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This article is about a 2003 film. For other uses, see Big Fish (disambiguation).
Big Fish
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Bruce Cohen
Dan Jinks
Richard D. Zanuck
Written by Screenplay:
John August
Novel:
Daniel Wallace
Starring Ewan McGregor
Albert Finney
Billy Crudup
Helena Bonham Carter
Marion Cotillard
Jessica Lange
Alison Lohman
Steve Buscemi
Danny DeVito
Music by Danny Elfman
Cinematography Philippe Rousselot
Editing by Chris Lebenzon
Studio Columbia Pictures
Jinks/Cohen Company
The Zanuck Company
Tim Burton Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) December 10, 2003 (limited)
January 9, 2004 (wide)
Running time 125 min.
Country United States
Language English
Budget $70 million
Gross revenue $122.92 million

Big Fish is a 2003 fantasy drama film adapted from the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, and Jessica Lange. Finney plays Edward Bloom, a former traveling salesman from the Southern United States with a gift for storytelling, now confined to his deathbed. Bloom's estranged son, a journalist played by Crudup, attempts to mend their relationship as his dying father relates tall tales of his eventful life as a young adult, played by Ewan McGregor.

Screenwriter John August read a manuscript of the novel six months before it was published and convinced Columbia Pictures to acquire the rights. August began adapting the novel while producers negotiated with Steven Spielberg who planned to direct after finishing Minority Report (2002). Spielberg considered Jack Nicholson for the role of Edward Bloom, but eventually dropped the project to focus on Catch Me If You Can (2002). Tim Burton and Richard D. Zanuck took over after completing Planet of the Apes (2001) and brought Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor on board.

The film's theme of reconciliation between a dying father and his son had special significance for Burton, as his father had died in 2000 and his mother in 2002, a month before he signed on to direct. Big Fish was shot on location in Alabama in a series of fairy tale vignettes evoking the tone of a Southern Gothic fantasy. The film received award nominations in multiple film categories, including four Golden Globe nominations, seven nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, two Saturn Award nominations, and an Oscar and a Grammy Award nomination for Danny Elfman's original score.

Contents

Plot

At his son's wedding party, Edward Bloom tells the same tale he's told many times over the years: on the day Will was born, he was out catching an enormous uncatchable fish, using his wedding ring as bait. Will is annoyed, explaining to his wife Joséphine that because his father never told the straight truth about anything, he felt unable to trust him. He is troubled to think that he might have a similarly difficult relationship with his future children. Will's relationship with his father becomes so strained that they do not talk for three years. But when his father's health starts to fail, Will and the now pregnant Joséphine return to Alabama. On the plane, Will recalls his father's tale of how he braved a swamp as a child, and met a witch who showed him his death in her glass eye. With this knowledge, Edward knew there were no odds he could not face.

Edward continues telling tall tales, claiming he spent three years confined to a bed as a child because his body was growing too fast. He became a successful sports player but found the town of Ashton too small for his ambition, and sets off with the misunderstood giant Karl. Edward discovers the hidden town of Spectre, where everyone is friendly to the point of comfortably walking around barefoot. Edward leaves because he does not want to settle anywhere yet, but promises to a young girl named Jenny that he will return. Karl and Edward begin working at a circus: Edward works without pay, as he has been promised every month he will learn something new about a girl he fell in love with (at first sight) by the ringmaster Amos Calloway. Three years later, having only learned trivia about her, Edward discovers Amos is a werewolf. In return for his refusal to harm him in his monstrous state, Amos tells Edward the girl's name is Sandra Templeton and she studies at Auburn University.

Edward learns Sandra is engaged to Don Price, who is also from Ashton. Don beats up Edward when he learns about his feelings for her, but this only disgusts Sandra into ending their engagement and falling for Edward. During his recovery, Edward is conscripted by the army and sent to Korea. He parachutes into a theater entertaining troops, steals important documents, and convinces Siamese twin dancers Ping and Jing to help him get back to America, where he will make them stars. Unable to contact anyone on his journey home, the military declares him dead. This limits Edward's job options when he does return home, so he becomes a traveling salesman. Meeting the poet Norther Winslow from Spectre again, he unwittingly helps him rob a bank, which is already bankrupt. Edward suggests Winslow work at Wall Street, and Winslow thanks Edward for his advice by sending him $10,000, which he uses to buy a dream house.

Still unimpressed by his father's stories, Will demands to know the truth, but Edward explains that is who he is: a storyteller. Will finds Spectre, and meets an older Jenny, who explains Edward rescued the town from bankruptcy by buying it at an auction and rebuilding it with financial help from many of his previous acquaintances. When Will returns home, he is informed his father had a stroke and is at the hospital. He goes to visit him there and finds him only partly conscious, and unable to speak at length. Since Edward can no longer tell stories, he asks Will to tell him the story of how it all ends: escaping from the hospital, they go to the river where everyone in Edward's life appears to bid him goodbye. Will carries his father into the river where he becomes a big fish. Edward then passes away, knowing his son finally understands his love of storytelling. At the funeral, Will sees many of his father's more unusual friends, including Amos, Karl, Ping and Jing and Norther Winslow, and realizes that his father's stories were true, only exaggerated making Karl a giant (he is, in fact, 7' 6") and Ping and Jing are not conjoined "Siamese" twins, but rather twins from the Siam region of Asia. When his own son is born, Will passes on his father's stories, remarking that his father became his stories, allowing him to live forever.

