Love in the Time of Cholera (2007)

Florentino, rejected by the beautiful Fermina at a young age, devotes much of his adult life to carnal affairs as a desperate attempt to heal his broken heart.

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers:

Ronald Harwood (screenplay), Gabriel García Márquez (novel)

Stars:

Benjamin Bratt, Gina Bernard Forbes, Giovanna Mezzogiorno

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benjamin Bratt	...	Dr. Juvenal Urbino
Gina Bernard Forbes	...	Digna Pardo
Giovanna Mezzogiorno	...	Fermina Urbino
Javier Bardem	...	Florentino Ariza
Marcela Mar	...	America Vicuña
Juan Ángel	...	Marco Aurelio - 40's
Liliana Gonzalez	...	Marco Aurelio's Wife (as Liliana Alvarez Gonzalez)
Catalina Botero	...	Ofelia Urbino - 40's
Miguel Angel Pazos Galindo	...	Ofelia's Husband
Maria Cecilia Herrera	...	Urbino's Sweet Wife
Luis Fernando Hoyos	...	Urbino Urbino
Carlos Duplat	...	Mourner
Francisco Raul Linero	...	Mourner
Unax Ugalde	...	Florentino - Teen
Liev Schreiber	...	Lotario Thugut

Storyline

In Colombia just after the Great War, an old man falls from a ladder; dying, he professes great love for his wife. After the funeral, a man calls on the widow - she dismisses him angrily. Flash back more than 50 years to the day Florentino Ariza, a telegraph boy, falls in love with Fermina Daza, the daughter of a mule trader. Ariza is persistent, writing her constantly, serenading, speaking poetically of love. Her father tries to keep them apart, and then, one day, she sees this love as an illusion. She's soon married to Urbino, a cultured physician, and for years, Ariza carries a torch, finding solace in the arms of women, loving none. After Urbino's fall, are Ariza's hopes delusional?

---

Plot Keywords:

love | widow | colombia | marriage | old man | 

---

Taglines:

How long would you wait for love?

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content/nudity and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

El amor en los tiempos del cólera

Filming Locations:

Cartagena, Bolívar, Colombia

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,924,860 (USA) (16 November 2007)

Gross:

$4,584,886 (USA) (14 December 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Stone Village Pictures, Grosvenor Park Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

139 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Producer Scott Steindorff spent over 3 years courting Gabriel García Márquez for the rights to the book telling him that he was Florentino and wouldn't give up until he got the rights.

---

Goofs

In the beginning when Florentino Ariza is lying with America and the Church bell rings, she says 'Its Pentecost' and then she puts her hand over his body. The same scene is repeated towards the end of the film and is shown from a different camera angle, but here America first puts her hand over Florentino and then says 'Its Pentecost' (not before).

---

Quotes

Ricardo Lighthouse: Why are you so successful with women?
Florentino Ariza: Um... because they see in me someone... guilty. In need of love. Someone who will not harm them. Hmmph. My heart has more rooms than a whore house, Ricardo.
Ricardo Lighthouse: What number are you on now?
Florentino Ariza: Prepare yourself for a shock. I'm on number 622.
Ricardo Lighthouse: Impossible.
Florentino Ariza: I speak the truth - 622.

---

Connections

Referenced in Maltin on Movies: Romantic Movies for Valentine's Day (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Hay Amores"
Music by Shakira/Antonio Pinto
Lyrics by Shakira
Produced by Shakira
Performed by Shakira
Co-produced by Antonio Pinto/Pedro Aznar

User Reviews

The music and the scenery are outstanding ...

We all know the book is fantastic, but since the beginning I thought it was going to be difficult to capture its magic in a film, so I went to see it without too high expectations. There were some details that I found great, for example the music, the scenery, the colors etc. BUT I think the feeling of the story couldn't be reached nor transmitted at all, and the acting was below average. To me, the characters at the film were not interesting at all -anything could have been changed from the book and I wouldn't have cared- they were simply "other people". Shakira's (Colombian singer) songs with amazing tropical shots at the background are the best this film has to offer.