The Fountain - Der neue Film von Darren Aronofsky

[Dionysos]

Endlich!
Nach seinen Meisterwerken "Pi" und "Requiem for a Dream" kommt vorraussichtlich im vierten Quartal diesen Jahres der neue Streifen von Darren Aronofsky.
Laut IMDB war der Film bereits 2002 in der Pre-Production, wurde aber nach "künstlerischen Diffenzen" zwischen Regisseur und Hauptdarsteller auf Eis gelegt. Dieser Hauptdarsteller war kein geringerer als Brad Pitt! Und auch Cate Blanchett, die ursprünglich für die die weibliche Hauptrolle vorgesehen war, sprang schliesslich ab.
Im Frühjahr 2004 wurden mit kleinerem Budget und Hugh Jackman und Rachel Weisz in den Hauptrollen die Dreharbeiten doch noch begonnen.

Der Plot ist jedenfalls vielversprechend:

The Fountain crisscrosses through three distinct time periods: in 1535, during an ancient Mayan war; the present day, following one doctor?s desperate search for the cure for cancer; and the far future, through the vast exotic reaches of space. Interweaving these three periods, THE FOUNTAIN follows Tomas ? warrior, doctor, explorer ? as he feverishly tries to beat death and prolong the life of the woman he loves.

Quelle


Wer mehr darüber wissen möchte, hier ein Script-Review auf AICN.

Obwohl der Bericht schon von 2002 ist: VORSICHT, SPOILER!

Ich denke, da kommt was interessantes auf uns zu.  :)

MfG.

[psychopaul]

Lang genug gewartet haben wir ja, hoffentlich zieht Arronofsky das Projekt jetzt wirklich ohne Rücksicht auf Verluste durch.
Bei Jackman als Pitt-Ersatz bin ich allerdings etwas skeptisch, aber man sollte nicht vorverurteilen.  :P

Freu mich auf jeden Fall schon sehr auf den Film und werde es auf alle Fälle vermeiden, mir irgendwelche Spoilerchens zu geben.

Darren, laß es bitte (endlich) wieder krachen.  
(und dich nicht unterkriegen :respekt: )

[sickBoy]

The Fountain (originally known as The Last Man) was to start shooting in late 2002 with a budget of around $75 million. But the project fell apart after Brad Pitt ankled it in favor of Wolfgang Petersen's Troy. Reports claimed that he was displeased with a late rewrite of the script, co-written by Darren Aronofsky and his college buddy Ari Handel. But Pitt wasn't the only problem... The production had been previously delayed by then female lead Cate Blanchett's pregnancy, budget haggling with the studio and co-financier swapping (from Village Roadshow to New Regency).  This latest version will be budgeted between $35 and $40 million thanks to Aronofsky's willingness to remove certain costly set pieces from the script.  The story is still a mystery, but Aronofsky has hinted at its spiritual nature, once referring to it as a "post-Matrix metaphysical sci-fi movie." The main character is followed on a psychological journey set in the present day, but the plotline spans over a thousand years.  It deals with the themes of love, death and immortality.

In diesem Text von IGN stehts noch etwas genauer, ich hoffe Aronofsky kann mit dem halben Budget seine ursprüngliche Vision adäquat umsetzen. Andererseits ist es für den Film vieleicht besser, das Pitt nicht mehr dabei ist, da reden ihn weniger Produzenten rein und er kann sein Ding durchziehen. Jackmann ist mir sowieso sympatischer. Die Story klingt ja ziemlich wild, da freu ich mich drauf, leider wird es wohl noch mindestens ein halbes Jahr dauern bis The Fountain in den USA startet, von einem Deutschlandrelease wollen wir gar nicht erst reden...

[Dionysos]

Ein sehr interessanter Artikel aus der New York Times :

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A Reincarnation Story That Won't Stay Dead


INSIDE a giant warehouse ringed by trailers and generators on the outskirts of this frozen city, dozens of Mayan warriors stood ready, all armed with spears. The polyglot atmosphere on the movie set thickened at every turn: bare-bottomed men who spoke Mayan received directorial instructions in Spanish from Americans who also have enough French to make nice with the local crew of "The Fountain."

The movie is a science-fiction epic that spans three historical periods and rides on a bit of time travel. It is directed by the Brooklyn-born Darren Aronofsky, who came to out of nowhere with the mathematics-themed thriller "Pi" and followed up with the addiction drama "Requiem for a Dream," both of which were produced with a lot of moxie and very little money and played to major critical acclaim. Backed by Warner Brothers, "The Fountain" was supposed to be Mr. Aronofsky's breakout studio movie, with a budget approaching $100 million and Brad Pitt in a lead role. But just weeks before it was scheduled to shoot in 2002, with crew and actors already ensconced in Australia, Mr. Pitt abandoned the project for "Troy," saying he had issues with the script. In Hollywood, that generally would be the end of the story.

