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Elegy (I) (2008)

 -  Drama | Romance  -  18 April 2008 (Spain)
6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 15,108 users   Metascore: 66/100
Reviews: 104 user | 133 critic | 32 from Metacritic.com

Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life -- which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" -- thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher.

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Title: Elegy (2008)

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2 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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Kenny Kepesh
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Charlie Rose
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Younger Man
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2nd Student
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Beth
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1st Student
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Susan Reese
Marci T. House ...
Administration Nurse
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Actor #3 in Play
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Actor #2 in Play
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Storyline

David Kepesh is growing old. He's a professor of literature, a student of American hedonism, and an amateur musician and photographer. When he finds a student attractive, Consuela, a 24-year-old Cuban, he sets out to seduce her. Along the way, he swims in deeper feelings, maybe he's drowning. She presses him to sort out what he wants from her, and a relationship develops. They talk of traveling. He confides in his friend, George, a poet long-married, who advises David to grow up and grow old. She invites him to meet her family. His own son, from a long-ended marriage, confronts him. Is the elegy for lost relationships, lost possibilities, beauty and time passing, or failure of nerve? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

student | friend | poet | critic | professor | See more »

Genres:

Drama | Romance

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Official Sites:

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Language:

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Release Date:

18 April 2008 (Spain)  »

Also Known As:

Elegy: Dying Animal  »

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$104,168 (USA) (8 August 2008)

Gross:

$3,577,210 (USA) (7 November 2008)
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

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Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

David tells Consuela that she looks like Goya's Maja Desnuda. Penélope Cruz (who plays Consuela) plays Pepita Tudó in Volavérunt, possibly a model for the Maja Desnuda. See more »

Quotes

David Kepesh: I think it was Betty Davis who said old age is not for sissies. But it was Tolstoy who said the biggest surprise in a man's life is old age. Old age sneaks up on you, and the next thing you know you're asking yourself, I'm asking myself, why can't an old man act his real age? How is it possible for me to still be involved in the carnal aspects of the human comedy? Because, in my head, nothing has changed.
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Connections

References Charlie Rose (1991) See more »

Soundtracks

"Adagio from Concerto in D Minor"
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by David Troy Francis
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Frequently Asked Questions

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User Reviews

 
The Biggest Surprise in a Man's Life Is Old Age
26 March 2009 | by (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) – See all my reviews

In Manhattan, the middle-aged writer, art critic and professor and aspirant piano player and photographer David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) questions that his age does not affect his sex drive and recalls words of Bette Davis ("Old age is not for sissies") and Tostoi ("The biggest surprise in a man's life is old age"). Despite of his great culture, the intellectual David is a man that has grown old but never grown up, and he is unable to last a relationship, including with his oncologist son Kenneth Kepesh (Peter Sarsgaard). The exceptions are his old poet friend and confident George O'Hearn (Dennis Hopper) and the independent businesswoman Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson), with whom he has an affair for more than twenty years. When he meets the elegant, educated and gorgeous Cuban student Consuela Castillo (Penélope Cruz) in his literature class, he feels a great sexual attraction for her and seduces her in the end of the period. They have a love affair for one and half years, but David is always insecure being thirty and something years older than the student. When Consuela forces David to come to her graduation party and meet her family and friends, he takes a decision that affects their relationship forever.

The Spanish Isabel Coixet is certainly one of the most sensitive directors of the cinema industry. "My Life without Me" and "The Secret Life of Words" are among the most beautiful, touching and heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. "Elegy" is another wonderful movie of this awesome director that deals with another real theme, the aging of men, which could be difficult for a female director to understand and correctly disclose on the screen. However, the romance works mainly because the lead male role seems to be tailored for Sir Ben Kingsley (it could be Sean Connery a couple of years ago). I can not imagine any other actor that could personify David Kepesh as portrayed in the story. Further, Penélope Cruz deserved the Oscar for her performance, with a more realistic character than in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". The Academy wrote right through wrong performances. She is incredibly gorgeous in the role of Consuela Castillo. The always excellent Patricia Clarkson, the irregular Dennis Hopper and the "disappeared" Peter Sarsgaard have also memorable performances in this outstanding romance. The cinematography and the music score complete this beautiful work of art. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Fatal" ("Fatal")


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As a breast cancer survivor, I'm offended toni_reese
Self-Indulgent, Exploitive, Pornographic Piece of Crap firexwood
Er, isn't penelope cruz a little old to play this? bb1983
About the age difference Lonely-Arts-Club
Who is the dying animal? heich1
Deborah harry's role LuvHaji
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