We know many of you went to see Water for Elephants last night or are going to see it in the coming days so we’re creating a post where people can discuss the movie. What were your thoughts on the movie? We can’t wait to hear from you guys!
If you haven’t seen the movie the comments will contain spoilers.
Here’s Variety‘s review of Water for Elephants:
In an extravagant gamble worthy of the fictional Benzini Brothers Circus itself, Fox gives Sara Gruen’s grassroots bestseller “Water for Elephants” the glossy, big-budget treatment fans crave, counting on adult women — plus a younger female contingent keen on seeing “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson paired with sweet-as-pie Reese Witherspoon — to prop up a production with a cost apparently on par with a small tentpole. Unlike the story’s colorful gang of roustabouts, who dismiss ticket buyers as “rubes,” the filmmakers clearly value their public, crafting a splendid period swooner that delivers classic romance and an indelible insider’s view of 1930s circus life.
A present-day prologue finds nursing-home escapee Jacob Jankowski (played with endearing mock surliness by Hal Holbrook) reminiscing about his tenure under the big top. Taken in by a young circus worker (Paul Schneider) and then encouraged to share his story, Jacob proceeds to explain how a family tragedy on the eve of vet-school exams spared the would-be Cornell grad a predictable life, and led to his hitching a ride with the Benzini Brothers’ traveling show instead.
Here are some Water for Elephants reviews
Moviehole
But the main attraction here is the performances of the three stars. Witherspoon has been very scarce on screen since winning the Best Actress Oscar in 2005 for “Walk the Line.” In the six years before winning the award she appeared in no fewer than nine films. Since, she has appeared in half that number. Her work here is perfectly nuanced in a role that could have quite easily been cliché’d. Waltz is perfect as August in a role that shows us why that Oscar win was so well deserved. But the surprise here, for me anyway, is Pattinson. Quiet and brooding in the “Twilight” films he seems to jump off the screen here, matching Waltz and Witherspoon scene for scene. Who knew this kid could act?? Well done young man. Applause also to the great Hal Holbrook, whose performance bookends the film. And I would be remiss if I didn’t include praise for Rosie the elephant, Queenie the dog and the other animals that help tell the story.
Full review here:
Thanks to Fox, we were lucky enough to see Water for Elephants at the Premiere in New York City last Sunday. Here’s our review of the movie.
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel penned by Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants is set during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The movie plunges you into an era where travelling circuses and big tops were all the rage. Jacob Jankowski (Pattinson,) a veterinary student at Cornell, learns rapidly how life can change with the blink of an eye when his parents die in an accident. Alone with nowhere to go and no money Jacob jumps on a train, which turns out to be owned by the Benzini Brothers, a travelling circus. First seen as an intruder by the owner of the circus, August (cleverly played by Christoph Waltz,) his veterinary skills quickly come in handy and help him find his own place in the circus. When Jacob meets August’s wife Marlena (played by Reese Witherspoon,) he falls under her charm and soon has to deal with the furious temper of a crazed husband.
Ladies and gentleman prepare to be wooed; this is Robert Pattinson like you’ve never seen him before. From laughter to extreme frustration, Pattinson displays a wide array of emotions, showing his worth as an actor. Witherspoon and Waltz also show their amazing Oscar winning capabilities in this movie. As a secondary character, Hal Holbrook plays the part of an older Jacob Jankowski marvellously well. In the fashion of great Hollywood love stories, the transition between “old Jacob” and “young Jacob” is cleverly played.
Water for Elephants is beautifully shot. Francis Lawrence manages to bring an entire era to life on the silver screen. You’ll go through a roller-coaster of emotions, from laughter to tears. For fans of the book, you will definitely not be disappointed, the screenplay written by Richard LaGravenese, stays true to the book.
Definitely a must see! Water for Elephants is simply the most spectacular show on earth…
Source / Youtube cybermelli / via RP Life
Rob answers 5 Questions.
