Water for Elephants - 16th September 2014

Tuesday is here once more and this week Tuesday Night is Film Night is screening;

Water for Elephants

Robert Pattinson swaps werewolves and vampire teeth, for an elephant and veterinary skills, in this circus based romantic drama set in 1930's America.

The film opens with the main character Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) in his older years (played by Hal Holbrook), wandering around a parking lot where a circus is just leaving. In true Titanic style we drift back through the eyes of this old man, back to his youth to set the scene. Jacob is a budding veterinary student, ready to take his final exams, when a tragic car accident kills his parents. Unfortunately, the family vet business and the house default back into the hands of the bank, leaving Jacob homeless and penniless, in the middle of the Great Depression. Jacob takes it upon himself to run off and seek work away from his home town. Trudging along the train tracks, he happens upon a travelling circus, rumbling along in a large train. He hitches a lift and just before getting beaten up and thrown off again, he is saved by one of the old circus hands, who kindly offers him some work.

He spends the first day cleaning out the animals, before he is summoned to see the boss of the Benzini Brothers Circus; August (Christoph Waltz). August is the circus ringmaster and somewhat tyrannical boss. He clearly sees some potential in young Jacob and offers to make him the company vet. August is married to Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) who is the star attraction with her beautiful dancing horses. Jacob diagnoses a terminal illness for one of the horses and going against August, puts the horse down, to save it from misery and a painful, slow death. And although this is a devastating blow to Marlena and the circus, he endears himself to Marlena through his kindness and we have the beginning of our romance, although Marlena and Jacob cannot seriously consider any kind of tryst with the eyes of the circus upon them.

Without a star attraction the circus goes into decline, until that is an elephant appears! This will be the new star of the show, with Marlena riding this huge elephant Rosie, that Jacob has to train. This is where the our love story develops and Marlena and Jacob become closer and a love triangle ensues, as August treats Marlena as an possesion, which forces her closer to Jacob. This three handed relationship saga continues to develop as the film progresses.

That is basically the set up of the plot and the story grows from there. Based on the Sara Gruen novel of the same name, Water For Elephants is a charming and thoughtful film, following the lives of this travelling circus, where it's new vet displays his love for animals, as well as the boss's wife! Pattinson is a convincing vet and his interaction with the animals is a delight to watch. As is Reece Witherspoon as Marlena, who clearly practiced some acrobatics for her role, as well as some good editing and a body double, for the harder scenes. Christoph Waltz is a delightful baddie, playing with a gritty edge the somewhat psychotic ringmaster, who can turn from the charming showman, into a snarling beast at the drop of a top hat.

Water For Elephants is a really good film, you have that innocent flashback set up at the start, as the narration from the older Jacob, drifts gently into the younger Jacob, allowing you to become accustomed to the characters and have the scene set in the first few minutes. At two hours long, it is quite an achievement to maintain interest throughout, but it does due to the great storyline, where you're not sure how things will transpire, allied with some superb acting from the main cast, and the supporting players.

It was a high scoring film from a TNiFN perspective, being a clear hit for the ladies, probably due to one Mr Pattinson.

TNiFN Rating 84%

IMDB Link