Water the Elephants
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
Written by; Richard LaGravanese
Jacob Jankowski is minutes away from writing his final exam in Veterinary school when he gets called out of class with news of a fatal car accident killing his only family, his parents. Without any money left to keep his house or pay for the rest of Veterinary School Jacob is on his own, jobless and homeless left to figure out what to do with what's left of his life.
Not knowing where it would of taken him, Jacob jumps onto a moving train in the night to find out in the morning he had joined a travelling circus and soon finds himself accepting a job as their vet. With little knowledge on the circus life Jacob is happy he has found a job in doing what he loves most but soon discovers it's not all it's cracked up to be. The man in charge, August, cares about no one and nothing except for the success of his circus, meaning he will kill any circus person or animal that gets in his way. While staying under the radar of August throughout Jacobs circus experience he soon discovers the most beautiful and sincere woman of the circus is August's wife. Making sure to stay clear of August Jacob begins to get to know Marlena and soon discovers she was a young misfit herself. Overtime Jacob teaches Marlena of the beautiful life a beautiful women such as herself could and should be living outside her star act and abusive husband.
Water for elephants is a beautifully written love story of Jacob and Marlena, as she teaches Jacob to takes chances and Jacob saves her from the life she always felt she was destined to.
In the last scene of the movie when Marlena finally stands up for herself to August, he attempts to kill her, when Jacob steps in and saves her with the help from Rosy the circus elephant.
The Main Characters experiences many different journeys as the circumstances in his life drastically change.
At first as Jacob is walking along the rail road tracks on night just days after the news of his parents death Jacob has begun the quest for identity; he is trying to figure himself out, and what to do with the rest of his life now that this circumstance of loss has overcome him. This journey is soon taken care of FOR him when he jumps onto the train that night and is offered a new life; in the circus, in which he is so desperate he willingly accepts.
Jacob then begins a second journey when he discovers the life circus people, and it is of great trials and incredible abuse from August the leader of the circus. His new focus is now to save his people. After becoming closely acquainted with many people on the circus it kills him to see them in suffering throught the barbaric actions of August. Jacob devises a plan to jump the train with Marlena and many other circus friends before August has another break down and threatens the life of another person.
Jacob also experiences a death and rebirth; through his parent's death, his life in some ways opened up many new opportunities for him. One of these lead him to his soon to be wife, Marlena
.
Hero can easily be found in Jacob, who saves the circus people and the animals from August
Evil Figure - August - a man with an uncontrollable temper
The Temptress - Beautiful Marlena Jacob falls in love with and saves from August
The Mentor - Jacobs roommate on the train that gives him the low down on how the circus works when he first arrives there.
There wasn't a lot of symbolism I could find in this film that could be related to Greek Mythology except for the color scheme displayed.
August is always found in a red suit symbolizing his anger and rage
Marlena's costume in the circus was always white symbolizing her innocence and purity.
Jacob was also dressed in white which i think symbolizes the similar backgrounds of where they came from. Although Jacob is always covered in dirt and not spotless like Marlena. I believe this reflects the tragedy Jacob overgone prior to joining the circus and the weight it still had on him, as the story wears on you see Jacob begins to be treated better and better, and it reflects through his appearance - it symbolizes his transformation after the tragedy in his life.
2 thumbs up for the movie Water the Elephant
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Bridge to Terabithia
The movie Bridge to Terabithia written by Jeff Stockwell and Produed by David Paterson tells the inspiring story of an incredible friendship between Jess and Leslie. Both coming from difficult home lives the two see past their differences on the outside and find a strong bond and connection with eachother; in their personal circumstance forms the base of their friendship. Being the daughter of 2 writers, Leslie has grown up with a strong imagination. Together Jess and Leslie build a virtual world in their back yard that allows them to cope with the real world.
To get to this world Leslie and Jess created together they have to swing across a river on a rope to the other side where their kingdom awaits. The once first step to Leslie and Jess's new adventure was also the author of it's ending when Leslie tries to swing across on her own one morning and has an accident. Jess comes home to the news of the death of his best friend who drowned in the river when the rope gave way and fell into the rushing river below.
A huge theme I would give for this film is Transformation:
Through
The Green lush forest that awaited the children for adventure everyday after school symbolized its meaning: hope. It gave them something to look forward to, it gave them something past their circumstances.
The River that took the life of Jess' best friend represented life force, in that there are things in life we can't control, we can't stop bad things from happening, no matter how many different ways we try to look back and play it over in our minds, it is the nature and of life.
Throughout the story one of the conflicts Jess faces at home is the relationship he shares with his five year old sister that drives him crazy. At the end of the story after Leslie dies, later after Jess experiences an Initiation. He truely and finally discovers the happiness Leslie brought to him simply through sharing her imagination to build this beautiful world. The tragedy he experienced allowed him to open his eyes to the life he was living, and he grew a new appreciation for his family. In one of the last scenes it shows Jess bringing his sister to his virtual world he once kept her far away from and in secret as he crowns her the new queen to take care of their land, for Leslie. As he crowns his little sister, they are both stopped in the middle of a bridge. This represents the transformation he experienced through the friendship he had with Leslie.
