Water for Elephants

This is another of those books that I just couldn’t wait to see turned into a movie. It has many of the elements I like – it is character driven, a wonderful story, a little romance, a villain (yep that amazing actor who won the best supporting actor award for Inglorious Bastards) he is so good he makes you want to go “boo…hisssssss!,” and animals. This movie is not an exact clone of the book, but you will still enjoy Water for Elephants.

I liked it – a lot.

The other thing about his film I need to mention is the colors. If you searched Google Images (which I do to look for antique quilt images) and found examples of antique circus posters with bright reds, greens, and yellows toned down with what I would describe as an “ivory sheer” – you know, the same “sepia look” as a cream colored sheer covering your living room window, that is the visual look of this movie.

Ladies and Gentlemen….Water for Elephants

Quotes

Jacob: I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me.

Plot Summary

'Water for Elephants is the story of Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson), a veterinary student (and Polish American) in the 1930s who joins the circus after his parents' tragic deaths. There, he falls in love with Marlena Rosenbluth (Reese Witherspoon), the wife of the circus' owner August Rosenbluth (Christoph Waltz).

Life Lesson

One of the characters in this movie is Rosie the Elephant and no one saw her potential except Jacob Jankowski (Robert Pattinson) who figured her and her secret out. It is that way sometimes with animals (and people). You have to look beyond the surface and give them a chance, maybe even several chances because sometimes first impression aren’t always the best impressions. And you don’t want to miss out, do you?

I love animals and I have to admit dogs are my favorite – I could not imagine my life without one.

When I saw Red Dog (Nicky our beagle mix) for the first time at the shelter, she was skinny as a rail because her previous owners did not see her potential and had left her tied up on a chain without any food or water, her coat was so badly infected that they had to shave parts of it off, and she had just had surgery so she wasn’t feeling all that good, but she was the only dog in the Humane Society that day that sat at the opening to the kennel calmly wagging her tail patiently waiting for me to stop by her place and then when I kneeled down beside her and put my hand on the cage – she put her paw on my hand – I swear it and I was a goner I didn’t look at another dog in the place.

Red Dog the Day I Brought Her Home

I liked her calm energy and took her home. My family said “What is the matter with that dog? She looks sick and what’s with the hair missing from her coat, (visualize icky looks on male faces – if you can’t, think of someone’s expression when they say ew-w-w-w- and now you got the picture) it looks like she has the mange.”

Silly boys, they did not see her potential at first either, but time has passsed, she has changed their dubious first impression of her, and they have come to appreciate her for the good dog she is.

Red Dog Today

For a chicken chew or a dog biscuit, Red Dog will perform a variety of tricks: Bang Your Dead, Circle, Circle, Circle, Sit Pretty, Sit, Lay Down, High Five, Shake Hands, Sing a Song, Speak, and while not an official trick, she barks at the door when she wants to come in.

Red Dog doesn’t go near Route 6. She is smart enough to stay away from the highway we live on – which is kind of a first for us -- our other dogs, even our beloved Spud who was smarter then most and stood up, rump against our back door, to two coyotes near Brian’s old basketball hoop late one summer night, had a fascination with our highway which did not bode too well for Max and Spud’s futures.

I have something to share with you – it happened just last night and that is why I suppose I am writing about this today. Red Dog was laying down next to my husband last night and I asked her, “Do you want to go to Dairy Queen?” She loves to go to DQ because Keith gets her her own ice cream cone.

Mentioning going to Dairy Queen got Red Dog’s attention and she sat up and started pacing. Then I told her “If you want to go to Dairy Queen, lick Keith’s hand.” She walked over to Keith and licked his hand. Keith looked up at me surprised and I said “She’s a smart dog isn’t she?” He laughed and said she’d never do that again in a million years. So I said to her “If you want to go to Dairy Queen, lick my hand.” She walked over to me and licked my hand. Keith laughed again and we went to Dairy Queen.

True Story – honest.

Water for Elephants Movie Cast

• Reese Witherspoon as Marlena Rosenbluth
• Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski
• Christoph Waltz as August Rosenbluth
• Tai as Rosie, the elephant
• James Frain as Rosie's caretaker
• Hal Holbrook as Older Jacob Jankowski
• Paul Schneider as Charlie O'Brien
• Ken Foree as Earl
• Tim Guinee as Diamond Joe
• Mark Povinelli as Kinko/Walter
• Scott MacDonald as Blackie
• Jim Norton as Camel
• Richard Brake as Grady
• And Others