Elegy (2008/I)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Isabel Coixet

Writers (WGA):

Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)
Philip Roth (novel)

Release Date:

18 April 2008 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Student | Friend | Professor | Critic | Poet

Awards:

2 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Penélope Cruz	...	Consuela Castillo
Ben Kingsley	...	David Kepesh
Dennis Hopper	...	George O'Hearn
Patricia Clarkson	...	Carolyn
Peter Sarsgaard	...	Kenny Kepesh
Deborah Harry	...	Amy O'Hearn
Charlie Rose	...	Charlie Rose
Antonio Cupo	...	Younger Man
Michelle Harrison	...	2nd Student
Sonja Bennett	...	Beth
Emily Holmes	...	1st Student
Chelah Horsdal	...	Susan Reese
Marci T. House	...	Administration Nurse
Alessandro Juliani	...	Actor #3 in Play
Tiffany Lyndall-Knight	...	Actor #2 in Play
Laura Mennell	...	Cute Girl
Andre Lamal	...	Talk Show Host
Shaker Paleja	...	3rd Student
Kris Pope	...	Consuela's Brother
Julian Richings	...	Actor in Play #1
Tania Saulnier	...	George's Girlfriend
Michael Teigen	...	Waiter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ryan McDonell	...	Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Isabel Coixet

Writing credits (WGA)
Nicholas Meyer		(screenplay)
Philip Roth		(novel "The Dying Animal")

Produced by
Andre Lamal	....	producer
Gary Lucchesi	....	producer
Eric Reid	....	executive producer
Tom Rosenberg	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jean-Claude Larrieu

Film Editing by
Amy E. Duddleston

Casting by
Heike Brandstatter
Coreen Mayrs

Production Design by
Claude Paré

Art Direction by
Helen Jarvis

Set Decoration by
Lin MacDonald

Costume Design by
Katia Stano

Makeup Department
Gitte Axen	....	makeup artist
Martin Samuel	....	hair stylist: Penelope Cruz
Susan Boyd	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Terra Abroms	....	post-production supervisor
Penny Gibbs	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Misha Bukowski	....	key second assistant director
Sandra Mayo	....	first assistant director
Louisa Phung	....	trainee assistant director
Rhonda Taylor	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Brent Bennett	....	set buyer
Michael A. Billings	....	assistant set decorator
Gordon Brunner	....	on-set dresser (as Gordie Brunner)
Lubor Cencak	....	scenic artist
John Dale	....	general foreman
Laurie Dobbie	....	prop buyer
Jack Gauvreau	....	lead sculptor
Jan Kobylka	....	construction coordinator
Ray Lai	....	graphic illustrator
Rohan Lyal	....	head greensman
Marta McLaughlin	....	assistant property master
Wayne McLaughlin	....	property master
Dale Menzies	....	carpenter
Michel Rheault	....	construction buyer
Rodrigo Segovia	....	assistant art director
Sharon Thompson	....	art department coordinator
Mario Tomas-Niedworok	....	paint coordinator

Sound Department
Todd Beckett	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kelly Cabral	....	supervising sound editor
Melissa A. Corns	....	sound effects editor
Chris David	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Hibberson	....	boom operator
Rachel Holley	....	sound editor
Chris Navarro	....	adr mixer
Aynee Osborn	....	dialogue editor
Karen Schell	....	sound
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
Chris Trent	....	foley mixer
Rob Young	....	production sound mixer

Special Effects by
William H. Orr	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Alexandre Cancado	....	digital effects artist: Luma Pictures
Vincent Cirelli	....	visual effects supervisor: Luma Pictures
Robert Coquia Jr.	....	data management vfx
Siggy Ferstl	....	digital colorist
Jason Locke	....	digital effects artist
Brett Reyenger	....	digital compositor
Steven Swanson	....	visual effects supervising producer: Luma Pictures
Cary Welton	....	digital restoration artist: R!OT

