Elegy Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life — which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" — thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher.
| Michelle Harrison | Student #1 |
| Antonio Cupo | Consuela's imagined lover |
| Dennis Hopper | George O'Hearn |
| Alessandro Juliani | Actor #3 in Play |
| Ben Kingsley | David Kepesh |
| Ryan McDonell | Student #2 |
| Shaker Paleja | Kris Banjee |
| Kris Pope | Consuela's Brother |
| Peter Sarsgaard | Kenneth Kepesh |
| Sonja Bennett | Beth |
| Patricia Clarkson | Carolyn |
| Penélope Cruz | Consuela Castillo |
| Deborah Harry | Amy O'Hearn |
| Chelah Horsdal | Susan Reese |
| Marci T. House | Nurse |
| Isabel Coixet |
7.00 out of 10 (2492 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Fantastic character movie
posted on 26 Aug 2009Definitely a great, interesting turn by all the actors involved. Ben Kingsley does great, subtle work as a professor who can't quite grow up while he's growing old. He's got great ticks that really bring the character to life. Penelope Cruz is, naturally, a perfectly reasonable object of lust and love and she brings the movie to a nice center. However, the best of all was Dennis Hopper who, even in his small role, is so hilarious and interesting that you wish he was around more. The movie really works as a sort of long episode of Ben Kingsley's life; it's broken up into different parts each with their own arc that sometimes has a riveting climax while others just peter out. Not in a bad way, mind you, but like how these things happen in real life. Definitely worth seeing
Does not make justice to the book.
posted on 16 Aug 2009It's not a dreadful movie. The story is simple, the acting is consistent, the dialogues are acceptable, and there is a plot.Nevertheless, if you read "The Dying Animal" from Roth, you will feel kind of deceived due to the total failing in producing all the intensity, the drama or the superb dialogues and thoughts enclosed in that wonderful small book. One example is the relationship of the two men, far away from the clever and brainy relationship in the book.After all, though I'm not an expert, such an adaptation seemed to be not so difficult to produce. The book is very clear and the plot very simple as I said. My impression is lack of a good script and a consistent direction, which in my opinion lost trek during the shooting of the purpose of this project.Watch the movie accompanied by a good wine if you like Kingsley's and Hopper's acting and Cruz breasts, though here she is far from being the "sexual beast" we are used seeing in other movies.
Careful direction, skilled acting, and excellent use of nonverbal communication puts 'Elegy' a cut above the rest.
posted on 16 Aug 2009'Elegy' stood out to me not only because of its world-class acting performances (which really were the cornerstone of the film), but also because of several technical aspects that are so effortless and natural, you hardly recognize them as results of a filmmaker's input. Every stare, look, and glance that David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) gives is deep, carefully manufactured, and serves as another means of storytelling beyond simply words. Extended close-ups and other scenic shots are sprinkled throughout the film to make it, at points, visually beautiful as well. It is a rarity to see a film that (successfully) focuses so much on gestures, body language, and imagery, while at the same time leaving the audience with Oscar-caliber performances by some of the most celebrated screen actors today. 'Elegy' is a triumphant effort under Isabel Coixet's careful direction.
