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The Fountain (Widescreen Edition)
by Warner Bros. Pictures
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$27.95 |
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$9.99 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
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$17.96 (64%) |
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DVD
WEISZ,RACHEL
Publisher: Warner Bros. Pictures
Matthew Libatique
Format: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Actors: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Sean Patrick Thomas, Ellen Burstyn, Mark Margolis
A man embarks on a thousand year odyssey in a quest for the Tree of Life and to protect the woman he loves.
Genre: Feature Film-Action/Adventure
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 4-SEP-2007
Media Type: DVD
Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who labored for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveler seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. --Paul Gaita
| Customer Reviews: |
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| I keep trying but still...... |
| Customer Rating: 2 out of 5 |
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I have an open mind and I do get the metaphysical-epic-universal-across time love story but...I've seen this movie twice now and I still don't get all of it. The cinematography was really very good, but I found the transition to the different time periods jarring. I enjoyed the 16th century story and was wishing there was a bit more of that. I still have no idea where the future time period was heading. My friends and family were not left comtemplating the different scenes or meanings...we were just trying to make some sense of it overall.
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| Beautiful |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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A beautiful film-absolutely beautiful.
Please, if you watch this, you must approach it with an open mind and look at it as a work of art, for like any other work of art, it leaves you with plenty of opportunity to interpret it in a variety of ways and requires more than a little mental interaction. Rarely have I seen a film where the visual consistency and mindfulness of aesthetics so prominently played a role in the unfolding of the story.
Be warned, however. This is not a movie to sit down with a bag of popcorn and have a good time. This is an artistic statement worthy of study and contemplation. I have a great deal of trouble envisioning someone in the hopes of simple escapism sitting through The Fountain because it really is fairly demanding. But I hope you'll believe me when I say it is most rewarding if you commit to letting it unfold without judgment. Let it finish before you make up your mind. Like most anything of value, it must be reflected upon as a unified whole, and trust me, you'll find yourself thinking about it long after the initial viewing.
Just beautiful.
~Scott William Foley, author of Dr. Nekros: The Tragedian (Volume I, Episode I)
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| 'The Last Man' resurected as 'The Fountain' (spoilers embedded!) |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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I have finally gotten around to watching Darren Aronofsky's latest film 'The Fountain' (originally titled 'The Last Man'). I had heard that this film was, according to Aronofsky, something that he had been 'building up' to since his stunningly 'toxic' 'Requiem for a Dream' and while 'The Fountain' is 'light years' away from 'Requiem' (although Aronofsky continues to employ the 'focus' of the eye, both interior and exterior in both films), it certainly expands upon Aronofsky's creative visual scope and his determination as a director to involve his actors in the physicality (and just as crucial in the 'mentality') of their roles.
According to the major critiques on this site, the majority of the reviewers didn't 'understand' the film, and I would gather that part of that is the intentional visual effects that Aronofsky has utilized through the multiple 'allusive' aspects 'contained' in The Fountain'. This is shown in Aronofsky's repeated questioning of the issues of time, and the 'limitations' of the human condition (that we are 'bound' in a mortal body with a 'linear' conception of our life). I have read some comparisons with Andrei Tarkovsky's films, particularly 'Solaris', and I would agree that Aronofsky is closer to 'approximating' the interior/exterior 'visual reflections' of time, space and spirituality that Tarkovsky envisioned, not only in 'Solaris', but in all of his films. Many people do not 'get' or 'understand' Tarkovsky's cinematic vision either as it was not intended to supply firm answers (or definitive conclusions) towards these themes, as he was more interested in exploring their poetic possibilities in film and questioning the 'reality' of the world of the characters (which is a 'reflection' of how we emplace and view these 'realities' also).
While I am not yet ready to place Aronofsky on the same 'cinematic plane' as Tarkovsky, 'The Fountain' certainly deserves to be recognized as a creative, ambitious cinematic 'accounting' of a meld of 'science-fiction' and human spirituality. After watching the film on DVD, I have to say I am disappointed that I did not see 'The Fountain' on the big screen, because visually its effects are astoundingly hypnotic and beautiful. One bonus to viewing the DVD 'version' is that I learned that the visual effects, the nebulous backgrounds, were created by shooting micro-photos of reactive substances in a Petri dish (which were then merged onto the film) rather than using computer-generated imagery, which allowed my admiration for Aronofsky's visual attention to the overall 'scheme' within 'The Fountain' to expand even further. These applications within 'The Fountain' of physical and visual 'chemical reactions' also put me in mind (or is that sight?) of the great independent American filmmaker Stan Brakhage's creative use of elemental compounds within his cinematic 'explorations'.
I have been speaking of Aronofsky's cinematic scope or broad explorations of the human conception of time, space (in which our bodies occupy), and spirituality in 'The Fountain' and while the film 'seems' to go to many realms, (16th century Spain, 'present' laboratories, 'outer space'), what is visually `contained' as the 'primary focus' in the film are the two main characters Thomas (Hugh Jackman), and Izzy (Rachel Weisz). Indeed, it is through the 'states' of these characters that the film is 'imagined', as Izzy has composed a story (imagining Thomas as the Conquistador?), and Thomas (through reading and hearing it) is 'imagining' it (and attempting to 'finish' it). My interpretation of this film is Thomas's struggle with accepting Izzy's mortal state, and therefore attempting to 'bring her back' by a 'journey' that is portrayed in the outer/inner reaches of time and space (this is particularly pronounced in the films lighting 'entrances' from light to dark and vice versa). Since he cannot accomplish 'conquering' Izzy's mortal fate through science, he 'reaches' (in an interior 'vision') to the myths of religion (symbolized in the Tree, the lotus posture). In the 'end' we see Thomas physically letting go, and burying the seed at Izzy's grave (a larger reference to the sphere i.e. world) that will (may?) continue the cycle of life.
The only reason I have given this film four stars is that while I believed Hugh Jackman gave an outstanding performance (particularly in 'sacrificing' his musculature and his hair), I thought that Rachel Weisz's performance was shaky in parts of the film. I still believe that Aronofsky 'pulled' the best out of her role (which is evident if you watch her in the featurette's 'takes'). All together this is a beautiful, inventive example of American filmmaking by Aronofosky and if he did not make another film after 'The Fountain' (hopefully this will not be the case) it would 'stand' as his cinematic masterpiece.
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| "Death As An Act Of Creation"~ Birth, Rebirth And The Tree Of Life On The Journey To Xibalba |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Where does one begin with a film such as the mind-boggling '06 film `The Fountain?' After viewing this extremely esoteric, non-linear journey through time and space one is left in a vague stupor, experiencing feelings of deep spirituality and unfathomable profundity all wrapped in a timeless universe of eternal beginnings and endings. Either that or one is bored out of their mind.
Fortunately for me I fall into the first category. Director and writer Darren Aronofsky has graced us with a masterpiece work that will most likely never receive the acceptance and audience it surely desires, but it will have a following that will always adore this film.
I guess it's time to sit down and re-vamp my personal list of all-time favorite films. I certainly have to find a spot for this one.
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| one amazing journey |
| Customer Rating: 4 out of 5 |
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The Fountain is an interesting movie, and for much of it, quite confusing.
When the movie begins, you are treated to a variety of events that unfold in a very confusing way, and you begin to wonder if it's possible to catch up to everything going on. However, after a while, all the events seem to come together and flow with the story. It's one of those movies that takes a lot of time and patience to understand.
It's a story about living forever. Or rather, trying desperately to find a way to live forever, through a series of fairy tale events and strange happenings. The acting is really good, the story is interesting, and the magical feeling of living forever is a great touch. I recommend it.
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