Hero: Leslie - as she saved Jess from the depressing life he was living before her.
Mentor: Jess and Leslie's school teacher who helps Jess in his grieving process after his best friend died, and was ironically with Jess when she died.
The Devil Figure could be a series of people in this film. It could be the father of Jess that is so busy with work he leaves no time for his son. It could also most definetely be the school bully; a girl with abnormally large feet, that wouldn't let anyone go to the bathroom during recess, or the boys in Jess' class that constantly name call him. It could be all three of this characters in this film.
Bridge to teribithia was a heart renching well made movie, and it allowed me to ask myself whether I take any of my family members for grandit, it allowed me to see my life through a different pair of eyes.
To get to this world Leslie and Jess created together they have to swing across a river on a rope to the other side where their kingdom awaits. The once first step to Leslie and Jess's new adventure was also the author of it's ending when Leslie tries to swing across on her own one morning and has an accident. Jess comes home to the news of the death of his best friend who drowned in the river when the rope gave way and fell into the rushing river below.
A huge theme I would give for this film is Transformation:
Through
The Green lush forest that awaited the children for adventure everyday after school symbolized its meaning: hope. It gave them something to look forward to, it gave them something past their circumstances.
The River that took the life of Jess' best friend represented life force, in that there are things in life we can't control, we can't stop bad things from happening, no matter how many different ways we try to look back and play it over in our minds, it is the nature and of life.
Throughout the story one of the conflicts Jess faces at home is the relationship he shares with his five year old sister that drives him crazy. At the end of the story after Leslie dies, later after Jess experiences an Initiation. He truely and finally discovers the happiness Leslie brought to him simply through sharing her imagination to build this beautiful world. The tragedy he experienced allowed him to open his eyes to the life he was living, and he grew a new appreciation for his family. In one of the last scenes it shows Jess bringing his sister to his virtual world he once kept her far away from and in secret as he crowns her the new queen to take care of their land, for Leslie. As he crowns his little sister, they are both stopped in the middle of a bridge. This represents the transformation he experienced through the friendship he had with Leslie.
Hero: Leslie - as she saved Jess from the depressing life he was living before her.
Mentor: Jess and Leslie's school teacher who helps Jess in his grieving process after his best friend died, and was ironically with Jess when she died.
The Devil Figure could be a series of people in this film. It could be the father of Jess that is so busy with work he leaves no time for his son. It could also most definetely be the school bully; a girl with abnormally large feet, that wouldn't let anyone go to the bathroom during recess, or the boys in Jess' class that constantly name call him. It could be all three of this characters in this film.
Bridge to teribithia was a heart renching well made movie, and it allowed me to ask myself whether I take any of my family members for grandit, it allowed me to see my life through a different pair of eyes.
The Parent Trap
Annie and Halle were identical twins separated at birth through their parents divorce at a very young age. In plans to never have to speak to each other again, both spouses moved to opposite sides of the country; Nick moves to Napa California where he owns his own vineyard and Elizabeth the mother moves to London England and starts her own wedding design company. Everything was working accordingly to plan until one summer 13 years later the 2 girls meet at camp and everything seeps out. Through a series of different experiences and childhood stories shared Annie and Halle realize that their identical looks and same birthdays are more than just a coincidence. Soon after their new realization they devise a plan to get their parents back together after switching places for the rest of the summer when they arrive back home. Over-coming many setbacks such as the father meeting someone over the summer and planning a wedding soon after, to the distance between both homes, to the long left unresolved feelings of the 2 spouses the two brilliant sisters succeed in the end and bring their family back together.
There are many examples of symbolism in The Parent Trap that all relate back to Greek Mythology.
The first example has to do with the significance of the size of the family. There are two children and 2 parents equaling a family of four. This number in Greek mythology represents life. In this story the the #4 represents the destiny that belongs to this family that they were always meant to be together as four.
The second example of Symbolism in this film is the Rain. The Greeks believed that rain reflected the giving of life. In the last scene of the movie, the mother is too afraid of falling in love with Nick again that she decides to go back to London with Annie and let the girls visit each other and leave it at that. As Elizabeth and Annie arrive at their house in London they are soaked head to toe in the pouring rain as they enter their house to find the father and Halle waiting for them. Nick then confesses to Elizabeth he should of chased after he that horrible day 13 years ago when she left and his daughters made him realize that he never wants to lose her again. This soon follows with lots of crying, making out, sappy music, and later on a wedding that reunites the family once again. The rain in this scene symbolizes the giving of life back to the family. The rain was used as a foreshadowing of everything that would of happened to Elizabeth, Nick, Halle and Annie seconds after walking through that door; a new giving of life, a new beginning.
Meredeth Blake the soon to be evil step mother has nick wrapped around her finger with her charming good looks and fake kindness towards Halle when she secretly plans to send her off to boarding school as soon as she gets the chance. In almost every scene of the film Meredith is always wearing a different black dress that is meant to show her sense of class, but it also accentuates her character of pure evil. (the color black)
The plan begins to seep out of it's secrecy when the grandfather finds Annie calling the REAL Annie from a pay phone during lunch one afternoon. He then leads her to the park overflowing with trees where they go on a walk and she tells him everything. The trees in this scene represent knowledge, and learning, as Halle confesses everything to her grandpa.