Fine acting saves a trite story
posted on 06 Aug 2009This adaptation of one of Philip Roth's lesser novels ("The Dying Animal"), published in 2001, succeeds brilliantly in its own right. Isabel Coixet (who is indeed from Barcelona) has allowed her two lead actors, Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz, to burrow into their roles and produce an entirely credible story of a May and December relationship which seems doomed from the start, yet plays out in an unexpected fashion. As David Kepesh, a New York eng lit professor long divorced who habitually seduces one of his students each year (once he has graded their exam), Kingsley oozes charm and cynicism. Yet he makes it quite believable that such a creature could fall in love, despite the urgings of his old friend George the poet (Dennis Hopper) and despite his convenient relationship with a female version of himself, Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson) who pops in to his apartment from time to time for regular servicing. Penelope Cruz is also a revelation. As the bright eyed Cuban-American student Consuela who falls in love with a man thirty years older she gives us every reason to think she's for real. Consuela may have had a somewhat sheltered background (her family is wealthy) but she is no fool, and unlike Kepesh she can see past external appearances to the man within.The only problem is that although Kepesh is an educated, witty and charming intellectual, something of a celebrity in fact, he has a fear of commitment so strong that any emotional relationship he has is bound to be a disaster, as we see from the uncomfortable scenes with his adult son, now a doctor, who has still not forgiven Kepesh from deserting him and his mother many years ago. Ben Kingsley lets us read his character's feelings on his face; dialogue is scarcely necessary. His performance is so strong we almost forget that he is actually not a very nice person. At the end he is committed all right, but not enjoying it very much. Kepesh combines commitment phobia with jealousy – he doesn't want anyone to have what he wants, but can't bring himself to take.Most of the action takes place indoors, so it scarcely matters that filming was completed not in New York but in Vancouver (some of the minor roles are taken by young Canadian actors). Patricia Clarkson is exactly right as Kepesh's sex buddy and Dennis Hopper is fine as Kepesh's only friend George. He had some of the best lines, which always helps. Deborah Harry, the musician, pops up as George's put-upon wife and Peter Sarsgaard is quite moving as the still-angry son.This movie bears out the adage that not-so-good novels can make good films. It is worth seeing for the acting alone, with Ben Kingsley back on top form and Penelope Cruz proving you don't have to be ugly to be a good actor.
What an uninteresting and manipulative plot!
posted on 02 Aug 2009Through most of this movie, I was bored to death. It tells the story of a middle-aged man who won't grow up and has some affairs with his students and then he falls in love. And that is basically it. Told for unbearable 2 hours or so. I must add that I love Ben Kingsley as an actor, but tend to not find Penelope Cruz especially interesting in her performances. Her character in this movie is pretty dull (no surprise there then), she is being portrayed as the beauty who is also profound (well, that's maybe a matter of taste, but I really don't find her that beautiful, and certainly the character was said to be profound, but it was not shown). Please. Give me a break. Just when I was about to almost leave the theatre, the movie gets a dramatic turn by Cruz' character having cancer. I am actually angry because of this movie. I do have a case of cancer in my family, so I am familiar with the subject, thanks very much. But a movie that has basically no substance at all (and just claims to be sophisticated, using all sorts of clichés etc) and then throws in the dramatic element of a terminal illness to make it a good movie? I find this manipulative and sorry, her character does not become interesting by having cancer. There is little character development (maybe mostly for Ben Kingsley's role), but the subject of people reaching middle age and not wanting to grow up is just dead boring to me. He won't commit, yet he is in love with her and never forgets her, whilst she loves him too, but leaves him due to lack of commitment, and then she reappears, telling him she has cancer. And he bursts into tears (actually the best moment, Kingsley is very credible here), and is at her side to support her. Add to all of this an even more dull son who appears somewhere in the middle of this painfully bad plot, wanting to talk to his father (and we are already informed that they don't have the best relationship with each other). He has an affair! As a married man! Oh My God! And it is so very bad acted, that I actually felt in every second of that scene "he is acting! he is acting! this is a movie! this is so not credible". I am sure this was not the intended reaction for the audience. So, all in all, let me summarize that I still feel this is a mainly uninteresting, dull, boring movie that has nothing new or really profound to tell, and that misuses the element of cancer (or any serious illness, for that matter) for its dramatic effect on the audience. I felt betrayed by this sort of emotional manipulation. I give 3 points because Kingsley's performance was - as usual - excellent. A bad movie remains a bad movie though, even if you add cancer to it. An uninteresting, not deeply explored character that is the so-called sophisticated lady (wishful thinking here!)does not become incredibly interesting just because she is going to die soon. Give me a break!
