Water for the elephants
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Water for the elephants |
| Original title | Water for Elephants |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English , Polish |
| Publishing year | 2011 |
| length | 120 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 12 JMK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Francis Lawrence |
| script |
Richard LaGravenese Sara Gruen (novel) |
| production | Kevin Halloran |
| music | James Newton Howard |
| camera | Rodrigo Prieto |
| cut | Alan Edward Bell |
| occupation | |
| |
Water for Elephants (Original title: Water for Elephants ) is an American film drama directed by Francis Lawrence from the year 2011 , based on the bestselling novel Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen . The film premiered on April 15, 2011 and was released in German-speaking cinemas on April 28, 2011.
action
A lost-looking old man, Jacob Jankowski, is picked up by two employees in the parking lot of a circus after the performance. In the ringmaster's office, Charlie O'Brien III, he mentions that he was present at one of the greatest circus disasters of all time. He is fascinated by it and so Jacob Jankowski tells him his story.
There is a flashback: During the Great Depression in the 1930s, 23-year-old Jacob, son of Polish immigrants and a veterinary student, learns during his exams that his parents were killed in a car accident. They left him a huge mountain of debts and to top it all off, the bank is also seizing his parents' house. In order to leave his lack of prospects behind, he decides to move to a bigger city. When he is on foot on the way over the railway tracks, he jumps on a passing train, which turns out to be a circus train of the "Benzini Brothers", on which he befriends the Polish-speaking Camel. The next day he was introduced by him to the owner and circus director August Rosenbluth, who ran the circus with a hard hand. Due to his veterinary knowledge, he gives Jacob a temporary job as a circus veterinarian.
To make up for the loss of an artificial riding horse - his greatest attraction - the despotic ringmaster buys the 53-year-old female elephant Rosie as the new star. Because she doesn't listen to any commands, August begins to abuse the elephant. Jacob realizes the secret behind Rosie, who is considered indomitable (she only reacts to Polish commands), and is hired as her trainer . During his work he falls in love with the horse rider Marlena, the much younger wife of the circus director. The feelings Jacob has for her are not hidden from her, and so they get closer to each other through working with the animals. The fateful affair begins to run its course because Marlena's husband is a violent person who simply lets rebellious employees get thrown off the moving train in order to save their wages (the circus is constantly on the verge of bankruptcy).
Jacob is released and jumps off the moving train with Marlena. You spend the night in a nearby hotel. But August's men find her, knock Jacob unconscious and take Marlena with them. Jacob goes back on the train to get Marlena back and to kill August while the latter is sleeping, something that Marlena can dissuade at the last second with deep looks. Jacob makes a deal with Marlena to meet him at the town church after the next performance, where they will run away. The show starts and Jacob is about to leave when loud shouts can be heard. He runs back to the tent and finds great chaos. Disgruntled employees release the big cats and all other animals, some of which attack the visitors. August recognizes his hopelessness and wants to strangle Marlena, which Jacob tries in vain to prevent. But the next Rosie kills August with a peg and saves Marlena at the last second. Jacob graduates and marries Marlena and they have five children. After working at another circus for several years, he got a job in a zoo, and they left the circus and bought a farm. The old man looks happily into the past and asks the ringmaster if he could work for him.
Some elements from the book template have been changed, including: a. The history of the two main characters and Marlena's husband August merged with the character Uncle Al, the violent circus owner.
Production background
Shooting started on May 22, 2010. The film was shot in the 20th Century Fox studios in Century City , Los Angeles; in Chattanooga , Tennessee and in Chickamauga , Georgia . Further filming locations were in Los Angeles , California , Fillmore and Piru .
Production costs amounted to an estimated 38 million US dollars . In the United States, the film opened on April 24, 2011 with 2,817 copies and grossed nearly $ 17 million on the opening weekend.
synchronization
| role | actor | German dubbing voice |
|---|---|---|
| Jacob Jankowski | Robert Pattinson | Johannes Raspe |
| Marlena Rosenbluth | Reese Witherspoon | Manja Doering |
| August Rosenbluth | Christoph Waltz | Christoph Waltz |
| Rosie's zookeeper | James Frain | Torsten Michaelis |
| Elderly Jacob Jankowski | Hal Holbrook | Otto Mellies |
| Charlie O'Brien | Paul Schneider | Tobias Kluckert |
| Earl | Ken Foree | Tilo Schmitz |
| Diamond Joe | Tim Guinee | Gunnar Helm |
| Kinko / Walter | Mark Povinelli | Axel Malzacher |
| Blackie | Scott MacDonald | Ingo Albrecht |
| Camel | Jim Norton | Hans Teuscher |
| Barbara | Donna W. Scott | Katrin Zimmermann |
| Cecil | EE Bell | Lutz Schnell |
Reviews
“There is only one obstacle that will keep the elephants' water away from the Olympus of the Hollywood classics forever - James Newton Howard's musical sauce that pastes the entire film. Otherwise, water for the elephants follows the most beautiful traditions of Hollywood - sentimentality and pathos are virtues in the cinema; it owes its greatest and most lasting successes to them. "
“What exactly defines the feeling of belonging to the circus 'family' is only touched upon, not really explored. The narrative weight lies entirely on the triangular story between the circus director, his wife and the young elephant whisperer, extended by the elephant lady Rosie. The female audience in particular will be happy to get involved in this tightrope walk of emotions. Conclusion: a fateful affair in front of a circus backdrop. Attractively occupied and told in beautiful pictures. Wonderful for everyone who has a heart for animals or Robert Pattinson. "
“In Water for the Elephants , every picture is a cliché and every scene is kitsch, and of the very lifeless kind. The freshly varnished furnishings appear as synthetic as those made from stale motifs - sorry, the story derived from the underlying "bestseller" by Sara Gruen. "
“Waltz succeeds best in profiling his character and its dangerous ambivalence (this August is also not entirely dissimilar to Waltz's star role, Hans Landa). The passionate instant love of the other two protagonists remains pure assertion. But at least one has not seen such a photogenic and well-trained elephant for a long time. "
The German film and media rating awarded the rating particularly valuable .
Web links
- Water for Elephants in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Expert opinion of the German film and media rating
- Water for the elephants at Fox.de (with trailer)
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of release for water for the elephants . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , April 2011 (PDF; test number: 127 272 K).
- ↑ Age rating for water for the elephants . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ Facts and background information on the film "Water for the Elephants" , accessed on June 21, 2018.
- ↑ a b IMDb Business. Retrieved May 6, 2011
- ↑ IMDb Locations. Retrieved May 6, 2011
- ↑ Water for the elephants on synchronkartei.de.Retrieved on May 22, 2011
- ↑ criticism on sueddeutsche.de; Retrieved May 6, 2011
- ↑ criticism on tagesspiegel.de; Retrieved May 6, 2011
- ↑ The doctor and the dear cattle . In: Berliner Zeitung , April 28, 2011
- ↑ criticism on derstandard.at; Retrieved May 6, 2011
- ↑ Water for the elephants. German film review and media review FBW, accessed on June 20, 2018 .