It was a crushing disappointment for Mr. Aronofsky; he vividly remembers flying back to Australia from Los Angeles to tell the crew that the film had collapsed. But his refusal to let go of a project he had been working on for years, along with surprisingly durable support from Warner, means the movie is back, albeit with a reduced vision. "The Fountain," which is about the search for eternal life, seems to have its own grip on the concept.
   
"For four or five months, I tried to find something else," Mr. Aronofsky said, working a salad in his trailer during a lunch break. "But every time I started to circle a new idea, I realized I was closer to making 'The Fountain' than any of those other films."

So Mr. Aronofsky continued to push his improbable epic, even though Warner offered him the opportunity to direct a number of large films, including "Batman Begins" (which eventually went to another sophisticated young director, Christopher Nolan.)

"How many different projects was he offered?" said Jeff Robinov, Warner's president of production. "But he came back to me and said, 'I want to make my movie - what can I do to make that happen?'" Mr. Aronofsky whittled his budget to $35 million, replaced Mr. Pitt with Hugh Jackman of "X-Men" fame, and, finally, the movie was his to make.

With his fleur-de-lis baseball cap and wispy beard, Mr. Aronofsky, 35, could be one of the French-Canadian grips if he were not quietly running the show. On set, the project did not have the feel of a movie saved from turnaround - it felt more like a caper. During a fight scene, a chunk of Mr. Jackman's beard was ripped away and the entire crew, including Mr. Aronofsky, scanned the ground, trying to distinguish the gray wisp from the abundant moss.

"The beard has been found!" one of the grips shouted triumphantly. "The beard has been found!" came back a mock joyful chorus from the rest of the crew.

Mr. Aronofsky has been making films with the same hardy band of familiars for 10 years, and now they are working with all the fancy toys and support that go with big studio work. Their project is very ambitious: "The Fountains" is a love story that spans 1,000 years as a man searches for a cure for his terminally ill wife.

On the set, Mr. Jackman, cast as a Spanish conquistador in the 1500's for a portion of the film, crept down a high-walled corridor near a Mayan temple with two soldiers behind him. Jungle vegetation hung everywhere and mist machines overhead made sure everything was dank. Mr. Aronofsky gave a signal and suddenly the warriors were streaming into the scene, overwhelming Mr. Jackman as he flailed at the mob. Once subdued, he was hoisted on their shoulders to be presented to the Mayan spiritual leader who was ensconced at the top of the temple. Mr. Jackman, who spent the day getting the stuffing knocked out of him in take after take, said it was all terrific fun.

Mr. Aronofsky, staring down at a videoboard in his hand to see a playback, said: "We put a lot of time and money into this shot because it is the third scene in the movie. I have been thinking about this scene for six years." In his trailer during a break in shooting, he continued: "It has been birth, death, rebirth for this film, which is interesting because it is very much what the movie is all about as well. Each time the movie has died and come back, it has come back leaner and meaner. What we shot this morning used to be a $15 million scene."

Mr. Aronofsky is making do, something he is more than used to. "Pi," a percussive black-and-white portrait of a not-so-beautiful mind, was made for $60,000, with his best friend as the star while his mom managed the catering operation. "Requiem for a Dream," a portrait of relationships addled and then curdled by drugs, cost $5 million.

"Pi" earned Mr. Aronofsky the Sundance directing award in 1998, and Ellen Burstyn received an Oscar nomination for her role in "Requiem." So the filmmaker's currency grew to the point where a number of studios and producers were knocking on his door.

"The fact that we're in Montreal and that we have huge sets and a big crew that can do almost anything is different," he said. "But I end up spending my days doing exactly the same things, worrying about the same issues and focusing on the same things."

And, he said, the stakes are actually no higher than they were before: "There's always been a lot of pressure and tension on the line. If 'Pi' didn't work out, I have no idea what my career would be. I don't think I would have gotten another shot at it. If `Requiem' didn't work out, they would have called me a 'one-hit wonder with a sophomore slump.' "

Mr. Aronofsky wrote "The Fountain" with Ari Handel, a long-time associate who happens to have a Ph.D. in neuroscience."We spent time walking around the streets of Manhattan for two years," Mr. Aronofsky said. "It took us a long time to write. We basically talked story, and then I would go off and disappear and write, come back and then we'd talk about it."
   
