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by Chrissy Lewin
The risk one assumes when seeing a film based on a book that the reader consumed in a twenty-four hour period like a box of truffles, alternatively devouring and forcing oneself to slow down and savor, is that it can be such a huge disappointment that the audience feels personally betrayed. Sometimes, though, the gamble pays off, as it did with Water for Elephants, the film adaptation of Sara Gruen's novel of the same name.
From its opening scenes of an elderly man in a dark, rainy parking lot too late for the matinee performance, the film beckons us to come a little closer. What is it about carnivals and circuses, their glossy, twinkling, musical surfaces, that makes it so tantalizing to peel back the layers and glimpse the seedy, sepia-toned underbelly?
Hal Holbrook, brilliantly cast as "Jacob Jankowski, the only" stands in the circus manager's office, trying to cajole him to not call the nursing home from which he'd just walked out that afternoon. It is only after he comments on some vintage circus photographs on the wall that the man hangs up the phone and is ready to listen to what Jakob has to say. Jakob reveals that he was a veterinarian with the Benzini Brothers Circus- and was right in the middle of the biggest circus disaster since the Hartford fire of 1944.
From there, the story is taken over by a flashback by Robert Pattinson, a young man on the brink of starting his adult life when tragedy hits and he is suddenly alone and penniless in rural New York in 1931. In desperation one night, he hops aboard a freight train and learns quickly that he has inadvertently run away with the circus.
Of course, circus life is not easily adjusted to, but Jacob is able to endear himself to a few of the roustabouts in order to avoid being red-lighted, or tossed from the moving train, the usual penalty for stowing away. Soon he displays his affinity for the animals and is able to use his almost-complete degree in veterinary science for more than shoveling horse poop, after pointing out to the circus owner that Ringling Brothers most assuredly has a vet on staff.
Jacob is immediately taken with Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), the star performer in an act with black and white liberty horses. Witherspoon is radiant during her scenes in the center ring, and even moreso when she's not on horseback. Even more endearing is the title character in the film is Rosie the elephant, played by Tai, who also shared the screen with Witherspoon in 2004's Vanity Fair.
A much less-touted performance is Christoph Waltz's portrayal of August Rosenbluth, the owner of Benzini Brothers Circus. August also happens to be married to Marlena. She's part wife, part investment to him, a trophy about whom he does seem to care. He is quick-tempered and violently impulsive; in one difficult scene, he reacts so strongly to Rosie's misbehavior that he beats her with a bull-hook, a scene made more horrific by the fact that the audience sees nothing of the beating, only the train car shaking while Rosie screams. When confronted by Jacob minutes later in his train car, August is crying over what he has done and whether or not Marlena will ever speak to him again. The audience is almost able to feel ready to accept his remorse when he inquires urgently after Rosie's condition and volunteers to give her all of the whiskey he has in order to make her more comfortable, but the subtle spattering of elephant blood on his white shirt makes it harder to forgive him. August also is keenly aware of the complicated relationship that develops between himself, Jacob and Marlena as the three of them must work together to make the elephant perform, and painfully unable to remove Jacob from his circus once he has become indispensable.
Another unsung performance is Jim Norton as Camel, an alcoholic crew member who advises Jacob that if he has any kind of life to go back to at all, he would be much better off than staying with Benzini Brothers. Sadly, Jacob does not, so Camel takes Jacob under his wing and guides him through the basics of circus culture. Camel acts as a paternal figure to the younger roustabouts, building a family environment in such a transient community.
Finally, the bookending of the story with Hal Holbrook as the older Jacob is a poignant way to give some context to the story. Jacob, quite possibly the last surviving member of a long-defunct circus, is forgotten by even his children, who are too busy to even remember whose turn it is to visit him that weekend. The circus is also in decline in this age of special effects, thrilling roller-coasters and video games.
The film is directed by Francis Lawrence. His filmography is mostly comprised of pop music videos, including, interestingly, Britney Spears' "Circus," which also features Tai the elephant. Lawrence creates a portrait of 1931 so stunning that the visuals could be enjoyed without any accompanying audio. The beautiful landscapes and animals juxtaposed with the grit of the roustabouts and desperation of the time period makes every scene suitable for framing.
Ultimately, while this film has the adult themes of sex an violence woven into its plot, it is the story of the love than can develop between humans and animals, between unlikely sets of people, and for the dying lifestyle of circus performers. Anything that could be considered graphic is implied or takes place behind closed doors, making this a PG-13 film that more than one generation can enjoy.
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