in that one exclusive category could turn away a lot of potential readers who will love this book.
If you're a lover of animals, the elderly, adventure, circuses, the Great Depression, or even drunks, pick up this book and you'll find yourself hooked. Will Byrnes. Ladies and gentlemen. Direct your attention to the performer in print. You will be amazed, dazzled and mystified by the daring feats you are about to witness.
Well, that might be overstating a bit. The story does open with drama, though. A circus menagerie has gotten loose and there is mayhem.
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