Water for Elephants (2011)
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A veterinary student finds himself working in a circus during the Great Depression, where he forms a bond with a performer and a mistreated elephant.
The story
In 1931, during the Great Depression, a veterinary student named Jacob Jankowski abandons his studies and joins a traveling circus. He is hired by the ringmaster, August, to care for the animals. Jacob soon meets Marlena, a performer and August's wife, and is tasked with training a newly acquired Asian elephant named Rosie. As Jacob works to care for the elephant and navigate the complexities of life on the circus train, he and Marlena develop a close bond while dealing with the harsh realities of the circus life and the demanding nature of their employer.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1931, a veterinary student named Jacob Jankowski joins a circus during the Great Depression. He is tasked with caring for the animals and training a new elephant, Rosie. He forms a close bond with Marlena, a performer and the wife of the ringmaster, August. After Rosie is mistreated by August, Jacob and Marlena work together to care for her. They eventually fall in love and flee from August's abuse. During a chaotic performance, they lead a revolt, and Rosie ultimately kills August. In the present day, an elderly Jacob reveals to a man named Charlie O'Brien that he and Marlena lived a long life together after the circus was shut down.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 120
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Francis Lawrence
- Writers
- Richard LaGravenese · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Reese Witherspoon · Marlena Rosenbluth; Robert Pattinson · Jacob Jankowski; Christoph Waltz · August Rosenbluth; Hal Holbrook · Older Jacob Jankowski; Paul Schneider · Charlie O'Brien; Jim Norton · Camel; Mark Povinelli · Kinko / Walter; Richard Brake · Grady
- Genres
- romantic drama; Circus films
- Themes
- loyalty; animal welfare
- Tone and mood
- romantic; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- period piece; historical fiction; romance
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2006 novel by Sara Gruen
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from film critics.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 60% · scale: percentage · review count: 199; Metacritic · score: 52 · scale: 100 · review count: 35
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The film is the second time Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson have costared together.; The elephant Rosie's moaning and crying sounds were audio tracks, not made by the actual elephant.; The film was shot in multiple locations including California, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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