The outcome, a love story with scenes that go off into outer space, is not exactly "Hitch." "It is about a man's search for the fountain of youth at the core," Mr. Aronofsky explained. "It's about a man who's searching for eternal life whose wife is dying, who comes to terms with his own mortality and comes to terms with his own life and his own existence through trying to save his wife. It is not that simple, but it is true in a way that attracted me."

Mr. Jackman, sitting on a canvas chair after his morning of getting pounded on by the Mayan extras, Mr. Jackman said the rigors of the project suited him: "It is the hardest job I've worked and by far the most satisfying. Darren wants blood. As a director, he is very much inside my head."

Certainly, Mr. Aronofsky and his collaborators - including the producer, Eric Watson, and the cinematographer, Matthew Libatique, with whom he has worked in the past - have taken pains to bring authenticity to the sprawling project. Some 20 of the 70 extras cast as Mayan warriors are Mayan. And the day job of the man cast as Mayan spiritual leader is, well, a Mayan spiritual leader. When the Mayans got off the plane from Guatemala in Montreal, it took them 20 minutes to get over the fact that they could see their breath.

There will be lots more shooting, to capture Spain and Central America in the 1500's, a present-day American city, and then a trip out to a nebula near Orion anywhere from 150 to 500 years into the future.

But it's not as esoteric as it sounds, Mr. Aronofsky said: "There's major best sellers that are about living forever. It's the biggest theme in our society. If you look at all the extreme makeovers and all that stuff, it's all about staying young. This movie taps into a lot of those themes."


Published: March 20, 2005

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MfG.

[StS]

Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain
Source: Edward Douglas
April 21, 2005


It's been over five years since Darren Aronofsky's adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.'s drug abuse novel Requiem for a Dream was showered with controversy and critical praise. Since then, the filmmaker, who has become a cinephiles' darling, seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. In actuality, he spent years preparing for his most expensive and ambitious venture to date: The Fountain, a big budget science fiction movie that was ready to shoot in Australia when rumors began swirling about difficulties with its star Brad Pitt. Production ground to a halt and presumably, Aronofsky's latest brainchild was stillborn, as he reportedly moved onto other projects.

Imagine my surprise when within the same week, I learned that Vertigo Comics was publishing a graphic novel based on Aronofsky's original script and that production was well underway for a retooling of said film with Hugh Jackman replacing Pitt, joined by Constantine star Rachel Weisz. Knowing almost nothing about the film's plot, which has been shrouded in secrecy, I was recently whisked to snowy Montreal, where production had already been shooting for seven to eight weeks at Mel's Studio.

A lot of early reports declared The Fountain to be science fiction, because it was rumored to involve some sort of time travel between the story's three distinct time periods, including one set in outer space. The segment set in 16th Century Central America may quickly dispel or confuse those ready to lump the film into the science fiction genre. Traversing these three eras is a love story between Jackman's character trying to save the woman he loves, played by Weisz, an enigmatic story centering around the mythical Tree of Life and its Fountain of Youth.

The script for The Fountain was co-written by Aronofsky with his college buddy, science genius Ari Handel. He is reunited once again with most of the crew from his previous films, including cinematographer Matthew Libatique, production designer James Chinlund, effects wizards Amoeba Proteus and long-time producer Eric Watson. Clint Mansell, who created the powerful score for "Requiem" along with the Kronos Quartet, will compose the film's score as well.

When we arrived in Montreal, Aronofsky was just starting to shoot the film's challenging outer space sequences on the film's largest set, an enormous recreation of the Tree of Life as it floats through space inside a giant bubble. Instead of using the typical computer generated graphics, Aronofsky chose to take a chance by using the experimental microphotography of technical Oscar recipient Peter Parks, something that is sure add to the film's distinctive look and Aronofsky's unique vision for the film.

While on the set, Aronofsky spoke freely with ComingSoon.net about his most difficult project to date and its evolution. We also talked to most of his long-time collaborators, most of which you'll be able to read later this year in our full set report.

In the meantime, you can read what Rachel Weisz had to say about the movie and see a picture of Hugh Jackman as a 16th Century conquistador. The Fountain will likely open sometime in the late Fall.

[StS]

Teaser:
http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=5079

Man sieht noch nicht viel, aber man kann sich ausmalen, wie das Gesamtwerk ausshen wird/könnte.
Darren Aronofsky ist schon ein klasse Regisseur - ich bin sehr gepannt!

