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Opinion
From Library Staff
From Library Staff
agbookclub2
Apr 26, 2013
Read the book, then watch the movie and compare the two.
From the critics
Community Activity
Quotes
Add a QuoteWell, I do believe we're looking for a boy to carry water for the elephants. Aren't we, Joe?
-We don't have any elephants.
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Work is the best thing for age.
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Why would a college boy dirty his hands as a filthy roustabout?
-I guess because out of all that dirt and sweat, working with these fellows you wouldn't be caught dead in the daylight with, comes so much beauty.
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I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me.
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Who's the woman who works with the horses?
-That ain't no woman, that's the boss' wife and she don't talk to nobody and you don't talk to her.
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You do right by me, I'll show you a life most suckers can't even dream of.
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I don't know anything about elephants. I'm going to tell him the truth.
Are you hiring me?
-I don't know. What about your health?
There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just old. Work is the best thing forage. A man like me ought to be working the ticket wicket, not some kid ringed up like a sideshow act. And if you don't think I'm carrying my weight, you can call the home. I won't argue. You won't be sorry.
-Yeah, we'll get you in the record books. "Oldest man that ever ran away
with the circus."
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I've always known the kind of woman you really are. Sitting in front of your dress shop, watching the parade. Those little-girl-lost eyes. This beautiful, almost translucent skin. Well, translucent to me. I could always see straight through you. I'm sorry to say that you're really a very common type, darling.
Dead circuses were common in '31. Men tired of being mistreated would mutiny, or bosses would see the end coming and pull a runner with all the money, leaving a mess of animals and acts like bones to be picked
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We got ourselves a guaranteed sell-out, crowd-cheering bull! Her name is Rosie, she's 53, and she's brilliant.
-What's that in her mouth?
She ran off. They found her eating a cemetery plot.
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First of all, can't do anything with a bull without a bull hook, can you? And with it, you must claim the role of master immediately.
-Okay.
You use it there, right above her shoulder. And you use your full voice to command. Rosie, walk!
- Rosie, move, walk!
Now jab her! She needs to know you mean it.
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I was born a passenger. They found me wrapped in a newspaper under a seat on the Baltimore and Ohio. I was just three days old. I grew up in foster homes. I'd always daydream about who my parents were.
"August knew nothing about animals...why was he in charge of the circus...you need to love all your animals... to love your job"....
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Add a CommentA romantic adventure based on the novel with same name, set in the bygone travelling circus world in 1932 by Riding Lessons. Agree with critics that it was a compelling story but lacked the vital spark between star-crossed Witherspoon and Pattinson who were 35 and 24 respectively when filmed was released in 2011.
Note: Surprised to learn that only two states banned bullhooks (a long stick with a sharp metal hook) to protect elephants from abuse in training and handling: Rode Island in July 2016 and California in August 2016!
The movie and the adult fiction book of the same title on which it was based are both very good. I read the book first and thought the adaptation was done well, though some things are always better as you imagine them. The film is rated PG-13 for moments of intense violence and sexual content.
Very emotional movie. Highly recommended. The "Special Features" were very informative, even watching the movie again with the Audio Commentary.
I really like this movie, it was kind of sweeto..
“Water for Elephants” is not the romantic mush I thought it would be. The film has excellent cinematography and tells a fascinating story of life in the circus during the American Great Depression. I recommend it.
Nothing special with this movie, was expecting more. The cruelty to the animals is awful and will bring you to tears. This is one movie you will quickly forget.
The fact that man can be so cruel to an animal makes me extremely angry. These poor animals were caged, starved and treated in the most brutal way.
The wife wasn't in love with her husband (who was nothing but a terror), she was afraid of his outbursts.
Jake wasn't in any position to pick and choose because he was destitute; he should have reined in his impulses than to have relations with a married woman.
The owner got what he deserved in the end and though hate begets hate, how much can humans as well as animals take than to turn on you sooner or later.
This is a movie a person will like or dislike. It was one of the worst movies I ever had the displeasure watching. The cruelty to both people & animals made it sad & dark. The fact they lived happily ever after didn't make it better. Only redeeming parts are at the start & end with Hal Holbrook.
Rated 10/10.
This film was darker than I had expected, and more than a little far-fetched at times, but an entertaining look into an old-timey travelling circus nonetheless. As for the acting, I reckon the best performance was the elephant's!