a sad movie
posted on 29 Jul 2009The more I think about this movie, the sadder I find it.To begin with, it is yet another Hollywood presentation of a middle-aged male college professor (Smart People, etc., are others of late). Once again, he is an unhappy and self-centered individual, who clearly earns more than any professor of literature I know. He also throws cocktail parties for his students, which would send most modern college administrators into fits.But the truly sad thing about this movie is the presentation of the young woman, played by Penélope Cruz, and her relationship with the professor. Yes, she is very attractive. Yes, he wants to have sex with her and is only interested in that. But she is getting an MFA, he has an apartment full of art books, yet we never see her talk to him about art, her necessarily educated and refined ideas on art, etc. When, at the end of the movie, she learns that she has breast cancer and then loses a breast in the operation, she is devastated because she will no longer be beautiful and he will no longer desire her. Her physical beauty and her attractiveness to men seem to be her whole world, and this is not put into question.And yet the movie was directed by a woman. Even from a good male director I would have expected some putting into question of those values, but with a woman director and an educated character, the lack of it particularly bothered me. If this movie was condemned by a breast cancer association, I would understand.There isn't really much intellectual substance to the professor's life, either. He and his colleague, another literature professor, seem to talk only about having sex. That would be a normal part of their conversation, of course, but we never see why the lit professor is esteemed for his mind, as he would appear to be.I haven't read the Phillip Roth novel on which this is based. Maybe all this is there, maybe not. But the movie has to be judged on its own grounds, of course, and while I found this well acted, I found the script to be sadly lacking. Such supposedly intelligent, educated individuals could have been a lot more interesting.
A sombre look at a favourite Woody Allen theme
posted on 23 Jul 2009You can almost say this is typical Woody Allen, but without the sense of humour. It's a familiar story of a New York ageing upper class intellectual having a romance with someone more than thirty years younger, not unlike Allen's latest "Whatever works", with some variations in details. What Ben Kingsley portrays, however, is a sort of Sean-Connery-type ageing that every man dreams of having - physically fit, mentally alert, projecting strength rather than weakness from advanced years. I understand from gleaning various information that this persona is quite different from what is presented in the original novel. What hasn't changed, again from my understanding, is the hopeless emotional attachment the old(er) man has for the young woman. Watching Penelope Cruz in this film, this hopeless attachment is absolutely convincing. I have watched not a few of Cruz's films but have never seen her THAT beautiful, both in form and in demeanour. As a student who admires the wise teacher, she is still in possession of her self-assurance.The story is first and foremost about the protagonist himself, then about his romance with this adorable student. Further out in the layers, there are several other key characters. Very important is Patricia Clarkson (incidentally, an Allen favourite – "Vicky, Christina, Barcelona" and "Whatever works") portraying an liberated woman who is a long-time sex partner of our protagonist – pure sex, no other complications (well, maybe not until she discovers that he is having sex with another woman). Dennis Hooper is the classic sidekick, loyal friend and confidant. Peter Sarsgaard is another classic case, a son who doesn't get along with the father, until the issue is forced. Anyone who has seen the performance of these three actors will appreciate their calibre. As a delightful semi-cameo playing Hooper's character's wife is Deborah Harry, one time top ten sexist women as a member of "Blondie" and later earned recognition as a good actor in her own right.The plot requires no description as the story basically tells itself as it unfolds. This is a slow-burn movie with simmering, suppressed emotions. The atmosphere becomes really intense only in the last 20 minutes with a special turn of events. Cinematography is sheer breath-taking.Although markedly lacking in humour and laughs, there are a lot to be enjoyed in this movie. For Cruz fans, she alone is more than enough reason.
Aging
posted on 21 Jul 2009OK. Professor starts an affair with one of his students. You may have prejudices about that. Not about this kind of affairs, but about this kind of movies.But it's a story about aging and jealousy and so far touching. The professor goes through hell, including all objections he's supposed to have about his own behavior in this certainly true love. A love which is regarded as ridiculous. Most so by himself.Cruz and Kingsley are great as you could expect, but the greatest performance is delivered by Dennis Hopper. A certain amount of sentimentality is a little disturbing, but this film obviously takes aging as an emotional problem seriously.
