Release Date: May 6, 2011

Runtime: 120 min

Director: Francis Lawrence

Writers: Richard LaGravenese (screenplay), Sara Gruen (novel)

Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider, Jim Norton, Hal Holbrook

Language: English

 

Rating: 3 / 5

 

With stellar set design and superb cinematography, Water for Elephants tells a tale of a travelling circus troupe during the Great Depression of the early 1930s. A solid adaptation of the eponymous 2006 novel by Sara Gruen, the film chronicles the poverty and downfall of touring circuses after the 1929 Wall Street Crash. 

 

Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook) wistfully recounts his melodramatic life, with all its twists and turns. In his flashbacks, young Jacob (played by Robert Pattinson), a Polish import, is orphaned and penniless and forced to abandon his veterinary studies. He jumps aboard what he later realises is a circus train. As he becomes a bit of a roustabout to eke a living with the Benzini Brothers circus, his skills as a student of veterinary science come in handy. He fancies star performer Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), whose merciless husband August (Christoph Waltz) is the owner and ringmaster of the circus. As the story proceeds, a beautiful elephant called Rosie makes her way into the tale and your hearts. 

 

With bucolic panoramas of rolling plains, steam engines puffing through cloudy nights and montages of the circus acts, the film is a visual landscape that is classic, romantic and leaves you with the sweetness of nostalgia. Pattinson plays his brooding and bashful character with restraint, but does not delve deep enough. Witherspoon is relatable and puts up a good performance. Waltz is exceptionally good, playing a character that is layered with mental instability, megalomania and rage. The blossoming love story between Jacob and Marlena, fraught with danger, coupled with saving Rosie’s from August’s spells of rage become the hooks in the story. 

 

With old-fashioned charm, plenty of drama and a breathtaking backdrop, Water for Elephants is definitely worth a watch.