Cast

Themes

"Big Fish is about what's real and what's fantastic, what's true and what's not true, what's partially true and how, in the end, it's all true."

Tim Burton[1]

The reconciliation of the father-son relationship between Edward and William is the key theme in Big Fish.[2][3] Novelist Daniel Wallace's interest in the theme of the father-son relationship began with his own family. Wallace found the "charming" character of Edward Bloom similar to his father, who used charm to keep his distance from other people.[4] In the film, Will believes Edward has never been honest with him because Edward creates extravagant myths about his past to hide himself, using storytelling as an avoidance mechanism.[5] Edward's stories are filled with fairy tale characters (a witch, mermaid, giant, and werewolf) and places (the circus, small towns, the mythological city of Spectre), all of which are classic images and archetypes.[6][7] The quest motif propels both Edward's story and Will's attempt to get to the bottom of it. Wallace explains: "The father's quest is to be a big fish in a big pond, and the son's quest is to see through his tall tales."[4]

Screenwriter John August identified with Will's character and adapted it after himself. In college, August's father died, and like Will, August had attempted to get to know him before his death, but found it difficult. Like Will, August had studied journalism and was 28 years old. In the film, Will says of Edward, "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 strangers who knew each other very well."[8] Will's description of his relationship with Edward closely resembled August's own relationship with his father.[8] Director Tim Burton also used the film to confront his thoughts and emotions concerning the death of his father in 2000:[3] "My father had been ill for a while..I tried to get in touch with him, to have, like in this film, some sort of resolution, but it was impossible."[6]

Religion and film scholar Kent L. Brintnall observes how the father-son relationship resolves itself at the end of the film. As Edward dies, Will finally lets go of his anger and begins to understand his father for the first time:

In a final gesture of love and comprehension, after a lifetime of despising his father's stories and his father as story-teller, Will finishes the story his father has begun, pulling together the themes, images and characters of his father's storied life to blend reality and fantasy in act of communion and care. By unselfishly releasing the anger he has held about his father's stories, Will gains the understanding that all we are is our stories and that his father's stories gave him a reality and substance and a dimension that was as real, genuine, and deep as the day-to-day experiences that Will sought out. Will comes to understand, then, that his father - and the rest of us - are our stories and that the deeper reality of our lives may, in fact, not be our truest self.[9]

Production

Development

About six months before it was published, screenwriter John August read a manuscript of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions (1998) by American author Daniel Wallace.[10] August read the unpublished novel following the death of his father. In September 1998,[11] August convinced Columbia Pictures to acquire the film rights on his behalf.[12] August worked hard to make the episodic book into a cohesive screenplay, deciding on several narrators for the script.[6] In August 2000, producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks began discussions for Steven Spielberg to direct August's script. Spielberg planned to have DreamWorks co-finance Big Fish with Columbia,[13] and intended to direct the film after completing Minority Report (2002).[14]

Spielberg courted Jack Nicholson for the role of Edward Bloom Sr. and towards this end, had August compose two additional drafts for Nicholson's part. August recalls: "There was this thought that there wasn't enough for Jack Nicholson to do in the movie so we built new sequences. Pieces got moved around, but it wasn't a lot of new stuff being created. It ended up being a really good intellectual exercise in my explaining and defending and reanalyzing pieces of the story."[12] Spielberg eventually left Big Fish when he became distracted with Catch Me If You Can (2002).[15]

With Spielberg no closer to committing, August, working Jinks and Cohen,[12] considered Stephen Daldry as a potential director.[16] "Once Steven decided he wasn't going to do it, we put the script back to the way it was," recalls Jinks. "Steven even said, 'I think I made a mistake with a couple of things I asked you guys to try.'" August took his favorite elements from the previous drafts, coming up with what he called "a best-of Big Fish script. By the time we approached Tim Burton, the script was in the best shape it had ever been."[12]

"My father had recently died and, although I wasn't really close to him, it was a heavy time, and it made me start thinking and going back to the past. It was something that was very difficult for me to discuss, but then this script came along and it actually dealt with those same issues, and so it was an amazing catharsis to do this film - because you're able to work through those feelings without having to talk to a therapist about it."

Tim Burton[6]

Burton had never been particularly close to his parents, but his father's death in October 2000 and his mother's in March 2002 affected him deeply. Following the production of Planet of the Apes (2001), the director wanted to get back to making a smaller film. Burton enjoyed the script, feeling that it was the first unique story he was offered since Beetlejuice (1988). Burton also found appeal in the story's combination of an emotional drama with exaggerated tall tales, which allowed him to tell various stories of different genres.[6] He signed to direct in April 2002,[13] which prompted Richard D. Zanuck, who worked with Burton on Planet of the Apes, to join Big Fish as a producer. Zanuck also had a difficult relationship with his own father, Darryl F. Zanuck, who once fired him as head of production at 20th Century Fox.[12]

