Water For Elephants

The circus of the depression in 1930 comes to life in this film about a man who runs away with the circus.

I'm not much of a fan of circuses. Seeing animals perform this way does not really interest me all that much. However I still read the book before the film came out. I really enjoy nice romantic stories so thats why I read it. Surprisingly the film is quite faithful to the book as far as the main plot is concerned. The character of August has been changed to also be the owner of the circus when in the book there was a separate character who was the owner. It is a perfect example of the type of change made from he book which is that it has been streamlined. The framing device with the older Jacob telling the story is one area which has been lost. As a script writer I understand these changes had to be made and needed to in order that the film work. Director Frances Lawrence is not known for making romantic dramas but he has done an excellent job here. Like the book he has captured the authentic look and feel of circuses in this time. You can really feel the atmosphere. The film also highlights an area that has plagued circuses all their life, the issue of animal cruelty. I must give you a warning that it gets quite bad at times and can be very distressing. One aspect I did not like and it came from the book too is the ending. I found it to be far too happy for a romantic story. Maybe I've been conditioned to expect some tragedy in a romantic story.

It is good to see Reese Witherspoon do a good film after the very disappointing 'How Do You Know'. I found her performance interesting here. Although she plays a star performer her performance is quite subdued. She does not look to overshadow Robert Pattinson as the film is about his character. The other two lead performances were a bit disappointing. I hope Robert plays in a film that does not involve a love triangle. He is still very brooding and sullen. I think he needs to lighten up as well and do a comedy. Christoph Waltz I think is a brilliant actor and is excellent here but my fear is that he is going to become typecast as a villain. He need to play a good guy soon.

An excellent romantic drama that captures the magic of the circus that I think has been lost over the years.