An interesting experience
posted on 09 Jul 2009I have to say I did not like director Isabel Coixet's previous work.My Life Without Me and the intolerable The Secret Life of Words had bored me pretty much,they were pretentious and they did not have too much to say.However,I think Coixet made her best movie so far with Elegy,her most recent film.This movie is far from being great,but it avoids many problems from her previous movies,at the same time it was an interesting experience to me,something completely different to My Life Without Me and The Secret Life of Words.I usually do not praise the title of a movie but,in this case,I have to do it.An elegy is a poetic lament which announces the lost of something...or somebody.And I think that word perfectly summarizes the message and content from this movie.If you see this film,you will understand what I am talking about.The main character from Elegy uses a dug intellectualism to seduce Consuela (the other main character),and on some way,I think the movie uses the same trick with the spectator.Elegy has many solemn dialogs and reflexive ideas but,beyond their surface,I found them as a methodical trick the movie uses to make the spectator feel impressed with its apparent intelligence.In other words,I think this movie thinks it is more intelligent than what it really is,and I think that's the worst fail from it.Another negative element is that some moments felt a little bit boring.The character of Professor Kepesh is very interesting because of his emotional complexity.I think that character was perfectly developed by the screenplay,although I must add that it also helps it was performed by Ben Kingsley,who brings a phenomenal performance.He is so involved with his character that he never seems to be acting at all.An extraordinary achievement from Kingsley which was unfortunately ignored.Penélope Cruz is an excellent actress but,for some reason,she did not convince me too much with her performance on this movie.I think she could not completely become into her character.Patricia Clarkson is brilliant as always and,although her appearance is not too long,she shows credibility and conviction.And I also appreciated the performance from the great Dennis Hopper,which is serious and honest,although it has a touch of irreverent humor.Coixet's sparing direction works well because it lets the story to be developed with sobriety and elegance,but without loosing the emotional impact from certain scenes.Elegy is far from being a great movie but I had an interesting experience watching it.I think that a little bit less of pretentiousness on the screenplay would have worked better but this movie deserves a recommendation in spite of its fails.Rating:7.5
Great performances, great film
posted on 03 Jul 2009I thoroughly enjoyed this film. As someone who is not familiar with Philip Roth's works, I found the story to be interesting and moving. What really made the movie so enjoyable to me was the focus on the interpersonal relationships between David Kepesh(Ben Kingsley) and several of the supporting players. For example, some of the film's most poignant moments came in the scenes featuring Kepesh and his best friend (played by Dennis Hopper.) While these scenes did not necessarily serve to move the plot along, they painted a picture of the daily struggles Kepesh faces and also the layers of his only true friendship. In addition, it was heart-wrenching to see Kepeshs' son (Peter Sarsgaard), now a 40-something man married with children, resorting to his father for advice and consolation. We found out that Kepesh left his son and wife many years past, and while his son has never truly forgiven his father, he finds himself committing similar mistakes (adultery) that lead his father to become the flawed, relationship-challenged man he is today. These complex relationships, in addition to several others in the film, allow us to closely examine this fascinating point in the life of David Kepesh.
Roger Ebert's review
posted on 15 Jun 2009Just reading the many long reviews posted, I can see how this movie has moved so many viewers. Like all of Coixet's films, it makes the audience think and feel, and never leave anyone unaffected. Coixet and Meyer have done a terrific job of neutralizing Roth's male fantasies. Kingsley in the "male" role transforms the story by presenting himself as this totally assured professional and successful man who hides many scars that are only perceptible when Penelope enters his life.Just another comment on the first review posted on the ELEGY page. I read Roger Ebert's review and many of his comments were included in this review without making reference to the source. Perhaps the guidelines for writing comments should stress that "borrowing" must be acknowledged.
Is This a Movie or a Funeral?
