Against all odds, a veterinary student and a beautiful circus performer from a bygone era meet and fall in love through their shared compassion for a special elephant. But their secret romance incurs the wrath of her dangerously volatile husband.
Media summary Audience. Rating: PG; for moments of intense violence and sexual content. English 5. Contributors Waltz, Christoph, Schneider, Paul, Witherspoon, Reese, Details Publication.
Full details Full details of this title, opens an overlay. From the community What did you think about this title? More from the community. Community lists featuring this title. Add to list. Add quotation. Footer Menu. I Speak Contact Us Chicago Public Library. The owner, August Christopher Waltz , is a tyrranical, cruel, and murderous owner who puts the bottom line in front of everything else. So much so, he scavanges a year old Elephant named Rosie from another bankrupt circus, and allows Jacob to maintain Rosie.
Eventually Jacob earns the respect of the other "crew" of the circus; learns about "missing" crew member s, and Jacob witnesses the extreme violence from August through the tortures of Rosie the Elephant, and the verbal abuse towards Marlena. Rosie turns out to be much smarter and aware than anyone thought at first; elephants are truly amazing animals and ARE intelligent. Animals were fed the bare minimal quality food, and most of the time the owners "skimped" paying the crew, with a myriad of excuses, some valid, some not.
This movie showed how hard that circus life must have been for everyone, except the owner. Read full review. An elderly man shows up at a circus and spins a fascinating tale of romance and disaster in which he played a leading role. The difference is, the Titanic and its passengers are on a glamorous, glittering journey until the iceberg changes everything.
His character comes across as naive, even weak at times, but this is fitting, given his character is new to the circus world. Reese Witherspoon as Marlena, an experienced circus performer with an abusive husband, is no stereotypical battered woman waiting for rescue.
The character and the actress are remarkably strong. The film has many sad moments but is at times uplifting. Rosie the Elephant nearly steals the show.
This is an enjoyable movie and I recommend it. The movie begins with a 93 year old man standing in the rain to see the circus. He missed it, and they are packing up to leave.
The manager sees him and tries to get him to come in out of the rain and telephone the nursing home where he lives to come get him. He begins telling this remarkable story about his years in the circus, the Benzini Bros. Circus and the story of what really happened in those last days in Jacob Jankowski Robert Pattingson is a Polish American Veterinary student at Cornell University and is taking his final examination when he is summoned to the office and told that his parents have just been killed in an auto accident.
It is and it is the Great Depression. More bad news comes in the form of the bank telli ng him that his father was over his head in debt and that the house and family practice is also lost. Unable to finish his schooling, Jacob takes to the rails to find work, and climbs on to the Benzini Bros.
After working for a day as a rough-neck, the owner of the circus, August Christopher Waltz , was going to kick him off. Jacob challenged him by saying that he bet that Wringling Bros. He was kept onboard as Vet.
Jacob had met the owner's wife earlier in the day, Marlena Reese Witherspoon , and there was an instant attraction. Quickly, Jacob realizes that the circus is a very different business, and that the circus owner, August, can be a dangerous man. In the circus if you can walk you can perform. The lead horse in Marlena's act was injured and suffering, but was made to perform.
Jacob, shot the horse to put it out of its misery. Marlena was grateful, but told him that August would throw him off because of it. This ran afoul of August, but he was not severely punished. Punishment on the Circus Train was called "Red Lighting".
What this meant was they threw you off the moving train, and you probably were killed. A new act was purchased by August, a large elephant named Rosie.
Marlena was to perform with her. August had a sadistic side to him and often beat the animals, and anyone or anything that didn't perform up to his expectations had a problem. Before long, Marlena is in love with Jacob, but is afraid to try to leave August.
Their profound love for oneanother and compassion for the extraordinary elephant binds them together. Marlena's domineering husband and his dangerous wrath threatens tragedy for all involved. Finally Marlena makes her break with Jacob and they escape August, but in the morning they are caught and he is beaten badly.
Marlena is forced to return to the train. Jacob follows and finds several others who were "Red Lighted" and survived.
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