Casting

For the character of Edward Bloom, Burton spoke with Jack Nicholson, Spielberg's initial choice for the role. Burton had previously worked with Nicholson on Batman (1989) and Mars Attacks! (1996). In order to depict Nicholson as the young Bloom, Burton intended to use a combination of computer-generated imagery and prosthetic makeup. The director then decided to cast around for the two actors in question.[6] Jinks and Cohen, who were then working with Ewan McGregor on Down with Love (2003), suggested that Burton cast both McGregor and Albert Finney for Edward. Burton later compared McGregor's acting style to regular colleague Johnny Depp.[6] Viewing Finney's performance in Tom Jones (1963), Burton found him similar to McGregor, and coincidentally found a People magazine article comparing the two.[12] McGregor, being Scottish, found it easier performing with a Southern American English accent. "It's a much easier accent to do then a standard American accent because you can really hear it. You can get your teeth into it. Standard American is much harder because it's more lyrical."[17] The same dual casting applied to the role of Bloom's wife, Sandra, who would be played by Jessica Lange and Alison Lohman.[6] Burton commented that he was impressed with Lohman's performance in White Oleander (2002).[18] Burton's girlfriend, Helena Bonham Carter, was also cast in two roles. Her prosthetic makeup for The Witch took five hours to apply. "I was pregnant throughout filming, so it was weird being a pregnant witch," the actress reflected. "I had morning sickness, so all those fumes and the make-up and the rubber...it was hideous."[19]

Burton personalized the film with several cameos. While filming in Alabama, the crew tracked down Billy Redden, one of the original banjo-players from Deliverance (1972). Redden was working as a part-owner of a restaurant in Clayton, Georgia, and he agreed to reprise his role in the Spectre vignette. As Edward Bloom first enters the town, Redden can be seen on a porch plucking a few notes from "Dueling Banjos". Burton was pleased with the result: "If you're watching the film and don't recognise the solitary, enigmatic figure on the porch, that's fine. But if you do - well, it just makes me so happy to see him and I think other people will feel the same way."[20] Original Big Fish author Daniel Wallace makes a brief appearance as Sandra's economics teacher in the "Courtship of Sandra Templeton" scene.[21]

Filming

Burton focused on the story and limited the use of digital effects. Costume designer Colleen Atwood created special dresses for identical twins Ada and Arlene Tai, who played the role of Ping and Jing. One set of dresses created the effect of fused twins on camera, while another set enhanced the added CGI of conjoined twins.[22][23]

Apart from filming in Paris for one week, Big Fish was entirely shot in Alabama,[6] mostly in Montgomery (such as the Cloverdale neighborhood)[15] and Wetumpka.[24] Brief filming also took place in Tallassee and on the campus of Huntingdon College.[25] Principal photography for Big Fish in Alabama lasted from January to May 2003[26] and was originally predicted to generate as much as $25 million for the local economy.[24] Burton filmed all the dramatic hospital scenes and most of those involving Finney first, before moving on to the McGregor section of Bloom's life.[12] Although McGregor was on set from the very beginning of filming, Burton chose to shoot all Finney's scenes first.[6] Location filming in Alabama experienced a setback due to weather problems. During the production of the Calloway circus scenes, a tornado watch was issued and flooding on the set interrupted filming for several weeks.[27][28] Despite the delays due to weather, Burton was able to deliver the film on budget and on schedule.[12]

The director attempted to use as limited an amount of digital effects as possible. However, because he wanted to evoke a Southern Gothic fantasy tone for Big Fish, color grading techniques were applied by Sony Pictures Imageworks.[6] Stan Winston Studios, with whom Burton worked with on Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Batman Returns (1992), designed Helena Bonham Carter's prosthetic makeup and created the animatronics.[29] Scenes with Karl the Giant were commissioned using forced perspective filmmaking.[23]

Music

The Big Fish soundtrack was composed by regular Burton collaborator Danny Elfman.[6] Burton approached Pearl Jam during post-production to request an original song for the soundtrack and closing credits. After screening an early print of the film, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder went home and wrote "Man of the Hour", completing the demo by the next day. It was recorded by the band four days later.[30] Guitarist Mike McCready stated, "We were so blown away by the movie...Eddie and I were standing around talking about it afterwards and were teary-eyed. We were so emotionally charged and moved by the imagination and humanity that we felt because of the movie."[30]

Reception

Release

Columbia Pictures planned to wide release Big Fish in the United States on November 26, 2003[31] before pushing it back to December 10 for a limited release.[32] The film premiered on December 4, 2003 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.[33] The domestic wide release in the U.S. came on January 9, 2004, with the film appearing in 2,406 theaters and earning $13.81 million in its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed $66.81 million in U.S. totals and $56.11 million in foreign countries, with a total of $122.92 million worldwide.[34]

The Region 1 DVD was released on April 27, 2004,[35] and Region 2 was released on June 7.[36] The DVD features a Burton audio commentary track, seven featurettes and a trivia quiz. A special edition was released on November 1, 2005, with a 24-page hardback book entitled Fairy Tale for a Grown Up.[37] The film was released on Blu-ray Disc on March 20, 2007.[38]

Awards

Big Fish received the most nominations at the 61st Golden Globe Awards without a single win, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Supporting Actor (Finney), Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Eddie Vedder's "Man of the Hour").[39]

At the 57th British Academy Film Awards, the film received seven nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film, Best Direction (Tim Burton), Best Adapted Screenplay (John August), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Albert Finney), Best Production Design (Dennis Gassner), Best Visual Effects (Kevin Scott Mack, Seth Maury, Lindsay MacGowan, Paddy Eason) as well as Best Makeup & Hair (Jean Ann Black and Paul LeBlanc).[40]

Finney received another nomination for Best Actor at the 30th Saturn Awards, where the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film.[41]

At the 76th Academy Awards, Danny Elfman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score.[42] In 2005, Elfman received a nomination at the 47th Grammy Awards for the Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture.[43]

