We all have people in our lives who have terrific stories to tell. In some cases, they are well placed tidbits to liven a conversation while others are repeated so much that they can be finished by someone else in the room. No matter how a story is told, there is always some truth to them, no matter how small or large that bit of truth might be. Sometimes there is no shred of doubt or disbelief while other times a few eyerolls or questions may accompany the retelling. For those who have lived adventure rich lives, their stories are almost unbelievable and beckon the question did that really happen? Today's subject explores a person with those types of stories to tell. A man who has been telling and retelling the same stories to where his grown up son needs to ask a very important question. Despite whether ready for the answer or not, it's a questions that spawns the lively tale of our subject today and reveals a visual feast of entertainment and emotion from one of the more well-known names today.
So if you're like me and you enjoy film and the impact and emotions they convey, then grab a glass of your preferred liquid and join me for the next little while. For me that's a glass of almond milk from our friends at Almond Breeze. So sit back, relax, and let's talk about the love of film. Welcome to Glazed Cinema.
Our subject today is about a man named Will Bloom, played by Billy Crudup who ventures back home after being summoned by his mom when he learns that his father, Edward Bloom has fallen ill. Will is a bit jaded by the news as he and his father haven't gotten along in quite some time. The problem Will has with his father is that he is a teller of tall tales. You see, all Will's life his father has told him magnificent and wild tales of his life. He's told them so much in fact that Will has become skeptical and a bit disillusioned as a grown man. In just the first three or so minutes of the movie we get a sense of this in a montage. A tale of a large and folklore inducing catfish is told as a bedtime story, around a boy scout campfire, to Will's prom date, and at his wedding. Stories that when told the first couple of times are riveting, unbelievable, and entertaining, but as retold longer begin to get stale. Unlike Will, however, there are those who never tire of his stories and see Edward as a heroic figure, like Will's mother. She is deeply in love with Edward and we can tell that the couple have a very special and emotionally rich bond. She tries to reconcile the relationship between her husband and her son, but both men are stubborn. After an argument at Will's wedding the two stop speaking for three years, the only source of communication between the two is indirectly through Sandra, Will's mom. Will puts the relationship between the two when he says, "The truth is, I didn't see anything of myself in my father and I don't think he saw anything of himself in me. We were like two strangers who knew each other very well."
All Will knows of his father are the stories he has been told growing up. The only problem is that without any evidence to go along with them, Will believes these to be what they are, tall tales that are made up. Will resents his father for this, believing that he knows nothing of his father's actual life. One day, a call comes in from his mother that his dad is not doing well and should come home. So, with pregnant wife in tow, they fly from their home in Paris to see his parents. Will, now staring at the thinning sand within his father's hourglass must make a choice. Does he forgive his father and make amends or try to understand him more while he can. The answer to Will it seems, is a simple one to make, which sets us on the path of our subject today. Our tale unravels through narration from Will who brings us into a flashback of his father's life that I think perfectly dets us up for the rest of our time here. "In telling the story of my father's life it's impossible to separate fact from fiction, the man from the myth. The best I can do is to tell it the way he told me. It doesn't always make sense and most of it never really happened, but that's what kind of story this is."
Big Fish is a feast for the senses based on a book titled, "Big Fish: A Novel of Mystic Proportions" by Daniel Wallace. The novel was then turned into a screenplay by John August. The beginnings of this project you might say are as quirky as the movie itself. It turns out that the August got his hands on the manuscript of the novel and was struck by it immediately. He had just lost his father not too long before and as such, it really resonated with him. Approaching Columbia, he requested they acquire the filming rights, which they agreed to and sixth months later the book was published. Though the rights were acquired that quickly, it would take five more years until the movie adaptation would reach theaters.
Most of the movie happens in flashback sequences, recounting the life of Edward Bloom as a young man. We see several moments of his life from a young boy all the way through when Will is born and the adventures he found himself in. We see everything from the time he met Sandra and instantly knew that she was the one to when he was a travelling salesman, selling trinkets. To say Edward has lived a full, happy, and rewarding life would be a monumental understatement, but to Will it just seems too unbelievable to be true. Will is very much a realist and grounded in what he knows and expects to be true. As we experience the flashbacks, we find ourselves asking the same questions as Will, did all of these things really happen?