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From Roger Ebert:
There’s something endearingly old-fashioned about a love story involving a beautiful bareback rider and a kid who runs off to join the circus. What makes “Water for Elephants” more intriguing is a third character, reminding us why Christoph Waltz deserved his supporting actor Oscar for “Inglourious Basterds” (2009). He plays the circus owner, who is married to the bareback rider and keeps her and everyone else in his iron grip.
The story, based on the best-seller by Sara Gruen, is told as a flashback by an old man named Jacob (Hal Holbrook), who lost his parents in 1931, dropped out of Cornell University’s veterinary school, hit the road and hopped a train that happened, wouldn’t you know, to be a circus train. Played by Robert Pattinson as a youth, he is naive and excited, and his eyes fill with wonder as he sees the beautiful Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) on her white show horse. The owner August (Waltz) is prepared to throw him off the train until he learns young Jacob knows something about veterinary medicine.
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Pattinson took a moment for a brief phone interview before he was needed on the set of a night shoot for the vampire mega-hit. He seemed downright exhausted. “I’m just arriving at set, thinking I’m going to work all night,” he said. “I’m kinda losing my mind.”
Question: Sorry to hear you’re so exhausted. Can you tell us what your time was like on “Elephants,” with Reese Witherspoon?
Pattinson: It’s easily one of the best experiences I’ve had making a film and it’s by far one of the best experiences in my life. It didn’t even feel like work and a lot of that had to do with Reese. She makes an effort to make it like that. I think she believes that it’s really important to enjoy your work, especially when you have to be there for so many hours every day. I made a great friend out of it.
Question: How did working with the animals impact the environment?
Pattinson: When you have totally unpredictable elements, and there are dangerous elements in every single scene, everyone is in the same boat. If you’re trying to herd up a pack of horses, it doesn’t matter who you are. There is manure everywhere and everyone was filthy all the time. It was an egalitarian set because of that. It’s quite inspiring to be around [the elephant]. It doesn’t really matter what your taste is, everyone is going to like being around an elephant. It’s not like being around another actor some people may not like.
Question: Reese mentioned that she found the paparazzi attention on you unlike anything she’s seen before. What do you think?
Pattinson: She’s trying to sound humble about all this but she’s in all these magazines every week. It’s a circus outside her marriage. Plus, I always see her [in them] buying her sandwiches and going to yoga…. I guess she’s kind of accepted it in a lot of ways…. It’s just a strange situation to be in if you’re a sane person to have that kind of attention put on you.
Here is the official protocol for the UK premiere of Water for Elephants.
From RPUK:
We have just received an email from the publicist organising the UK Premiere regarding the official protocol for the UK Premiere of Water for Elephants. Details are as follows:
Water For Elephants Early Arrivals
1) All guests are to queue along Westfield Way opposite the coach/Taxi Drop off towards Shepherds Bush Green entrance. There is no set time for arrivals the day before but the Westfield centre closes at 9pm, FYI.
2) Canine and additional patrolling officers will monitor the queue to ensure safety and orderly conduct. Please bear in mind that this is a residential area.
3) The external patrolling officer will check the area around the front of Shepherds Bush station and mall entry points and inform guests of the position for queuing.
4) At 07:30am on Tuesday 3rd the agreed number of people are to be counted in stages and allowed access to the crowd pen area inside the atrium.
5) Security officers will position themselves at the entrance of Lobby 2 and issue a wristband for the agreed crowd pen.
6) Once all guests have been secured within the designated crowd pen, the centre will open as normal.
For your information, public toilets and a 24 hour shop are located nearby. There are a couple of points re. numbers and situations of crowd pens that are still not quite finalized.
Here are the posters for the Water for Elephants Premiere for Barcelona on May 1.
Get yours autographed by the cast and send us a pic! We’d love to see them and you’ll have a great memory of a great day. Posters can be printed in tabloid size – thats A3 size for Europe or resize them to A4 (click the image to make big).
Tip: take a silver or white marker with you so they’ll be able to sign on the darker area’s and something hard to put underneath so they have a good steady surface to sign.
*NOTE* we don’t have confirmation that Rob will be there, but we wanted the fans to be able to get autographs of the actors.
Thinking of Rob 