Film - The Fountain - by Darren Aronofsky

[Pander Bear]

director Darren Aronofsky's first movie for six years, "The Fountain", a metaphysical love story starring his wife Rachel Weisz, has its world premiere at Venice as the world's oldest film festival heads into its final week.

"The Fountain" is a tale of metaphysical love set in the past, present and future which explores the notion of everlasting life.

It follows Tomas Creo, played by Hugh Jackman, on a thousand-year quest for the elixir of life to save the woman he loves.

Jackman is variously a 16th conquistador, present-day surgeon and 26th century astronaut in Aronofsky's first film since the highly successful 2000 picture, "Requiem for a Dream".

Aronofsky admitted Monday that the film, which features visually stunning Sci-fi scenes, nearly did not get made.

"It's an action film, a love story, and a Science Fiction film. It's very hard to get that through Hollywood. Everyone in the world said 'no' several times," he told a news conference to launch the film, which divided critics here.

Fans of Aronofsky's work found the film enthralling, while others said it was a jumble which failed to convince.

"I think what we experience in this film is that dying and coming to terms with death is part of life," said the director.

The young director said working with his wife, who plays Creo's dying wife Izzy, as "fun".

Weisz said the film has caused a profound shift in her feelings about death.

"During the film, because of all the research I did talking to young people who were dying, and with the hospice movement, I got to a place during the film where I was alright about death. There were a few days where I was in the headspace where I could say: 'I could go now'."

"The Fountain" is one of 21 films in the official competition for the Golden Lion award for best movie.

A sumptuous silk-and-swashbuckle Chinese period drama which is being shown out of competition, has won hearts at Venice.

"Yeyan" (The Banquet) stars Ziyi Zhang as Empress Wan, head of ancient dynasty who chooses either charm or carnage to get her way.

"I play a sort of tormented 'Lady Hamlet', continuously changing. My empress is driven by a thirst for power, and this costs her dearly," said Zhang, first propelled to stardom by Ang Lee's Oscar-winning "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon."

"The principal themes of the film are universal, desire and revenge," said Feng, known for Chinese blockbusters like the 2004 movie "A World Without Thieves."

A much quieter Asian movie, the almost painfully slow "Hei Yanquan" (I Don't Want to Sleep Alone) is showing in the official competition.

Dominated by long scenes, Malay director Tsai Ming-Liang's movie is an intricate examination of lust and human tenderness among foreign workers in teeming Kuala Lumpur.

"Hei Yanquan" which stars Lee Kang-Sheng, is Tsai's first film in his native land after making seven movies in his adopted home of Taiwan. He previously won the Golden Lion in 1994 for "Aiqing Wansui" (Vive l'Amour), and the Silver Bear in Berlin for "The Wayward Cloud".

Austrian director Barbara Albert's film, "Falling", focuses on two days and a night in the lives of five thirtysomething women, former schoolfriends who return to their hometown to attend the funeral of their favourite teacher.

Old wounds are reopened, friendships rediscovered as the women revisit their childhood dreams in the film, starring Nina Proll and Birgit Minichmayr.

sounds cool.

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/09/04/060904164907.z1lfe8hn.html

 

[Finder]

Sounds interesting, but I'm more curious as to why Aronofsky hasn't made a film in six years.

 

[alasdairm]

rate this movie

alasdair

 

[thujone]

awesome. he's wicked!

 

[continuousbeing2]

I really really love the preview. this movie looks visually stunning, to say the least. I am very excited to finally see it after hearing so much about it over the last few years.

 

[Pander Bear]

link to the preview please. This is the first I had heard of this movie.

 

[continuousbeing2]

Go here to check a preview out

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/thefountain/hd/

 

[ego_loss]

Sounds interesting, but I'm more curious as to why Aronofsky hasn't made a film in six years.

Six years is a pretty normal amount of time in Hollywood. I don't think that the time between one film and another should be used to dictate the abilities of a director. If anything, I'd rather a really freakin' good director make a few films every so often than crank them out a la Michael Bay.

The thing that DOES concern me is his decision to cast his wife as the female lead. This is the kind of thing that, more often than not, leads to disaster. It's usually at that point that the project ceases to be an artistic endeavour and becomes a vehicle to get his significant other more screen time.

All that aside, I can't wait for this. Aronofsky has been near the top of my watchlist ever since I saw Pi. The guy has skill, and I am very excited to see what he does with this one.

 

[L2R]

This was meant to be made YEARS ago. About time.

 

[Finder]

Anyone seen this yet?

 

[brothermarcus]

it's good... requires some pretty heavy attention. visually and metaphorically stunning, but if you're expecting the a.d.d.-friendly spastic style of pi or requiem you'll be disappointed. aranofsky comes with a warm and flowing style for this one, melding some commonalities of the spiritual nature with a formulaic romantic tragedy... although i'm not sure it would be a very good "date" movie, unless you were prepared to have some very serious existential discussions with your date over pie afterwards. not powerful enough to change my opinion about certain things, but subtly effective enough to be a whisper in my ear.

 

[jaymie]

Ah, such an amazing and visual masterpiece. I cannot say more about it. I will definitely be snatching this up once it comes out on DVD.

 

[AndyChrist]

... although i'm not sure it would be a very good "date" movie, unless you were prepared to have some very serious existential discussions with your date over pie afterwards.

Y'know, for me that's been harder to come by than sex at the end of a date.

It sounds more attractive, too.

As long as she sleeps with me after the discussion, anyway.

:D

Anyway, I'm totally going to see this soon.

 

[SonOF]

Film was bit ambiguous for my liking. Aronofsky tried to do too much. Not terrible by any means, and worth seeing (even simply for the visual apect alone), but both Pi and Requiem for a Dream were better.

 

[(Wordy)]

Sounds self-indulgent, I have to say... although I guess I'll have to see it before I pass judgement.

 

[AndyChrist]

Man, all movies are self-indulgent.

Otherwise they'd be books.

 

[alasdairm]

^ that makes little sense. all books are self-indulgent otherwise they'd still just be ideas for books...

alasdair

 

[AndyChrist]

Self-indulgent in that, "Hey, this is the exact vision I have for this story, I'm leaving very little up to your imagination."

Books make me imagine what the female character I'll be jerking off to later looks like.

:D

 

[L2R]

^come on, enough of that shit. Plenty of good films leave stuff to the imagination. Motive, for instance, is generally more interpritive in film than it is in books, but anyway, this is all besides the point.

Fucking awesome film man. Visually stunning, way the fuck out there. I'll need a few more screenings to "get it" more.
Jesus Christ I am so fucking glad I wasn't on acid for this. This'd do my head right the fuck in in that state.
My greatest apprehension was the short run time and obviously complicated plot. I thought that such a conceptual piece would need more time, but as the friend i bumped into at the theatre (she was walking out as I walked in) said, it leaves you satisfied.
4.5/5 (voting 5 since 4 is too low).

 

[L2R]

extra points go out for the films effects. According to imdb, they specifically did not use CG for most of the trippy stuff and opted for "micro-photography of chemical reactions on tiny petri dishes" in order to achieve a timeless feel and save costs.

oh and i loved the mononoke hime reference. Stunning.