There aren’t too many circus-themed movies that hit the box office, especially ones that take place in the 1930’s. The major motion picture, Water for Elephants, was produced based on the number one bestselling novel by Sara Gruen. I had the privilege of reading the book that was published and 2006, and seeing the movie this past Saturday.
The movie stars Reese Witherspoon, who plays the lovely Marlena, Robert Pattinson, who plays the main character Jacob Jankowski, and Christopher Waltz, who plays the hated August who is also Marlena’s husband. The story takes place in 1931, during the Great Depression and prohibition. Jacob, a young college boy, runs away after his parents die in a car accident. He jumps aboard a train which happens to belong to the “Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth”. This is where he meets the beautiful performer Marlena who is married to the boss menagerie, August. Jankowski just takes on work in hopes of being able to stay with the circus. After talking to August, he scores the job of the show’s vet, since he was about to graduate from Cornell with a degree in Veterinary Science. The story is a romance that keeps you intrigued until the end.
In the novel, the narrator is Jacob, but as a ninety year old man in a nursing home. He tells the story as flashbacks because of the circus that comes to town right next to his nursing home. In the movie, the beginning is really what happens in the end of the book; Mr. Jankowski walks out of his home to the circus. The ringmaster in the book is Uncle Al, which isn’t a character at all in the movie. August is the ringmaster and the menagerie boss.
The climax is a little different, too. In the book, Marlena ends up running away from August because of a brutal fight. She stays in a hotel in the near town and tells the concierge to not let anyone know she is there so August can’t find her. Meanwhile, her relationship with Jacob escalates into love. The movie changes a little bit, lacking all the detail of the book. It seems to move faster. For example, after the fight, she and Jacob run away together and August finds them, jumps Jacob, and goes back to the train with Marlena.
The movie and book both end with happiness. There is a stampede of all the animals of the circus. Marlena tries to escape, but August drags her to the ground and tries to kill her. Jacob is temporarily paralyzed from being beat up again by August, so he watches his love about to come to her death. But then Rosie, the elephant and true hero of the story, takes her stake and strikes August in the head. Jacob and Marlena form a life together by joining Ringling, the top circus. It then flashes forward to old Jacob, who convinces the head of the modern circus to take him in.
Even though there were some key points that were left out of the movie, it‘s still one of my favorites. Someone who hadn’t read the book would probably love it more. I strongly suggest everyone to see it.