posted on 11 Jun 2009How many synonyms are there for the word "glum?" Gloomy, morose, sombre, depressing. I wish I could think of more, because I'm going to need all of them to talk about this film.At least half of this movie we've already seen before, and it was called "Starting Out in the Evening" with Frank Langella. An aging intellectual who's kept himself free of emotional attachments suddenly finds himself falling for a girl a good 30+ years younger than him. In this film, Ben Kingsley, giving a good performance but saddled with a glum character, plays the intellectual, and Penelope Cruz plays the young woman. The movie initially suggests that it might go interesting places; Kingsley, used to analyzing everything to death, forms a sort of obsession with Cruz as a work of art rather than as a human being, and his jealousy and insecurity begin to get the better of him. But the story doesn't follow that thread; instead, the two lovers break up and only meet again a couple of years later when Cruz shows up on Kingsley's doorstep, diagnosed with breast cancer but already looking like she's got one foot in the grave.God this movie is depressing. If there is any joy in the lovers' relationship, we certainly don't see it, making us wonder why any of the emotional angst the two of them seem to be constantly going through is worth it. Most of their time together consists of Kingsley staring into Cruz's face like an anthropologist investigating something he's just dug up from an ancient burial site, while Cruz mopes and makes one wonder why Kingsley can't just be content with the flame he's got on the side, played by Patricia Clarkson, who's got about fifty times more pizazz than Cruz. I thought for a brief moment that the film was going to redeem itself when the plot twist involving Cruz's illness occurred. Suddenly, this morose man who trudges around worrying about his own death is faced with the prospect of losing the only thing that has brought some recent joy to his life but which he's taken for granted would outlast him. But the movie doesn't really explore this concept either, and instead settles quickly back into its gloomy rhythms.We know that this is supposed to be a "serious" movie, because the score consists of morose piano music, and some sort of precipitation is always falling from the gray sky. But the filmmakers would have been advised to exercise their funny bones at least a little bit; humor can be found in even the darkest of situations. We're asked to care for these drips but not given a reason to. I didn't see that their relationship was really all that much more fun before the cancer than after.Peter Sarsgaard, always a welcome presence, plays Kingsley's estranged son, but the movie manages to suck the life out of him too. Dennis Hopper, who plays Kingsley's womanizing friend, is the only person in the film I'd really want to spend any time with, because at least he seems to have a sense of humor -- so of course the script kills him off after making him an invalid for a little while first.Have fun! Grade: C
a muddled mix - good acting, uninspired directing, felt long
posted on 28 May 2009Haven't read this Roth book, but read a few others, so I know his character types.All the actors did a very good job - Hopper outstanding, Kingsley & Cruz very good, other actors solid support.But the directing seemed rather clichéd (one man stopping in the middle of a crowded New York sidewalk, while everyone keeps moving, then do it later in slow motion - what is this? a REM video from 15 years ago?) and barely kept the movie going. 2/3 of the way in it seemed a little long.So, over all, there were some good things worth watching, but nothing to rush out to see.
A Moving Ben Kingsley Conduit Stolen By Penelope Cruz
posted on 20 May 2009Ben Kingsley, who is capable of playing practically any role, seems to be remarkable at playing men who are very smart but their thoughts are a lot less than pure most of the time. Elegy is a film that could easily have been written with him in mind, though by the time it's over, Penelope Cruz has stolen away with it, and changed Kingsley's character in the progression. It's properly made.Kingsley seems to be just about the entire movie as a self-seeking book critic. He was married in the past, and has a well-to-do son. He got divorced years ago and has a sex pal relationship with another woman who he sees rarely, played by Patricia Clarkson, who I can totally see having the capability for no-strings occasional liaisons. He is frequently attracted to his female students, and sometimes has sex with some of them. Still, to steer clear of trouble, he always waits until they graduate. With one of these women, Penelope Cruz's character, a more profound relationship grows.But Kingsley has never matured in this manner. He is preoccupied with jealousy, certain that she is seeing someone else, someone younger, more handsome and virile. He even shows up at a dance he knows she's attending, to check up on her. His doubt frustrates and deters her, because she cannot put up with not being trusted.When the time comes, the movie makes a dramatic bend which surrounds all the deepest bona fide feelings of the story. And in these scenes, Cruz is peacefully compelling and dreadfully real. You come to appreciate why the director, Isabel Coixet, cast Cruz rather than a younger, authentically college-age actress. An actress necessitates wisdom and the familiarity of time to play these scenes, and Cruz must have both, especially now that I'm seeing her shortly after her incredible performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.That this nuanced drama with erudite cultural ambiance is not merely a self-indulgent male writer's wet dream about the horny scoundrel and the exquisite and charming Venus is a relief. That it sees Manhattan plainly as a location benefits this story because it is a place where we suppose things like this are liable to take place, not like the typical burgh where we live. Then there is Dennis Hopper as the old comrade with whom Kingsley has coffee and plays racquetball, who tries to bring wisdom to Kingsley's activities, but sees no light at the end of the tunnel. And Peter Sarsgaard as Kingsley's son, with problems of his own, and a father who has become not only a shame but an unrelated matter. But what the movie's not afraid to do is let you in on Kingsley's feelings after awhile. Who cares about all these things he should accept as responsibility when he's so immersed in love for this new, young person?
