The Fountain

I just got the Graphic Novel for Christmas this morning, and it, like the film, is absolutely GORGEOUS.

However, I prefer the film! The two are actually quite different. There are a few narrative problems with the graphic novel that were luckily modified once the film made it's way into production.
Additionally, it answers a few questions as to the nature and realities of the film, but at the same time brings up more questions. The film is much more ambiguous on the whole, but after reading the GN it both supports some of my interpretations(That the past is the book, but the present and the future are "real) and denies some others(That the 1000 year thing was just a marketing ploy- the dates in the GN are very specific).

Anywho, I've said countless times that I only wish we could have seen the 70 million dollar version of The Fountain on screen. As the GN calls itself the director's cut- the story before it demanded budget revisions, I can now safely say that I am even more pleased with the cheaper, revised version.
Definately worth a buy and a read, but my heart still lays with the film! But my god, the drawings... so GORGEOUS. I'm considering getting a second book just to cut some out and frame them.
 
Good lord I didn't know there was a grahpic novel! I must have.
I finally felt I was in the right frame of mind to see the damn thing and it's gone. :down It's not in theaters here any more. I live in a major city and it is no where to be found. :cmad: :csad:
 
tzarinna said:
Good lord I didn't know there was a grahpic novel! I must have.
I finally felt I was in the right frame of mind to see the damn thing and it's gone. :down It's not in theaters here any more. I live in a major city and it is no where to be found. :cmad: :csad:
Click to expand...
right frame of mind? what the crap?
 
I don't go into a deep movie with out a clear head.
I own a lot of movies that I haven't seen,just waiting until the right moment arises.
You don't have any quirks to your movie viewing,you just throw yourself out there? I think I would've been more receptive to Pursuit of Happyness if the audience wasn't so lame. :huh:
 
Rez said:
However, I prefer the film! The two are actually quite different. There are a few narrative problems with the graphic novel that were luckily modified once the film made it's way into production.
Click to expand...
Interesting, since I preferred the graphic novel more. I cared about the characters a lot more in the book than the movie, but it just may be the nature of the beast. (You're able to reread parts and let the ideas stew in your mind while you're reading, but you're sort of along for the ride in a film.)

The GN, however, has a major pacing issue before the climax which the movie fixed up rather nicely with the last convo between Tommy and Izzi in the space bubble. I do think the climax was better in the book, with
Tommy jumping into Xibalba to make it explode. In the movie, he's floating there and it happens to explode, which expels his life force into the tree. Even though both versions of his sacrifice allows the tree to live, him jumping into the star is a more powerful idea, I think.

It could be one of those "you prefer whichever you got to read/watch first" things, though, since I read the GN weeks ago, and only got to see the movie tonight. They're both beautiful works of art.
 
DVD on May 15

Cover art is just horrid, but I'm ecstatic to finally get a release date. This and The Prestige were my two favorite films of the year.
 
Yea, I can't wait to buy this on DVD. So beautiful!!! I even got the awesome book Aronofsky made, with all these great photos. Such an amazing movie...

I hope once it comes out on DVD it gains a "cult" following and over time becomes recognized for being as brilliant as it is.

EDIT: You're right, that is one of the WORST DVD covers I have ever seen! They should've just left it with that beautiful yellow poster... And what the hell is that bottom part from/! That scene isn't even in the movie (that like look I mean)...
 
I hope there's a 2 disc special edition with this as the cover.

new_graphic_novel5666.jpg
 
This was such an excellent film, and I'll definately be picking up the DVD.

CAH
 
So did the different characters playe by Hugh and Rachel have any direct connection to each other besides being played by the same people? I'm a bit lost.
 
I think it's kinda up to you. I prefer to think that the Spain scenes were Izzy's way of dealing with her death (the part she wrote), and the spaceship scenes were Tommy's way of dealing with it.
 
Does anyone still remember this movie?

I have not seen it yet... but I picked up the DVD for $10. I'm reading all this stuff about how it's one of the most powerful films ever. Quite frankly, I know very little about this... it was in my local theater for like a week... I saw the trailer maybe twice...

... Just how good is it?
 
Castlewood said:
... Just how good is it?
Click to expand...
It's fcking great. (Though, dunno does it work on the same level at home than in theaters.)

One of the best movies of 2006. Definetely in my top 5 (of '06).
 
Castlewood said:
Does anyone still remember this movie?

I have not seen it yet... but I picked up the DVD for $10. I'm reading all this stuff about how it's one of the most powerful films ever. Quite frankly, I know very little about this... it was in my local theater for like a week... I saw the trailer maybe twice...

... Just how good is it?
Click to expand...


It's really good, just don't let anyone try to tell you what "they" think or "know":whatever: it's about. There are so many different ways to see this movie, and different answers to it's themes and what they mean as well. Watch it, enjoy it and figure out what it all means for yourself.
 
Ok, so I finally watched it, and all I can say is "Wow". It's a masterpiece... seriously underrated, imo. I think as time goes by, people might recognize this and it'll become a classic in 10-15 years.

As for the "confusion" surrounding the movie, I wasn't confused at all. I actually understood it from beginning to end. I don't really know why there's all this talk about confusion... I think it all comes down to people not liking non-linear storytelling. I LOVE non-linear, so this was easy for me.

I realize I'm a year late in talking about this (sorry), but here's my take, and it's very simple:

- Izzy wrote a book called "The Fountain", and left the last chapter for Tom to write. She said it starts in Spain, and ends at Xibalba, the star.

- This means that all of the scenes in the past are Izzy's book. Tom as a conquistador is a part of the book... it never really happened. Proof is that when Tom begins to read the book, it scrolls across the pages and cuts to the scenes of the past... which is the book.

- Tom writes the last chapter, and that last chapter is the conquistador finding the Tree of Life, drinking the sap, and then turning into a tree himself. His ending is about him letting go of Izzy and dying, eventually being reborn (into a tree). If you notice, the book DOES end at Xibalba like Izzy said, because the conquistador sees the star (nebula) before he turns into a plant.

- The future scenes (where Tom is bald) is really happening. These scenes are NOT in his head. He planted a tree seed at Izzy's grave, and when the tree grew it had Izzy in it. The tree was keeping a tiny bit of her alive (because the tree was alive), and when the tree died in the spaceship (bubble), Tom knew that he couldn't bring her back, and thus he finally realized that dying is the only way to live forever. He was then okay with death, knowing that he'd see her again. "Together we will live forever"... in heaven, or what-have-you. So Future-Tom dies, and that's the end.

- The final scene is Tom planting the tree seed, which is what he did long ago... When the tree grew, and Tom had discovered the way to stop death... remember Ellen Burnstyn told him the monkey was 100% okay as soon as Izzy died in the hospital.... Tom used the cure to make himself immortal.... he lived through 500 more years, took the tree out of the ground, put it in his space bubble and travelled up to the star - Xibalba.

See? I think it's simple. I don't understand why there's so much debate and arguing. IMDB is having s***-fit over it. I think it's easy.
 
That's the same interpretation I settled on, but there's still plenty of other ways to look at it- such as only the present is real and the future is Tom's last chapter to the book, or that all 3 times are real, and that the past scenes just play into reincarnation and such.. the list goes on and on. But what you wrote is how I, also, personally felt after the film. Simply a masterpiece.
 
Is it me, or should Aronofsky be the next Batman director if Nolan leaves?
 
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