Critical analysis

Based on 200 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of the critics enjoyed Big Fish with an average score of 7.2/10.[44] The film was more balanced with Rotten Tomatoes "Top Critics" poll, receiving a 64% approval rating with a 6.5/10 score.[45] By comparison Metacritic calculated an average score of 57/100, based on 43 reviews.[46]

Observations modeled the film after Forrest Gump (1994).[47][48][49] "Big Fish turns into a wide-eyed Southern Gothic picaresque in which each lunatic twist of a development is more enchanting than the last," Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote. "It's like Forrest Gump without the bogus theme-park politics."[49] Peter Travers from Rolling Stone magazine praised Burton's direction, feeling it was a celebration of the art of storytelling and a touching father–son drama.[47]

Mike Clark of USA Today commented that he was most fascinated by the casting choices. "Equally delightful is the Alison Lohman character's evolution into an older woman (Jessica Lange). It's a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."[48] Internet reviewer James Berardinelli found the fairy tale approach reminiscent of The Princess Bride (1987) and the films of Terry Gilliam. "Big Fish is a clever, smart fantasy that targets the child inside every adult," Berardinelli said, "without insulting the intelligence of either."[50] Roger Ebert, unmoved in a negative review, wrote "there is no denying that Will has a point: The old man is a blowhard. There is a point at which his stories stop working as entertainment and segue into sadism."[51] Richard Corliss of Time magazine was disappointed, finding the father-son reconciliation storyline to be over-dramatically cliché. "You recall The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Edward Bloom is the man who cried fish."[52] Big Fish was placed at 85 on Slant Magazine's best films of the 2000s.[53]

References

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  2. ^ Salisbury, Mark; Tim Burton (2006). "Introduction to the Revised Edition by Mark Salisbury". Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber. p. XX. ISBN 0-57122-926-3. "Burton connected to its central theme of a son trying to reconcile with his dying father, and the script gave him a means to address his feelings about the death of his own father, who had passed away in 2000." 
  3. ^ a b Fraga, Kristian, ed (2005). Tim Burton: Interviews. Conversations with Filmmakers Series. University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1578067596. 
  4. ^ a b Lundberg, Jason Erik (2004-10-11). "Interview: Daniel Wallace". Strange Horizons. http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20041011/dwallace-a.shtml. Retrieved 2009-10-28. 
  5. ^ Kehr, Dave (Nov-Dec 2003). "Tim Burton Comes Home with a Story about Tall Tales and Simply Truths". Film Comment (Film Society of Lincoln Center) 39 (6): 14. ISSN 0015119X. 
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Salisbury, Mark; Tim Burton (2006). "Big Fish". Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber. pp. 203–222. ISBN 0-57122-926-3. 
  7. ^ Cohen, Bruce; Burton, Tim. (2004). Big Fish: A Fairytale World. [DVD commentary track]. Columbia Pictures. 
  8. ^ a b August, John; Daniel Wallace (2004). Big fish: The Shooting Script. Newmarket Press. ISBN 1557046263. http://johnaugust.com/downloads_ripley/big-fish-intro.pdf. 
  9. ^ Brintnall, Kent L. (April 2004). "Big Fish". Journal of Religion & Film (University of Nebraska at Omaha) 8 (1). http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol8No1/Reviews/BigFish.htm. 
  10. ^ August, John. (2004). Big Fish: The Author's Journey. [DVD commentary track]. Columbia Pictures. Event occurs at 1:23. 
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  15. ^ a b Harmon, Rick (2002-09-14). "Movie's director spotted". Montgomery Advertiser. 
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  18. ^ Maynard, Kevin (2003-03-03). "'Fish' tale brings Burton to fantasyland". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117881568. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
  19. ^ Murray, Rebecca (2003-12-09). ""Big Fish" Makes a Big Impression on Its Cast". About.com. http://movies.about.com/cs/bigfish/a/bgfhhb120903.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-12. 
  20. ^ Buncombe, Andrew (2003-11-16). "Deliverance: Billy's back with his banjo". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/deliverance-billys-back-with-his-banjo-735871.html. Burton, Tim. (2004). Big Fish. [DVD commentary track]. Columbia Pictures. Event occurs at 30:47.  Akron Beacon Journal (2004-09-24)
  21. ^ Burton, Tim. (2004). Big Fish. [DVD commentary track]. Columbia Pictures. 
  22. ^ Molineaux, Sam (January 13, 2004). "Flights of Fancy". Daily Variety (Reed Business Information) 282 (11): A6-A11. ISSN 00115509. 
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  25. ^ Harmon, Rick (2002-01-10). "'Big Fish' actors here already". Montgomery Advertiser. 
  26. ^ Salisbury, Mark; Tim Burton (2006). Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber. p. 207. ISBN 0-57122-926-3.  Harmon, Rick (2002-11-07). "'Big Fish' will be filmed in the Montgomery area". Montgomery Advertiser. 
  27. ^ Burton, Tim. (2004). Big Fish. [DVD commentary track]. Columbia Pictures. Event occurs at 53:43. 
  28. ^ Topel, Fred (2003-12-09). "Tim Burton Reels in Big Fish". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/442/442609p1.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
  29. ^ Topel, Fred (2003-12-10). "An Interview with Ewan McGregor". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/445/445198p1.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
  30. ^ a b Lammers, Tim (2004-01-08). ""Man Of The Hour" Up For BFCA, Golden Globe Awards". WDIV-TV. http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/entertainment/stories/entertainment-275199620040108-180124.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  31. ^ Snyder, Gabriel (2003-08-07). "Inside Move: Col 'Fish' story gets bigger". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117890597. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
  32. ^ Linder, Brian (2003-08-28). "Burton's Fish Story Shifted". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/435/435863p1.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
  33. ^ Mitchell-Marell, Gabrielle (2003-12-08). "Big 'Fish' fry for Gotham". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117896869. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
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  35. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Big Fish (Apr 27, 2004 Columbia TriStar)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-50123. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  36. ^ "Big Fish (Jun 7, 2004 Columbia Tristar)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-120761. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  37. ^ Germain, David (2005-08-30). "New on DVD". Arizona Daily Star. http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/104479.  See also: Kuebler, Monica S. (May 2004). "Big Fish". Exclaim!. http://exclaim.ca/motionreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=58&csid2=774&fid1=4574. 
  38. ^ "Big Fish (Blu-ray) (Mar 20, 2007 Sony Pictures)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-blu-ray-154397. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  39. ^ "Big Fish". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/23711. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  40. ^ "Big Fish". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?sq=Big+Fish. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  41. ^ "Past Saturn Awards". Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  42. ^ Leopold, Todd (2003-03-24). "'Chicago' triumphs at Oscars". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/sprj.aa03.oscars/. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  43. ^ Morris, Chris (2004-12-08). "Grammy noms pointing West". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000732825. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  44. ^ "Big Fish". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1127787-big_fish/. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
  45. ^ "Big Fish: Top Critics". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1127787-big_fish/?critic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
  46. ^ "Big Fish (2003): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/bigfish/. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
  47. ^ a b Travers, Peter (2003-11-20). "Big Fish". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947859/review/5947860/big_fish. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  48. ^ a b Clark, Mike (2003-12-24). "Fanciful 'Big Fish' swimming in visual delight". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2003-12-10-big-fish_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  49. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (2003-12-03). "Big Fish". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,526081,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  50. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Big Fish". ReelViews. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/b/big_fish.html. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 
  51. ^ Ebert, Roger (2003-12-24). "Big Fish". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031224/REVIEWS/312240301/1023. Retrieved 2007-04-16. 
  52. ^ Corliss, Richard (2003-12-08). "Seven Holiday Treats". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031215-557084-2,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  53. ^ "Best of the Aughts: Film". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/feature/best-of-the-aughts-film/216/page_2. Retrieved February 10, 2010. 