Is this movie over yet? Can I go now?
posted on 08 May 2009A sepia-toned soporific bore, Elegy is an insult to every older man who enjoyed his relationship with a younger woman. Heinously miscast as a playboy professor, Ben Kingsley is far too stiff, depressed and stiff-backed for the part. This is a character tailor-made for Jeremy Irons or perhaps John Malkovich, someone with wit and movement. In one scene where he is moodily staring out his rain-flecked apartment window, his posture is less like a man contemplating mortality than someone pondering the sewage system of his street. It's virtually impossible to imagine Kingsley's character, David Kapesh, pursuing anything sexual. And the scenes where he nuzzles lover Penelope Cruz are cringe-inducing. The film only comes to life in the brief, male bonding scenes with Dennis Hopper. I've not been a fan of Penelope Cruz until recently. But with her work in Vicki Christina Barcelona and this warm, sensual, intelligent and open performance in Elegy, I'm a fan now. Hopper is lively and fun, even if his character is a slightly mean-spirited fount of bad advice. Patricia Clarkson is lovely and expressive in her brief scenes, too. Avoid!
The Biggest Surprise in a Man's Life Is Old Age
posted on 26 Apr 2009In Manhattan, the middle-aged writer, art critic and professor and aspirant piano player and photographer David Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) questions that his age does not affect his sex drive and recalls words of Bette Davis ("Old age is not for sissies") and Tostoi ("The biggest surprise in a man's life is old age"). Despite of his great culture, the intellectual David is a man that has grown old but never grown up, and he is unable to last a relationship, including with his oncologist son Kenneth Kepesh (Peter Sarsgaard). The exceptions are his old poet friend and confident George O'Hearn (Dennis Hopper) and the independent businesswoman Carolyn (Patricia Clarkson), with whom he has an affair for more than twenty years. When he meets the elegant, educated and gorgeous Cuban student Consuela Castillo (Penélope Cruz) in his literature class, he feels a great sexual attraction for her and seduces her in the end of the period. They have a love affair for one and half years, but David is always insecure being thirty and something years older than the student. When Consuela forces David to come to her graduation party and meet her family and friends, he takes a decision that affects their relationship forever.The Spanish Isabel Coixet is certainly one of the most sensitive directors of the cinema industry. "My Life without Me" and "The Secret Life of Words" are among the most beautiful, touching and heartbreaking movies I have ever seen. "Elegy" is another wonderful movie of this awesome director that deals with another real theme, the aging of men, which could be difficult for a female director to understand and correctly disclose on the screen. However, the romance works mainly because the lead male role seems to be tailored for Sir Ben Kingsley (it could be Sean Connery a couple of years ago). I can not imagine any other actor that could personify David Kepesh as portrayed in the story. Further, Penélope Cruz deserved the Oscar for her performance, with a more realistic character than in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". The Academy wrote right through wrong performances. She is incredibly gorgeous in the role of Consuela Castillo. The always excellent Patricia Clarkson, the irregular Dennis Hopper and the "disappeared" Peter Sarsgaard have also memorable performances in this outstanding romance. The cinematography and the music score complete this beautiful work of art. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "Fatal" ("Fatal")
Kingsley mis-cast
posted on 18 Apr 2009Elegy is a film about a professor, David Kepesh, who falls in love with a young woman. It's not about their relationship, nor about the lack of a relationship with his estranged son - even his close friendship with a poet only exists in order to allow articulation of his analysis and misgivings when we need a break from the intermittent voice-over. It's about Kepesh alone, how he reacts to a seismic emotional shift in his life and why.Yet the absorbing central performance that this demands is not forthcoming. I want to say that Ben Kingsley's acting is under-par, neutral, as it's less involving than other characterisations. However, one cannot deny the intensity of his performance. So instead I have to say that he is miscast, his rigid hauteur ill-suited for a man brooking overwhelming self-doubt and regret to an almost suicidal extent.Isabel Coixet is no help. The film looks quite good but rolls out at a single pace allowing no space in which to dip and dive between burgeoning love and the rash moments that come with fear. The music is not well-judged either, invariable in its temperament. It simply accentuates the gap between the exotic potential of the fine performance (and simply presence) of Penelope Cruz and the earth-bound, wing-clipped film in which she appears. 4/10
