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Elegy (2008/I)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
18 April 2008 (Spain) morePlot:
Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life -- which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" -- thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
2 wins & 4 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(66 articles)
Isabel Coixet's Map of the Sounds of Tokyo Promo Trailer (From FirstShowing.net. 13 May 2009, 9:22 AM, PDT)
Eating In and Out: Isabel Coixet's Map of the Sounds of Tokyo Trailer
(From ioncinema. 13 May 2009)
User Comments:
Take a look inside moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Penélope Cruz | ... | Consuela Castillo | |
| Ben Kingsley | ... | David Kepesh | |
| Dennis Hopper | ... | George O'Hearn | |
| Patricia Clarkson | ... | Carolyn | |
| Peter Sarsgaard | ... | Kenny Kepesh | |
| Deborah Harry | ... | Amy O'Hearn | |
| Charlie Rose | ... | Charlie Rose | |
| Antonio Cupo | ... | Younger Man | |
| Michelle Harrison | ... | 2nd Student | |
| Sonja Bennett | ... | Beth | |
| Emily Holmes | ... | 1st Student | |
| Chelah Horsdal | ... | Susan Reese | |
| Marci T. House | ... | Administration Nurse | |
| Alessandro Juliani | ... | Actor #3 in Play | |
| Tiffany Lyndall-Knight | ... | Actor #2 in Play |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
112 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreCertification:
USA:R (certificate #43893) | Ireland:16 | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Netherlands:12 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:Btl | Austria:12 | Germany:12 | UK:15 | South Africa:16 | South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Mexico:B15 | Portugal:M/12Fun Stuff
Quotes:
George O'Hearn: Beautiful women are invisible.David Kepesh: Invisible? What the hell does that mean? Invisible? They jump out at you. A beautiful woman, she stands out. She stands apart. You can't miss her.
George O'Hearn: But we never actually see the person. We see the beautiful shell. We're blocked by the beauty barrier. Yeah, we're so dazzled by the outside that we never make it inside.
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Soundtrack:
Horizon Variations moreFAQ
What is an "elegy"?What is this movie about?
Is "Elegy" based on a novel?
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"Elegy" is the fifth movie Ben Kingsley has done this year and its been so good to see him back in form the last couple years cause I honestly thought that doing "Bloodrayne" was his way of saying "I'm losing my mind." Nicholas Meyer wrote the movie from a novel by Phillip Roth. The last time Meyer adapted something from Roth we got Anthony Hopkins playing a black guy in "The Human Stain", and that was just one of many problems that that movie had. "Elegy" was directed by Isabel Coixet though, who I really only know from the short film "Bastille", one of a group of films that can be found in the all-around beautiful love letter to Paris film, "Paris J'Taime." She seems well-suited for this love story, as do Kingsley and Penelope Cruz. Only the question is, can they all make a better movie than "The Human Stain"? Kingsley plays cultural critic David Kepesh, a man who spent most of the 60's sexual revolution unfortunately married. Now a divorced college professor, Kepesh has devoted much of his after graduation activities to hitting on former students, his most recent conquest being Consuela Castillo (Penelope Cruz), a hard working woman from a Cuban family. Just Consuela awakens a sense of passion in him and soon he is thrown into a confusing situation where he jealously wants to have her for his own but his fear of commitment to another woman has him pushing her back when she wants to get closer.
At times funny and heartbreakingly moving, this movie mostly just makes you think how lazy most men are when it comes to relationships. I found it interesting how even a cultural critic, a man who spends his life looking for deeper meaning in everything, can look at a woman and only see a sex toy. That what a woman holds inside is a short substitute for what she holds outside. David being self-conscious about his age adds another dimension, backing up that long held belief by men that women are also more concerned with what's on the outside as well. It's all material that has been worked over before in countless romances and the ending relies on that old romantic cliché of throwing in a fatal disease that threatens the life of one of the characters but in general director Isabel Coixet creates a moving, heartfelt love story complete with sensual sex scenes, beautiful piano-background music and some really nice (and tasteful) shots of Penelope Cruz's boobs and ass.
There is also some really excellent acting going on in this movie. Kingsley charges into his role like a lion, showing David's brashness in preying on the young girls he so dearly missed out on during his married youth, but he also brings regret, vulnerability, and cluelessness to David that make him worthy of sympathy. And Penelope Cruz couldn't be better as his above-age Lolita, bringing a soft-spoken sexiness and warmth to a woman trying mightily to disarm a man primarily drawn to women as play things. And where has Dennis Hopper been? This is one of his best performances in a long time, playing a man whose gone through the wringer a couple times with relationships himself who now offers up his own wisdom, coupled with some comic relief as well. Patricia Clarkson does what she can in a small role as an on-again off-again sex buddy for David. She has a fantastic scene in the movie later on where she describes what life is like for older women but then unfortunately the character is never seen again.
"Elegy" doesn't simmer with romance but it's not exactly a slow-moving disaster either. It offers up some food for thought and it's artfully created while Kingsley, Cruz, and Hopper each supply fantastic performances. If you're interested in a May-December romance, this one fits the bill just fine for the time being.