Further reading

External links

Tim Burton
1980s
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) · Beetlejuice (1988) · Batman (1989)
1990s
Edward Scissorhands (1990) · Batman Returns (1992) · Ed Wood (1994) · Mars Attacks! (1996) · Sleepy Hollow (1999)
2000s
Planet of the Apes (2001) · Big Fish (2003) · Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) · Corpse Bride (2005) · Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
2010s
Producer
Edward Scissorhands (1990) · Batman Returns (1992) · The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) · Cabin Boy (1994) · Ed Wood (1994) · Batman Forever (1995) · James and the Giant Peach (1996) · Mars Attacks! (1996) · The World of Stainboy (2000) · Corpse Bride (2005) · 9 (2009) · Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Short films
The Island of Doctor Agor (1971) · Stalk of the Celery (1979) · Vincent (1982) · Frankenweenie (1984)

This article is about a 2003 film. For other uses, see Big Fish (disambiguation).
Big Fish
File:Big Fish
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Tim Burton
Produced by Dan Jinks
Bruce Cohen
Richard D. Zanuck
Written by Screenplay:
John August
Novel:
Daniel Wallace
Starring Ewan McGregor
Albert Finney
Billy Crudup
Helena Bonham Carter
Marion Cotillard
Jessica Lange
Alison Lohman
Steve Buscemi
Danny DeVito
Hailey Anne Nelson
Miley Cyrus
Loudon Wainwright
Missi Pyle
Matthew McGrory
Deep Roy
Music by Danny Elfman
Cinematography Philippe Rousselot
Editing by Chris Lebenzon
Studio Jinks/Cohen Company
The Zanuck Company
Tim Burton Productions
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release date(s) December 10, 2003 (limited)
January 9, 2004
Running time 125 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $70,000,000
Gross revenue $122,919,055

Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy comedy-drama based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, and Jessica Lange. Finney plays Edward Bloom, a former traveling salesman from the Southern United States with a gift for storytelling, now confined to his deathbed. Bloom's estranged son, a journalist played by Crudup, attempts to mend their relationship as his dying father relates tall tales of his eventful life as a young adult, played by Ewan McGregor.

Screenwriter John August read a manuscript of the novel six months before it was published and convinced Columbia Pictures to acquire the rights. August began adapting the novel while producers negotiated with Steven Spielberg who planned to direct after finishing Minority Report (2002). Spielberg considered Jack Nicholson for the role of Edward Bloom, but eventually dropped the project to focus on Catch Me If You Can (2002). Tim Burton and Richard D. Zanuck took over after completing Planet of the Apes (2001) and brought Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor on board.

The film's theme of reconciliation between a dying father and his son had special significance for Burton, as his father had died in 2000 and his mother in 2002, a month before he signed on to direct. Big Fish was shot on location in Alabama in a series of fairy tale vignettes evoking the tone of a Southern Gothic fantasy. The film received award nominations in multiple film categories, including four Golden Globe nominations, seven nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, two Saturn Award nominations, and an Oscar and a Grammy Award nomination for Danny Elfman's original score.

