Water for Elephants
Review by Heather Hardison
Review by Heather Hardison
This movie is a cinematic masterpiece from beginning to end. Each scene was more beautiful than the next. Hal Holbrook set the emotional tone for the movie with the first scene, and though his presence was small in the entirety of the film, it was definitely not insignificant. Robert Pattinson took over the narration where Hal Holbrook left off and gave the movie a youthful and gentle undertone as he takes us back to 1931 and takes us along for the enchanting journey into the circus world. The film comes alive when Rob’s character, Jacob Jankowski, sees the circus unfolding right before his eyes and we feel the same wonder and amazement that Jacob experiences when entering this new world for the first time. There is electricity in the scenes with the lions and tigers being unloaded from the train and prepped for the next big top event. You can feel the pulse quicken when Jacob passes by the cages of the ferocious cats. The scenes portraying the raising of the big top were as dramatic as they were stunning. Seeing the red circus cages lined up outside the big tent was nostalgic and brought back waves of memories from childhood circuses that traveled from town to town many decades ago.
The most unique and memorable scenes were those atop the train. There is something so beautiful and peaceful about a train gliding along the tracks in the moonlight and this was superbly captured in Water for Elephants. Jacob and August jumping from train car to train car was exhilarating and quite scary if you aren’t too fond of heights, and the smoke billowing from the front train car was soothing and hypnotic. Movement is very prominent in this film as they are traveling by train throughout the entire story and it feels as though the audience is being transported from one location to the next along with the passengers on the train which is a nice change of pace from other more stationary films and adds to the unique quality of this motion picture.
The scenery captured from the passing train of small towns on their route is striking. Overall, this film will be remembered for the stunningly gorgeous cinematography. It is one of the most beautiful movies made in a long, long time. The plot and the content of the film are also unique. There is something fascinating about the circus life. For many, it holds a lure and a mystery that few can shed light on; so getting a glimpse into this culture feels like a privilege. The characters are endearing and the circus animals steal your heart from the moment they appear on the screen, especially Rosie. Who knew that a 51 year old elephant could be so beautiful and powerful at the same time? The scenes where the Benzini Brothers’ circus ring master is abusing Rosie are the hardest to watch and will ignite an anger within that is hard to contain. Your instinct will be to jump right into the screen and snatch that bull hook out of August’s hands and turn it right back around on him to give him a taste of his own medicine. The bipolar moods of August are some of the most fascinating to watch. It is hard to take your eyes off of Christoph Waltz. He is so powerful and mighty in this role. He commands your attention when he is on screen, as any ring master should. This just goes to show that the casting director for this film was spot on in choosing the 3 lead actors. It is easy to hate August for his cruelty, but it is just as easy to admire Christoph for his genius in playing roles that require him to turn on that intensity and madness in the blink of an eye.
Reese Witherspoon delivers a graceful performance as the petite yet majestic Marlena and the scenes with her atop Rosie are breathtaking and fantastical. It is truly magical to behold. Rob gives the most emotional performance of his to date. You could feel his love for Marlena and for Rosie in every scene as well as his internal conflict of whether or not to stand up to August and protect those around him, mainly Rosie. He is really showing his acting chops full force in this movie revealing that he should not be type cast as just the romantic vampire, Edward Cullen. His portrayal of Jacob is quiet and reserved but emotionally moving at the same time. He doesn’t even have to say much; most of his emotion lies in his facial expressions throughout the film which accentuate Jacob’s gentle nature. This is most apparent in the scenes with Rosie. There is a chemistry there that is so genuine that it transcends the screen and warms your heart.
The pace of the film is perfect. The storytelling technique starting off with Hal Holbrook’s older version of Jacob sets the scene as a journey through time and then transitions seamlessly into Rob Pattinson’s younger version of Jacob in the 1930’s. It pulls on the heart strings within the first few moments of the film. You feel as though you are cozying up by the fire as your grandfather relives a tale of a youthful adventure involving love and magic and brings you along for the enthralling journey.
Stunning, Breathtaking and Magnificent – a feast for the eyes!!
My rating for this film: 5 out of 5 stars