Erotic, touching and beautiful
posted on 16 Apr 2009Everybody is allowed to do a job just for the money, I know that I do, but when it comes to the acting profession, I irrationally think that I expect a little bit more from our finest thespians. I don't know why. I just do. Take, for example, the actor Ben Kingsley.Ben Kingsley sometimes annoys the hell out of me. He is one of the best actors in the world, but sometimes plys his trade in the likes of films like "Thunderbirds", "A Sound Of Thunder" and "The Love Guru". Such a waste. Such a shame. Thank God he occasionally realises how good he is and signs up for a movie as sublime as "Elegy"."Elegy" is a great movie. Ben Kingsley is supreme in it. He plays David Kapesh, an expat British teacher and writer. Kapesh is selfish. He is a player and a commitment phobe, who takes and drops lovers at the drop of a hat. That is until he meets Penelope Cruz's Consuela Castillo, with whom he begins a pretty standard affair and, against all expectations, and much to his dismay, falls in love with her."Elegy" has some seriously good, sure footed performances. Ben Kingsley is on Oscar worthy form. It is as different, but as good a performance, as his Oscar nominated turns in "Sexy Beast" and "House Of Sand And Fog". Patrica Clarkson, as Kapesh's long standing mistress, defines hurt and betrayal, Penelope Cruz completely puts word to the lie of one daft critic who said that she simply cannot act in the English language, but the surprise here is Dennis Hopper: His performance as Kapesh's best friend is light years away from the eye rolling villain that he normally portrays to make a crust."Elegy" is erotic, touching and beautiful. I think that it is a cracking movie and deserves a bigger audience.
Very sweet, sad and romantic...
posted on 10 Apr 2009...though somewhat unbelievable. Ben Kingsley's character falls in love/lust with his much-younger student, played by Penelope Cruz. He plays the conquering professor well, his motives are palpable and his virility and attractiveness are well portrayed. It's understandable that he attracts women, and that one ultimately falls in love with him.I wonder if Penelope Cruz's character was meant to be a cipher; beyond her beauty, I couldn't determine what attracted him to her. It was inferred that she was intelligent, but I didn't detect anything else that would attract him so strongly. I felt the chemistry from him, not much from her.This criticism is minor because the film was beautifully acted and filmed. In his myriad roles, Ben Kingsley plays different characters from Gandhi to Sexy Beast to a man who betrays the woman he loves, and ultimately loses. He continually exceeds expectations.
Sustaining the believability of love
posted on 30 Aug 2009Fifteen minutes into this film, I had to shut it down to cook supper for my visiting daughter. She's twelve, and is ever curious about the movie disks I may have lying around at the moment. "That's a sad little movie," I told her when she held up the Elegy disk. "It's about a two people who are supposed to be in love, but you can tell that in real life, as actors, they don't really like each other."Later when daughter had gone back home to her mother's place, I put the disk back in and resumed the film. How wrong I had been to judge by the first fifteen minutes. Ben Kingsley brought more feeling to his role than I've ever seen him do, and Penelope Cruz -- how can I say it without exposing the huge number she registers on my Richter scale? Her performance is not just a heartquake but a magnitude 7 earthquake.In our age of hook-up and skate away, Penelope Cruz sustains in her performances the believability of love. For the photoshoot, which we can only wish that times had permitted Sophia Loren also to do, we must thank the film's director for capturing the unreclaimable, ephemeral Penelope aboard her wave.