Big Fish is directed by Tim Burton and it was released in 2003. It turns out though, that Burton wasn't the studios original choice. Apparently, Columbia had originally slated to have Steven Spielberg be in the directing chair. At the time Spielberg was just coming off of filming Minority Report. Planning for his vision went so far as to have a script written for the star Spielberg had in mind to play the Edward Bloom in this film, who would've been portrayed by the indelible Jack Nicholson. Eventually, the plan for Spielberg to take the helm fell through, as did Jack starring in the picture. Knowing what Big Fish is now, I can't imagine what the original version might have looked like.
When Tim Burton took over as the director he was impressed by the script, stating it was the most original idea he had seen since Beetlejuice. With Burton came a new vision, a new direction, and a new cast. Instead of Nicholson came Albert Finney and alongside him, a phenomenal cast of performers to flesh out the film. I love Nicholson and Spielberg, but I honestly can't imagine either of them involved in this project. I think Albert Finney and Tim Burton just seems like the perfect choices. In fact there's very little about Big Fish that I would change, it fits perfectly like the last missing puzzle piece.
Before I watched this film I knew little about the plot, but the pulls for me were Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ewan McGregor. Helena Bonham Carter is one of my favorite actresses and she plays two different characters here. She plays the role of Jenny and a mysterious fortune telling witch and she plays both very well. Ewan McGregor is amazing at playing young Edward Bloom here, which is great because we spend the majority of the movie with this character. He plays Edward with an innocence and vigor that suits the character so well and his vibrance is infectious. I can't imagine anyone else in the role. Albert Finney as Old Edward also does great things, especially alongside his wife Sandra, played by Jessica Lange. The two have great onscreen chemistry and I their acting is on point in each scene they're in. I think overall it would have been nice to see a bit more of them in the picture. Then there's Tim Burton, who delivers a great film from start to finish in a very Burtonesque manner. There's a wonderfully colorful and fantastical look about this picture that feels right. I also really enjoy the cinematography here, delivered by Philippe Rousselot. There's some terrific movement, lighting, and pacing here that really flesh out that feeling of grounded surrealism.
The first time I watched Big Fish, I didn't know what to expect out of the experience other than a imaginative wishlist compiled from other Burton experiences. I feel as though, despite being a well placed part of his filmography, Big Fish feels a bit different from the director's other efforts. Perhaps that's just a feeling I have or maybe it's because I connected with it a bit more, but there's a lot of heart an emotion in this movie that I appreciated given the subject. It's a well-rounded movie which was funny, touching, odd, sad, and grounded. When the end credits began to roll I had thoroughly enjoyed my time with this movie and I felt like watching it again. Big Fish is a movie about those who we love and a reminder to live ones life to the fullest and embrace the adventures of life as Edward did.
If I had to pick a favorite part of the movie, I think it's when young Edward is working at the circus. He's sitting in the tent watching the act perform in the center ring when he meets eyes with a young lady in a blue dress. Time suddenly stops as a perfect image of the moment the two spot one another for the very first time. Walking across the room he dodges people, animals, and objects suspended in time, getting closer to her. As he moves popcorn out of the way he's able to say hi when time inexplicably speeds up to make up for the paused time and as it does, the pretty girl in the blue dress disappears down the dark tunnel and out of his life. That scene is amazing and it does a great job of putting an image to a feeling.
The truth is almost every tale told in Big Fish is an amazing one, each having their own effect. Maybe the most powerful one, at least for me though isn't one Edward tells at all, but one told by Will. Since we don't give spoilers here at Glazed Cinema though, I'll leave that one for you to discover on your own.
There's another great thing that emerged from this movie that I really enjoyed as well, which was a song by Pearl Jam titled "The Man of the Hour". Pearl Jam was commissioned by Tim Burton to write an original song for the movie. The band, who watched an early cut of the film were instantly moved and Eddie Vedder, the band's lead singer began writing a song inspired by what he had seen. It's a great song and one that fits incredibly well. I'm a big Pearl Jam fan and this one is up there with my favorites. If you've never heard it, it's worth a listen, I think they knocked it out of the park. Every time I hear it I think of my grandpa, which makes it all the more special to me.
If you'd like to watch Big Fish for yourself you can find it in a variety of streaming services. At the time of this recording you can find it on services including YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV, Redbox, Prime Video, and Vudu for $3.99 to rent.
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