Camera and Electrical Department
Isabel Coixet	....	camera operator
Roberto W. Contreras D.	....	camera operator
Dan Fraser	....	electrician
Sean M. Harding	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Jeff Harvey	....	best boy electric
Seth Hettrick	....	key rigging grip
Joseph Lederer	....	still photographer
Andrew Pereszlenyi	....	lighting technician
Pascal Pillot-Bruhat	....	chief lighting technician
Trevor Taylor	....	lighting technician
Todd Turner	....	electrician
Thomas E. Watson	....	generator operator
Tyler Woeste	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Tiffany Mak	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Summer Dietz	....	costumer
Jen Howe	....	costume set supervisor (as Jennifer Dawson)
Monique Warren	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Justine Halliday	....	associate editor
Gary Oldroyd	....	post-production coordinator
Tami Zamberg	....	post-production assistant
Eric Potter	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Marc Artís Garcia	....	music arranger: additional music
Christy Carew	....	music arranger: additional music
Isabel Coixet	....	music supervisor
Eric Craig	....	music consultant
Brian McNelis	....	music consultant
Angie Rubin	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Kim Harmer	....	transportation coordinator
Dave Miller	....	driver: cast
Andrew O'Bray	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Portia Belmont	....	script supervisor
Morgan Brady	....	production assistant
Stephanie Brown	....	production assistant
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	main title producer
Stephen Chan	....	on-set key production assistant
Chantal Cholette	....	production assistant
Jason Collier	....	location assistant
Hans Dayal	....	assistant location manager
Heather Douglas	....	assistant: Andre Lamal
Kathy Edwards	....	post production accountant
Kelsey Evans	....	production assistant
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond representative
Elizabeth Himelstein	....	dialect coach
Darren Kelly	....	production assistant
Leslie Knoll	....	accounting clerk
Wendy Kush	....	writing assistant
Michael J. LeGresley	....	location scout
Kyle Leydier	....	assistant: Sir Ben Kingsley
Benjamin Luk	....	daily production assistant
Grant Lutz	....	production assistant
Sandra Matossi	....	production accountant
Jennifer Metcalfe	....	production coordinator
Lee Anne Muldoon	....	unit publicist
James Notari	....	production assistant
Rino Pace	....	location manager
Michael James 'Scotty' Scott	....	post-production accountant
Michele Lee Shellenberg	....	payroll accountant
Max Smerling	....	assistant: executive producer: Eric Reid
Daniella Wells	....	personal assistant: Penelope Cruz
Tamara Grace Wiebe	....	office production assistant
Shayne A. Wilson	....	second assistant production coordinator

Thanks
James McQuaide	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Lakeshore Entertainment

Distributors

• Alliance Vivafilm (2008) (Canada) (theatrical) (Quebec)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2009) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Distribution Company (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Entertainment Film Distributors (2008) (UK) (theatrical)
• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2007) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Maximum Film Distribution (2008) (Canada) (theatrical) (English-speaking region)
• Movie-Eye Entertainment (2009) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Noble Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• On Pictures (2008) (Spain) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Company, The (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• D Productions (2008) (Turkey) (all media)
• E1 Entertainment (2009) (Canada) (all media)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (all media)
• Gativideo (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Noble Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Noble Entertainment (2009) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Red Envelope Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Top Film (2008) (Russia) (all media)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  dollies
• Lakeshore Records  soundtrack
• Sound Satisfaction  foley recording facility
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Wildfire Studios  adr recording facility
• Wildfire Studios  sound post-production

Also Known As:

Elegy: Dying Animal (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #43893) | Ireland:16 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | Austria:12 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | South Africa:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Quotes:

David Kepesh: [interview on the Charlie Rose show] We're not all descended from the Puritans.
Charlie Rose: No?
David Kepesh: There was another colony 30 miles from Plymouth, it's not on the maps today. Marymount it was called.
Charlie Rose: Yeah, alright, you mention in your book...
David Kepesh: The colony where anything goes, went.
Charlie Rose: There was booze...
David Kepesh: There was booze. There was fornication. There was music. There was... they even ah, ah, ah, you name it, you name it. They even danced around the maypole once a month, wearing masks, worshiping god knows what, Whites and Indians together, all going for broke...
Charlie Rose: Who was responsible for all of this?
David Kepesh: A character by the name of Thomas Morton.
Charlie Rose: Aah, the "Hugh Hefner" of the Puritans.
[...]

Movie Connections:

References "The Charlie Rose Show" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Horizon Variations

The Biggest Surprise in a Man's Life Is Old Age

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")