The shape of a rectangle in Greek Mythology represents what is most rational and most secure. As 2 points of a rectangle are close together but far apart from the 2 corners on the other side of the rectangle, this reflects the distance between the 4 family members split in half and the rationality Elizabeth is consumed with when she begins to think of the life she once lost been giving back to her. The rationality of just giving up, overwhelms her.
Lastly the two sisters take on a 5 step journey to bring their family back together again:
Stage 1 Departure: Halle and Annie meet at summer Camp to soon discover they are sisters, followed by their quest to meet the parents they never knew and ultimately bring their family back together.
Stage 2 Initiation: Throughout the next eight weeks of summer camp the girls "train" one another how to be each other so they can easily fool their parents in playing each others part
For the next couple weeks the girls are on a quest to
1. Meet their long lost parents.
2. Figure out why their parents split up in the first place
3. Find out how they met (Incorporated into how they will meet again)
4. Tell their parents what they did and in the process of switching the sisters back, hope that when the parents see each other again they will fall in love all over again.
5. Bring their family back together
Stage 3 The Road of Trials:
They endure a series of trials such as getting rid of Meredith, helping their spouses resolve old feelings and physically getting them together again from across the country.
Stage 4 The Innermost Cave: When the mother loses hope that this new life could ever work and goes back to London with Annie
Stage 5 Return and Reintegration with Society: The father chases after his wife and daughter to fight for what he loves more than anything; his family, to soon succeed and become rewarded with a wife and set of beautiful twins to spend the rest of his life with.
In conclusion the directer of The Parent Trap Nancy Meyers did an excellent job of portraying many aspects of Greek mythology in her work.
There are many examples of symbolism in The Parent Trap that all relate back to Greek Mythology.
The first example has to do with the significance of the size of the family. There are two children and 2 parents equaling a family of four. This number in Greek mythology represents life. In this story the the #4 represents the destiny that belongs to this family that they were always meant to be together as four.
The second example of Symbolism in this film is the Rain. The Greeks believed that rain reflected the giving of life. In the last scene of the movie, the mother is too afraid of falling in love with Nick again that she decides to go back to London with Annie and let the girls visit each other and leave it at that. As Elizabeth and Annie arrive at their house in London they are soaked head to toe in the pouring rain as they enter their house to find the father and Halle waiting for them. Nick then confesses to Elizabeth he should of chased after he that horrible day 13 years ago when she left and his daughters made him realize that he never wants to lose her again. This soon follows with lots of crying, making out, sappy music, and later on a wedding that reunites the family once again. The rain in this scene symbolizes the giving of life back to the family. The rain was used as a foreshadowing of everything that would of happened to Elizabeth, Nick, Halle and Annie seconds after walking through that door; a new giving of life, a new beginning.
Meredeth Blake the soon to be evil step mother has nick wrapped around her finger with her charming good looks and fake kindness towards Halle when she secretly plans to send her off to boarding school as soon as she gets the chance. In almost every scene of the film Meredith is always wearing a different black dress that is meant to show her sense of class, but it also accentuates her character of pure evil. (the color black)
The plan begins to seep out of it's secrecy when the grandfather finds Annie calling the REAL Annie from a pay phone during lunch one afternoon. He then leads her to the park overflowing with trees where they go on a walk and she tells him everything. The trees in this scene represent knowledge, and learning, as Halle confesses everything to her grandpa.
The shape of a rectangle in Greek Mythology represents what is most rational and most secure. As 2 points of a rectangle are close together but far apart from the 2 corners on the other side of the rectangle, this reflects the distance between the 4 family members split in half and the rationality Elizabeth is consumed with when she begins to think of the life she once lost been giving back to her. The rationality of just giving up, overwhelms her.
Lastly the two sisters take on a 5 step journey to bring their family back together again:
Stage 2 Initiation: Throughout the next eight weeks of summer camp the girls "train" one another how to be each other so they can easily fool their parents in playing each others part
For the next couple weeks the girls are on a quest to
1. Meet their long lost parents.
2. Figure out why their parents split up in the first place
3. Find out how they met (Incorporated into how they will meet again)
4. Tell their parents what they did and in the process of switching the sisters back, hope that when the parents see each other again they will fall in love all over again.
5. Bring their family back together
Stage 3 The Road of Trials:
They endure a series of trials such as getting rid of Meredith, helping their spouses resolve old feelings and physically getting them together again from across the country.
Stage 4 The Innermost Cave: When the mother loses hope that this new life could ever work and goes back to London with Annie
Stage 5 Return and Reintegration with Society: The father chases after his wife and daughter to fight for what he loves more than anything; his family, to soon succeed and become rewarded with a wife and set of beautiful twins to spend the rest of his life with.
In conclusion the directer of The Parent Trap Nancy Meyers did an excellent job of portraying many aspects of Greek mythology in her work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)