[proximo]

Oh man... es gibt keinen Film, dem ich mehr entgegen fiebere, als diesem hier...und ich glaube der wird groß!!! :icon_eek: :icon_eek:

[StS]

[Dexter]

Trailer

http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_h320.mov
http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_h480.mov
http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_h640.mov
http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_480p.mov
http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_720p.mov
http://images.apple.com/movies/wb/the_fountain/the_fountain-tlr1_1080p.mov

[proximo]

Der wird Grandios!!!

[Hasenbein]

Sicher? Mir wars irgendwie zuviel digitaler Hokus Pokus und ich musste zu oft an Herr der Ringe denken.

[Die Sektion]

Sicher? Mir wars irgendwie zuviel digitaler Hokus Pokus und ich musste zu oft an Herr der Ringe denken.

Uuuui, der Vergleich hat geschmerzt! Ich hab da gar nichts von HdR erkannt. Zum Glück.

Der wird Grandios!!!

Seh ich auch so

Das einzige was mir Kopfschmerzen macht ist Mr. Van Helsing

[Hellseeker]

Seit den "Der Herr der Ringe"-Filmen war ich nicht mehr so kribbelig auf einen Film.

[Hasenbein]

Eben, ich sags ja.

[StS]

'Fountain' Booed at Venice
British movie star Rachel Weisz was stunned when her new movie The Fountain was booed at its premiere at the Venice Film Festival yesterday. The film, directed by her fiance Darren Aronofsky, left the audience confused and disappointed - even though Weisz insists it is important to have something "different" on screen. The $35 million flop was snubbed repeatedly by movie studios until Warner Brothers decided to back it. The story spans 1,000 years and stars Hugh Jackman as a 16th century Spanish explorer, 21st century scientist and 26th century astronaut searching for the Fountain of Youth. Weisz, whose presence at the festival marked her first official public appearance since the birth of son Henry Chance in May, says, "I think it's wonderful that this film is so different. I would love to work with Darren again."  (Imdb.com)

[Dexter]

Schrott aus der Schneekugel

Auch im gediegenen Venedig darf der Trash nicht fehlen: LaButes "The Wicker Man" gab einen Vorgeschmack, doch Aronofskys "The Fountain" geriet zu einem derartigen Desaster, dass viele Zuschauer nach der Vorstellung geschockt zum Bier griffen.
[...]
Zur Katastrophe mutierter Kunstfilm
[...]
Dann gibt es noch den Trash, der nicht als solcher gedacht ist, die schlimmste Kategorie von allen: der zur Katastrophe mutierte Kunstfilm. Der heiß ersehnte "The Fountain" von Darren Aronofsky (mysteriöses Regie-Wunderkind seit "Pi" und "Requiem for a Dream") ist ein solches Exemplar und findet sich demütigenderweise im offiziellen Wettbewerb. Es brauchte nur die erste Pressevorführung, und aus dem im Vorfeld als Favorit gehandelten Bestimmt-Meisterwerk wurde das erste Total-Desaster des diesjährigen Festivals.Ein Buh-Konzert zum Schluss, höhnisches Gelächter an den bewegend gemeinten Stellen, und das von einem höchst Aronofsky-freundlichen Journalisten-Publikum. Ein Untergang.

Besonders um die Schauspieler kann es einem Leid tun. Hugh Jackman (Wolverine aus "X-Men") gibt sich alle Mühe, einen besessenen Forscher zu spielen, der ein Heilmittel für seine krebskranke Ehefrau (Rachel Weisz) sucht. Er muss allerdings auch noch einen entschlossenen spanischen Krieger im 16.Jahrhundert spielen, der bei den Mayas für seine Königin (wieder Weisz) den Baum des ewigen Lebens sucht. Zwischendurch gibt er noch einen glatzköpfigen Mönch, irgendwann in der fernen Zukunft, der im All in einer Art Schneekugel lebt, in der auch ein Baum des Lebens steht, an dessen Rinde er ständig herumkratzt und -kaut.

Kunst soll das sein, bedeutungsschwer und wichtig. Tatsächlich ist es nur banal, prätentiös und nervtötend.

Erschüttert strömt die Presse kurz vor Mitternacht aus der ersten Vorstellung heraus, der Schock sitzt tief. Um den zu verarbeiten gibt es eigentlich nur eine Lösung: Nach links gehen, zu den wummernden Bässen, dem Bier aus Plastikbechern und den fett-triefenden Pizza-Stücken. Wenn schon Trash, dann lieber richtig.
http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/kino/0,1518,435139,00.html

:eek: :eek:

Dabei sind die Kritiken im Netz aber recht positiv. :icon_confused:

[Moonshade]

Ja, Joblo und aintitcool sind beide sehr enthusiastisch, aber das sind auch Filmgeeks, die kann man weder mit seriösen Kritikern noch mit dem normalen Publikum vergleichen.