Contents

Plot

At his son's wedding party, Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) tells the same tale he's told many times over the years: on the day Will (Billy Crudup) was born, he was out catching an enormous uncatchable fish, using his wedding ring as bait. Will is annoyed, explaining to his wife Joséphine (Marion Cotillard) that because his father never told the straight truth about anything, he felt unable to trust him. He is troubled to think that he might have a similarly difficult relationship with his future children. Will's relationship with his father becomes so strained that they do not talk for three years. But when his father's health starts to fail, Will and the now pregnant Joséphine return to Alabama. On the plane, Will recalls his father's tale of how he braved a swamp as a child, and met a witch who showed him his death in her glass eye. With this knowledge, Edward knew there were no odds he could not face.

Edward continues telling tall tales, claiming he spent three years confined to a bed as a child because his body was growing too fast. He became a successful sports player, but found the town of Ashton too small for his ambition, and set off with the misunderstood giant Karl (Matthew McGrory). Edward discovers the hidden town of Specter, where everyone is friendly to the point of comfortably walking around barefoot. Edward leaves because he does not want to settle anywhere yet, but promises to a young girl named Jenny (Hailey Anne Nelson) that he will return. Karl and Edward begin working at a circus: Edward works without pay, as he has been promised by the ringmaster Amos Calloway (Danny DeVito) that each month he will learn something new about a girl he fell in love with (at first sight). Three years later, having only learned trivia about her, Edward discovers Amos is a werewolf. In return for his refusal to harm him in his monstrous state, Amos tells Edward the girl's name is Sandra Templeton and she studies at Auburn University.

Edward learns Sandra is engaged to Don Price, who is also from Ashton. Sandra makes Edward promise not to fight Don. Don beats Edward up when he learns about his feelings for her, but this only disgusts Sandra into ending their engagement and falling for Edward. Edward later reveals that Don died from a heart attack on the toilet bowl at a young age. During his recovery, Edward is conscripted by the army and sent to the Far East. He parachutes into a theater entertaining troops, steals important documents, and convinces Siamese twin dancers Ping and Jing to help him get back to the United States, where he will make them stars. He is unable to contact anyone on his journey home, and the military declares him dead. This limits Edward's job options when he does return home, so he becomes a traveling salesman. Meeting the poet Norther Winslow from Specter again, he unwittingly helps him rob a bank, which is already bankrupt. Edward suggests Winslow work at Wall Street, and Winslow thanks Edward for his advice by sending him $10,000, which he uses to buy a dream house.

Still unimpressed by his father's stories, Will demands to know the truth, but Edward explains that that is who he is: a storyteller. Will finds Spectre, and meets an older Jenny (Helena Bonham Carter), who explains that Edward rescued the town from bankruptcy by buying it at an auction and rebuilding it with financial help from many of his previous acquaintances. When Will returns home, he is informed his father had a stroke and is at the hospital. He goes to visit him there and finds him only partly conscious, and unable to speak at length. Since Edward can no longer tell stories, he asks Will to tell him the story of how it all ends: escaping from the hospital, they go to the river where everyone in Edward's life appears to bid him goodbye. Will carries his father into the river where he becomes what he always had been, a very big fish. Edward then passes away, knowing his son finally understands his love of storytelling. At the funeral, Will sees many of his father's more unusual friends, including Amos, Karl, Ping and Jing, and Norther Winslow. Will realizes that his father's stories were true, only exaggerated, making Karl a giant (he is, in fact, 7'6") and making Ping and Jing conjoined when they are merely twins. When his own son is born, Will passes on his father's stories, remarking that his father became his stories, allowing him to live forever.

Cast

Themes

"Big Fish is about what's real and what's fantastic, what's true and what's not true, what's partially true and how, in the end, it's all true."

Tim Burton[1]

The reconciliation of the father-son relationship between Edward and William is the key theme in Big Fish.[2][3] Novelist Daniel Wallace's interest in the theme of the father-son relationship began with his own family. Wallace found the "charming" character of Edward Bloom similar to his father, who used charm to keep his distance from other people.[4] In the film, Will believes Edward has never been honest with him because Edward creates extravagant myths about his past to hide himself, using storytelling as an avoidance mechanism.[5] Edward's stories are filled with fairy tale characters (a witch, mermaid, giant, and werewolf) and places (the circus, small towns, the mythological city of Spectre), all of which are classic images and archetypes.[6][7] The quest motif propels both Edward's story and Will's attempt to get to the bottom of it. Wallace explains: "The father's quest is to be a big fish in a big pond, and the son's quest is to see through his tall tales."[4]

Screenwriter John August identified with Will's character and adapted it after himself. In college, August's father died, and like Will, August had attempted to get to know him before his death, but found it difficult. Like Will, August had studied journalism and was 28 years old. In the film, Will says of Edward, "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 strangers who knew each other very well."[8] Will's description of his relationship with Edward closely resembled August's own relationship with his father.[8] Director Tim Burton also used the film to confront his thoughts and emotions concerning the death of his father in 2000:[3] "My father had been ill for a while... I tried to get in touch with him, to have, like in this film, some sort of resolution, but it was impossible."[6]

Religion and film scholar Kent L. Brintnall observes how the father-son relationship resolves itself at the end of the film. As Edward dies, Will finally lets go of his anger and begins to understand his father for the first time:

In a final gesture of love and comprehension, after a lifetime of despising his father's stories and his father as story-teller, Will finishes the story his father has begun, pulling together the themes, images and characters of his father's storied life to blend reality and fantasy in act of communion and care. By unselfishly releasing the anger he has held about his father's stories, Will gains the understanding that all we are is our stories and that his father's stories gave him a reality and substance and a dimension that was as real, genuine, and deep as the day-to-day experiences that Will sought out. Will comes to understand, then, that his father - and the rest of us - are our stories and that the deeper reality of our lives may, in fact, not be our truest self.[9]

Production

Development

About six months before it was published, screenwriter John August read a manuscript of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions (1998) by American author Daniel Wallace.[10] August read the unpublished novel following the death of his father. In September 1998,[11] August convinced Columbia Pictures to acquire the film rights on his behalf.[12] August worked hard to make the episodic book into a cohesive screenplay, deciding on several narrators for the script.[6] In August 2000, producers Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks began discussions for Steven Spielberg to direct August's script. Spielberg planned to have DreamWorks co-finance Big Fish with Columbia,[13] and intended to direct the film after completing Minority Report (2002).[14]

Spielberg courted Jack Nicholson for the role of Edward Bloom Sr. and towards this end, had August compose two additional drafts for Nicholson's part. August recalls: "There was this thought that there wasn't enough for Jack Nicholson to do in the movie so we built new sequences. Pieces got moved around, but it wasn't a lot of new stuff being created. It ended up being a really good intellectual exercise in my explaining and defending and reanalyzing pieces of the story."[12] Spielberg eventually left Big Fish when he became distracted with Catch Me If You Can (2002).[15]

With Spielberg no closer to committing, August, working Jinks and Cohen,[12] considered Stephen Daldry as a potential director.[16] "Once Steven decided he wasn't going to do it, we put the script back to the way it was," recalls Jinks. "Steven even said, 'I think I made a mistake with a couple of things I asked you guys to try.'" August took his favorite elements from the previous drafts, coming up with what he called "a best-of Big Fish script. By the time we approached Tim Burton, the script was in the best shape it had ever been."[12]

"My father had recently died and, although I wasn't really close to him, it was a heavy time, and it made me start thinking and going back to the past. It was something that was very difficult for me to discuss, but then this script came along and it actually dealt with those same issues, and so it was an amazing catharsis to do this film - because you're able to work through those feelings without having to talk to a therapist about it."

Tim Burton[6]

Burton had never been particularly close to his parents, but his father's death in October 2000 and his mother's in March 2002 affected him deeply. Following the production of Planet of the Apes (2001), the director wanted to get back to making a smaller film. Burton enjoyed the script, feeling that it was the first unique story he was offered since Beetlejuice (1988). Burton also found appeal in the story's combination of an emotional drama with exaggerated tall tales, which allowed him to tell various stories of different genres.[6] He signed to direct in April 2002,[13] which prompted Richard D. Zanuck, who worked with Burton on Planet of the Apes, to join Big Fish as a producer. Zanuck also had a difficult relationship with his own father, Darryl F. Zanuck, who once fired him as head of production at 20th Century Fox.[12]

Casting

For the character of Edward Bloom, Burton spoke with Jack Nicholson, Spielberg's initial choice for the role. Burton had previously worked with Nicholson on Batman (1989) and Mars Attacks! (1996). In order to depict Nicholson as the young Bloom, Burton intended to use a combination of computer-generated imagery and prosthetic makeup. The director then decided to cast around for the two actors in question.[6] Jinks and Cohen, who were then working with Ewan McGregor on Down with Love (2003), suggested that Burton cast both McGregor and Albert Finney for Edward. Burton later compared McGregor's acting style to regular colleague Johnny Depp.[6] Viewing Finney's performance in Tom Jones (1963), Burton found him similar to McGregor, and coincidentally found a People magazine article comparing the two.[12] McGregor, being Scottish, found it easier performing with a Southern American English accent. "It's a much easier accent to do then a standard American accent because you can really hear it. You can get your teeth into it. Standard American is much harder because it's more lyrical."[17] The same dual casting applied to the role of Bloom's wife, Sandra, who would be played by Jessica Lange and Alison Lohman.[6] Burton commented that he was impressed with Lohman's performance in White Oleander (2002).[18] Burton's girlfriend, Helena Bonham Carter, was also cast in two roles. Her prosthetic makeup for The Witch took five hours to apply. "I was pregnant throughout filming, so it was weird being a pregnant witch," the actress reflected. "I had morning sickness, so all those fumes and the make-up and the rubber...it was hideous."[19]

Burton personalized the film with several cameos. While filming in Alabama, the crew tracked down Billy Redden, one of the original banjo-players from Deliverance (1972). Redden was working as a part-owner of a restaurant in Clayton, Georgia, and he agreed to reprise his role in the Spectre vignette. As Edward Bloom first enters the town, Redden can be seen on a porch plucking a few notes from "Dueling Banjos". Burton was pleased with the result: "If you're watching the film and don't recognise the solitary, enigmatic figure on the porch, that's fine. But if you do - well, it just makes me so happy to see him and I think other people will feel the same way."[20] Original Big Fish author Daniel Wallace makes a brief appearance as Sandra's economics teacher in the "Courtship of Sandra Templeton" scene.[21]

