Water for Elephants (2011)

A veterinary student abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a traveling circus as their vet.

Director:

Francis Lawrence

Writers:

Richard LaGravenese (screenplay), Sara Gruen (novel)

Stars:

Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz

3 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Reese Witherspoon	...	Marlena
Robert Pattinson	...	Jacob
Christoph Waltz	...	August
Paul Schneider	...	Charlie
Jim Norton	...	Camel
Hal Holbrook	...	Old Jacob
Mark Povinelli	...	Kinko / Walter
Richard Brake	...	Grady
Stephen Taylor	...	Wade (as Stephen Monroe Taylor)
Ken Foree	...	Earl
Scott MacDonald	...	Blackie
James Frain	...	Rosie's Caretaker
Sam Anderson	...	Mr. Hyde
John Aylward	...	Mr. Erwin
Brad Greenquist	...	Mr. Robinson

Storyline

After his parents' death, Jacob Jankowski is left penniless and homeless. Events lead him to joining the circus as their vet, working under their unstable boss August whose violent tendencies give everyone reason to be cautious around him, including his beautiful and quiet wife Marlena, whom August is very possessive of and who Jacob finds himself soon falling in love with.

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Plot Keywords:

circus | elephant | train | traveling circus | falling in love | 

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Taglines:

Life is the most spectacular show on earth.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [sp]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Polish

Release Date:

22 April 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agua para elefantes

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$38,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,270,483 (UK) (6 May 2011)

Gross:

$58,700,247 (USA) (5 August 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fox 2000 Pictures, 3 Arts Entertainment, Flashpoint Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sara Gruen wrote the novel 'Water for Elephants' as part of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

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Goofs

While in the speakeasy August leaves the table that he, Marlena and Jacob are sitting at. Marlena is smoking a fairly short cigarette. In the next scene, the cigarette is noticeably longer.

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Quotes

Jacob: I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me.

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Crazy Credits

In 'The producers wish to thank' section of the credits, the Circus World Museum is listed as being in Barbaroo, WI. The actual town is Baraboo, WI.

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Connections

Featured in 2011 MTV Movie Awards (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Ciribiribin"
Written by George Wilson and A. Pestalozza
Courtesy of APM

User Reviews

One Spectacular Show

Readers, fear not. This is one adaption that lives up to the book.

Water for Elephants is pure beauty. Despite the fact that it takes place during the Depression, it makes you almost wish you lived during the '30s.

One reason is the costumes. They are wonderfully done, as well as the makeup. Another is the eye candy. No, I'm not talking about Robert Pattinson(though he looks as gorgeous as ever). I'm talking about the breathtaking cinematography, courtesy of Rodrigo Prieto.

While the leads(Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz) all turn in GREAT performances, the real star here is Tai the elephant. She plays Rosie, the newest addition to The Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show on Earth, who is brought in in hopes of taking The Benzini Bros. circus to a new level(particularly to the level of Ringling Bros.).

As per usual, there are quite a few changes that may or may not irritate the readers. It all depends on the person. One that I felt was an improvement upon the book, however, was the combining of August and Uncle Al. I honestly didn't miss Al one bit.

Water for Elephants is a beautiful, enchanting, mesmerizing must-see.