(Pamela picked Water for Elephants, to see for April 2011)
After 54 years on the Earth, and decades of film before my eyes, I am convinced of two things about cinematic romance - 1) I've become a jaded viewer, and 2) creating a credible romance on film is a difficult prospect.
The two main spheres of film romance fall into comedy or tragedy. Of those two categories by far the more difficult is the romantic tragedy. I suspect romantic tragedy was last mastered sometime around 1591 to 1595 when Shakespeare penned
Romeo and Juliet. And that was after thousands of years of romantic drama.
The primary failing, for me, in romantic tragedy is being convinced, in the course of the tale, that there is any more depth to the lovers' emotions than lust.
This is certainly the case in Water for Elephants - horrible circumstances will befall the lovers as they lust after one another. But I never find anything convincing that the lust will transition into a sincere and abiding love that will last the rest of their lives.
It's difficult to knock some aspects of Water for Elephants. It's technically well made, with a great music score by James Newton Howard. The period setting (Depression America) is convincing.
The plot suffers from "paint by the numbers" syndrome - cliche events begin to pile onto cliche events from the very opening of the movie. The whole arc of the story is predictable, in terms of the ebb and flow of the romance, its hurdles and clashes.
The best part of the movie is the nominal villain, the husband and circus owner, wonderfully played by Christoph Waltz - he was clearly cast in this role because of his brilliantly evil performance in the ultra-violent WWII fantasy
Inglourious Basterds. Sadly, the characters of the lovers seem weak and shallow, by comparison - they are sketches just to fulfill their tragic roles in the story. They appear to love each other simply because of their miserable circumstances - they will escape into a better life because of their codependence.
Even the elephant plugs into an expected role. Her best scene is at the end, in the climactic confrontation between brutal husband and his wife's lover coming to her rescue - it is a rewarding moment when the elephant, rather than the lover, saves the day.
On the
IMDB scale I rate Water for Elephants 4 out of 10, which is generous due to the performance of Waltz.
If you are a forgiving fan of romance drama, you will probably enjoy Water for Elephants more that I did. It certainly isn't the worst entertainment to come out of studio Hollywood. It just never rises out of its predictable niche.
Roger Ebert liked Water for Elephants more than I did, giving it 3 of 4 stars - be sure to
read his review. Maybe his review will give you cause to go see it in the theater. Also check
Mark Kermode's youtube review.
Least you think I am devoid of any romantic inclination, I will recommend two films that were wholly convincing romances to me ...
- The Whole Wide World (1996) - this is easily the best romantic role of Renee Zellweger's career. The film is magnificent in creating convincing characters who truly come to love one another. Be ready with your hankies, it has a sadly tragic end. I dare you not to cry rivers at the end of this one. No, it's not contrived, because it's based on the real lives of Robert E. Howard (author of the pulp hero, Conan the Barbarian) and school teacher Novalyne Price. I rated this one 9 out of 10 stars. Do not miss this one. Check your library.
- Hobson's Choice (1954) - the romance between Hobson's daughter and their cobbler employee is not the central plot of this brilliant and warm comedy - but it is one of the best portrayal's of love between unlikely people ever done on film. They begin as a marriage of convenience (the daughter practically kidnaps him into matrimony), but by the end you believe they have come to love one another, in the best terms. This is one of the best British comedies ever made, directed by David Lean, who would later direct Lawrence of Arabia. I rated this 9 out of 10 stars.
Strange things at the circus, Dept: I can't help but mention a classic novel of science fiction which takes place in a circus --
The Dreaming Jewels
(1950) by Theodore Sturgeon. In all of his novels Sturgeon thematically tackles the various incarnations of love - how people succeed and fail at finding or giving love in its various forms. I read this when I was 12 years old, and it shook me to my core. This is a masterpiece. Don't let the genre keep you away. Find it at the library and read it, you won't be disappointed.
Real Romance Dept: One of the most notorious romances of the 20the century is chronicled in the documentary
Crazy Love. This is a brilliant film, and disturbing tale of warped love, told by the very people involved. If this were a fictional love story, you wouldn't believe it. Unfortunately, it's all true. I rated this 9 of 10.
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