There’s nothing like the excitement of a live performance, and “Water for Elephants” is a film that acts as a visual love letter to a classic, often overlooked breed of it: the circus. Adapted from Sara Gruen’s 2006 novel, this movie is a treat for the eyes meant to awe and enthrall, all the while telling a story about the illusion of fortune and the gravity of choice.
Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) was a Cornell student whose studies were cut short by unfortunate circumstances. Forced to leave home, he hopped a train in the dead of night. The train, he found, was home to the Benzini Brothers’ traveling circus, a show that would save his life.
Jacob is taken under the wing of calculating ringmaster August Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz) and soon made the circus veterinarian due to his studies at Cornell. As the Depression continues to take its toll on everything in sight, the Benzini circus struggles to find ways to lure in viewers, and August rejoices when lucking upon a new star attraction in the form of Rosie the elephant. Jacob is immediately put in charge of training her, and August’s beautiful wife Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) is convinced to perform with her during the show.
The process is not easy. The expense of a new act means money lost for the show’s employees, and as the pressure mounts, August, irrational and controlling, allows a very dark side to come out. Over the course of forming a working relationship, Jacob and Marlena bond over their love of animals and their fear of August’s temper. Rosie’s success is crucial to all of their survival, but it is nothing compared to the dangerous three-ring show going on behind the scenes.
When he’s not busy being a self-loathing vampire who dazzles clumsy teenage girls, Robert Pattinson is a decent actor who is slowly becoming a more subtle performer. His role as Jacob requires a lot of understatement as a young man thrown into a world he knows nothing about, venturing only to speak when secure enough and only to smile when shown something extraordinary. Witherspoon tackled her role with the natural exuberance and shine she always displays. As much spark and intimacy as she brought to her pairing with Pattison, the two of them were oddly matched and convincing only part of the time together on screen.
The best thing about the film is Christoph Waltz. Seemingly born to play shrewd characters with volatile personalities, he steals every scene he is in. Anyone who has seen his performance in “Inglourious Basterds” will attest to his gift for performing one personality to the naked eye while letting another creep out from just beneath the surface. Any lackluster performance between the other two leads is immediately helped by Waltz’s presence in a scene; exchanges between all three of them were among the best scenes in the film.
James Newton Howard’s score, a wondrous blend of airy strings and soft piano, ties the public spectacle and private drama of the film together. Along with some classic circus melodies, the soundtrack also features Howard’s own versions of jazz songs by Louis Armstrong and the Boswell Sisters.
Like any good period film, “Water for Elephants” easily and richly brings viewers into a different world to live alongside its characters, harkening back to a time when the grand and exotic were enough to render people speechless. It may not be the Most Spectacular Show on Earth, but it is a captivating two hours’ worth of beauty, tricks and drama to feast your eyes on.
3 out of 4 stars
Running time: 2 hours and 1 minute
Release Date: April 22, 2011
Director: Francis Lawrence