Das wird sicher noch interessant.

[Dr. STRG+C+V n0NAMe]

Das sind doch die besten Voraussetzungen, um den mal anzuschauen.

Gruß

n0NAMe

[Nibi]

Weiß nicht so recht was ich davon halten soll, werde ihn mir aber sicher ansehen. Normalerweise sollte bei Aronofsky nichts schief gehen, normalerweise...

[throatslit]

Ich sags mal so: Ich kann mir nur schwer vorstellen daß ich den Film nicht mögen werde :)
Scheißt doch drauf was diese verkackte Jury davon hält. Was haben die denn für ne Ahnung?  :andy:

[StS]

Scheißt doch drauf was diese verkackte Jury davon hält. Was haben die denn für ne Ahnung?  :andy:

Das war das Publikum plus die Journalisten-Meute ... übrigens, wie im Artikel oben erwähnt, eigentlich sonst strikt pro-Aronofsky eingestellt...

[throatslit]

Ja aber daß man bei einem Film am Ende pfeift, oder lacht in unpassenden Momenten finde ich haltlos und zeugt nicht gerade von professioneller Verhaltensweise. Zumindest bei einer Veranstaltung wie dieser.
Und ich kann mir wirklich nur sehr schwer vorstellen daß ich den Film scheiße finden werde. Zumal schon ganz andere super Filme von besagtem "Tribunal" verrissen wurde.

[StS]

Ja aber daß man bei einem Film am Ende pfeift, oder lacht in unpassenden Momenten finde ich haltlos und zeugt nicht gerade von professioneller Verhaltensweise. Zumindest bei einer Veranstaltung wie dieser.

Schau doch nur mal nach Cannes - da ist das gepflegte Tradition  ;)

[throatslit]

Ja, u.a. darum find ich die Filmfestspiele auch scheiße

[Hasenbein]

Ähnliches Gefühl hatte ich neulich beim Trailer ja schon. Kitschig, digital und eigentlich nur ne Luftblase.

[Dionysos]

Zwei Kritiken:

"Sehr gut" (5,33/6):
http://outnow.ch/Movies/2006/Fountain/

"Lau" (4/10):
http://www.filmstarts.de/kritiken/The%20Fountain.html

Beide Autoren beschreiben den Film trotz unterschiedlicher Wertungen mehr oder weniger als "reines Kunstobjekt". Die "Qualität" des Films scheint in diesem Fall wohl subjektiver denn je zu sein.  :andy:

[Hellseeker]

So, ich hab den Film am 2. Zürich Film Festival gesehen.

Man kann den Film fast nicht in Worte fassen.

"The Fountain" erzählt eine Geschichte über Liebe, Leben und Tod. Unglaublich bildgewaltig, komplex, anstrengend, intensiv, voller Symbolik, philosophisch, episodenhaft (aber trotzdem zusammenhängend), meisterhaft inszeniert, darstellerisch absolut höchstes Niveau (endlich kann Hugh Jackman zeigen, was in ihm steckt) und in technischer Hinsicht einfach perfekt.

Für mich gibt es eine ganz klare 10/10, wobei ich mir gut vorstellen kann, dass nicht es durch aus Leute gibt, die Mühe mit dem Film haben werden.

[jab]

Hach, wie ich mich freue :king:
Vielen Dank @Hellseeker: man kann sich nun immerhin sicher sein, dass es Leute gibt, denen der Film gefällt - also anschauen und rausfinden, ob man dazugehört ;). Ich hoffe mal stark, dass der bald als OV startet!

[NUR DIE RUHE]

wie Hellseeker habe ich auch FOUNTAIN bereits gesehen (Sneak) und auch eine Review in der OFDB geschrieben.

entweder man liebt den Film oder man hält ihn für absolte Sch****. etwas dazwischen kann ich mir kaum erklären, da nunmal die Visualität fast vollkommen den Film ausmacht.

50 von 10 Punkten

[mcBain]

ich freue mich auch besonders wenn in canne gepfiffen wird siehe Lynch und sein Fire Walk With me und dieses Jahr sein Inland Empire..übrigens soll der Film wohl so schwer verdaulich sein, dass sich ein pures Einlassen darauf gar nich rechnet..Transzendente Erfahrung ebend"!