You have to be a certain age to remember the thrill of the circus coming to town. What a delight to see the tents reach toward the sky and to sense the excitement of the performers as they waved to the crowds lining the streets in a festive parade. Why all the fuss? Well, there was something magical about the circus as if it were a magic carpet ride to take us away from the tedium of everyday activities and plant us in another world of elephants and lions, clowns and trapeze artists, and freaks who revel in their abnormality. But then, of course, there was also the cotton candy and the lure of the exotic and the beautiful ladies twirling above us at dizzy heights.
All of these images of the circus came to mind as we prepared to watch Water for Elephants based on The New York Times bestseller by Sara Gruen. Jacob Jankowski (Hal Holbrook), a cantankerous old man who escaped from his assisted living residence, is disappointed to learn that the circus performance he wanted to see is already over. Some kindly men from a circus take him in out of the rain, and when one of them (Paul Schneider) learns that he once worked with Benzini Brothers during the Depression, he asks him to tell him the story of what happened to that circus that led to one of the most spectacular accidents of all time.
Flashback to 1931 when Jacob (Robert Pattinson) is about to take his veterinary exams at Cornell. He receives word that his Polish parents have been killed in an automobile wreck and their house and his father's practice belong to the bank. Homeless and penniless, he decides to hit the road. By chance, Jacob jumps a train and finds that it belongs to the Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The traveling circus is run by August (Christoph Waltz), an authoritarian and violent capitalist who believes that the public consists of rubes yearning for illusion and an escape from their dull lives. He hates the great Ringling Brothers as rivals and is determined to surpass them one day. When he learns that Jacob has skills as a veterinarian, he hires him. This shy young man falls madly in love with Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), August's alluring wife who is the show's equestrian star.
Jacob learns quickly that his boss has a very low view of animals, seeing them only as money-makers. This becomes very clear in August's abusive treatment of Rosie, an elephant brought in to replace Marlena's lead horse that Jacob had to put down due to a severe injury. The relationship grows darker and more dangerous as August senses that his wife is attracted to Jacob. But these feelings of animosity give way to elation when the veterinarian discovers the key to getting Rosie to perform tricks for the audience. She becomes the star of the show with Marlena on her back.
Water for Elephants is directed by Francis Lawrence (I Am Legend) who makes the most out of the circus milieu of the story. Jacob's experiences make for an adventuresome ride as he is exposed to the mysteries and the malignancy of human nature. He begins as an outsider but ends up as a celebrated member of the circus brotherhood.
His love of Marlena is the thread which carries him through suffering and pain. As he tells her in a moment of grace: "You're a beautiful woman, you deserve a beautiful life." But it is his deep connection with animals that truly opens his heart and provides him with the wherewithal to survive during hard times. It is Rosie who teaches Jacob about patience, kindness, and love.
Mahatma Gandhi preached against cruelty to animals and once said, "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it treats its animals." Give the widespread abuse and suffering of these extraordinary beings, we still have a long way to go. But Jacob and others provide a good model for us to follow in their loving, cherishing, appreciating, and learning from animals.
Special features on the DVD include: a "Robert Pattinson Spotlight"; "Reese Witherspoon: Feature Performer"; "The Traveling Show - Page to Screen"; and an audio commentary with director Francis Lawrence and writer Richard La Gravenese.