Filming

[[File:|thumb|250px|right|Burton focused on the story and limited the use of digital effects. Costume designer Colleen Atwood created special dresses for identical twins Ada and Arlene Tai, who played the role of Ping and Jing. One set of dresses created the effect of fused twins on camera, while another set enhanced the added CGI of conjoined twins.[22][23]]] Apart from filming in Paris for one week, Big Fish was entirely shot in Alabama,[6] mostly in Montgomery (such as the Cloverdale neighborhood)[15] and Wetumpka.[24] Brief filming also took place in Tallassee and on the campus of Huntingdon College.[25] Principal photography for Big Fish in Alabama lasted from January to May 2003[26] and was originally predicted to generate as much as $25 million for the local economy.[24] Burton filmed all the dramatic hospital scenes and most of those involving Finney first, before moving on to the McGregor section of Bloom's life.[12] Although McGregor was on set from the very beginning of filming, Burton chose to shoot all Finney's scenes first.[6] Location filming in Alabama experienced a setback due to weather problems. During the production of the Calloway circus scenes, a tornado watch was issued and flooding on the set interrupted filming for several weeks.[27][28] Despite the delays due to weather, Burton was able to deliver the film on budget and on schedule.[12]

The director attempted to use as limited an amount of digital effects as possible. However, because he wanted to evoke a Southern Gothic fantasy tone for Big Fish, color grading techniques were applied by Sony Pictures Imageworks.[6] Stan Winston Studios, with whom Burton worked with on Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Batman Returns (1992), designed Helena Bonham Carter's prosthetic makeup and created the animatronics.[29] Scenes with Karl the Giant were commissioned using forced perspective filmmaking.[23]

Music

The Big Fish soundtrack was composed by regular Burton collaborator Danny Elfman.[6] Burton approached Pearl Jam during post-production to request an original song for the soundtrack and closing credits. After screening an early print of the film, Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder went home and wrote "Man of the Hour", completing the demo by the next day. It was recorded by the band four days later.[30] Guitarist Mike McCready stated, "We were so blown away by the movie...Eddie and I were standing around talking about it afterwards and were teary-eyed. We were so emotionally charged and moved by the imagination and humanity that we felt because of the movie."[30]

Reception

Release

Columbia Pictures planned to wide release Big Fish in the United States on November 26, 2003[31] before pushing it back to December 10 for a limited release.[32] The film premiered on December 4, 2003 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.[33] The domestic wide release in the U.S. came on January 9, 2004, with the film appearing in 2,406 theaters and earning $13.81 million in its opening weekend. The film eventually grossed $66.81 million in U.S. totals and $56.11 million in foreign countries, with a total of $122.92 million worldwide.[34]

The Region 1 DVD was released on April 27, 2004,[35] and Region 2 was released on June 7.[36] The DVD features a Burton audio commentary track, seven featurettes and a trivia quiz. A special edition was released on November 1, 2005, with a 24-page hardback book entitled Fairy Tale for a Grown Up.[37] The film was released on Blu-ray Disc on March 20, 2007.[38]

Awards

Big Fish received the most nominations at the 61st Golden Globe Awards without a single win, including Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), Best Supporting Actor (Finney), Best Original Score and Best Original Song (Eddie Vedder's "Man of the Hour").[39]

At the 57th British Academy Film Awards, the film received seven nominations from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film, Best Direction (Tim Burton), Best Adapted Screenplay (John August), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Albert Finney), Best Production Design (Dennis Gassner), Best Visual Effects (Kevin Scott Mack, Seth Maury, Lindsay MacGowan, Paddy Eason) as well as Best Makeup & Hair (Jean Ann Black and Paul LeBlanc).[40]

Finney received another nomination for Best Actor at the 30th Saturn Awards, where the film was nominated for Best Fantasy Film.[41]

At the 76th Academy Awards, Danny Elfman was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score.[42] In 2005, Elfman received a nomination at the 47th Grammy Awards for the Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture.[43]

Critical analysis

Based on 210 reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of the critics enjoyed Big Fish with an average score of 7.2/10.[44] The film was more balanced with Rotten Tomatoes "Top Critics" poll, receiving a 64% approval rating with a 6.5/10 score.[45] By comparison Metacritic calculated an average score of 57/100, based on 43 reviews.[46]

Observations modeled the film after Forrest Gump (1994).[47][48][49] "Big Fish turns into a wide-eyed Southern Gothic picaresque in which each lunatic twist of a development is more enchanting than the last," Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote. "It's like Forrest Gump without the bogus theme-park politics."[49] Peter Travers from Rolling Stone magazine praised Burton's direction, feeling it was a celebration of the art of storytelling and a touching father–son drama.[47]

Mike Clark of USA Today commented that he was most fascinated by the casting choices. "Equally delightful is the Alison Lohman character's evolution into an older woman (Jessica Lange). It's a metamorphosis to equal any in screen history."[48] Internet reviewer James Berardinelli found the fairy tale approach reminiscent of The Princess Bride (1987) and the films of Terry Gilliam. "Big Fish is a clever, smart fantasy that targets the child inside every adult," Berardinelli said, "without insulting the intelligence of either."[50] Roger Ebert, unmoved in a negative review, wrote "there is no denying that Will has a point: The old man is a blowhard. There is a point at which his stories stop working as entertainment and segue into sadism."[51] Richard Corliss of Time magazine was disappointed, finding the father-son reconciliation storyline to be over-dramatically cliché. "You recall The Boy Who Cried Wolf? Edward Bloom is the man who cried fish."[52] Big Fish was placed at 85 on Slant Magazine's best films of the 2000s.[53]

References

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  2. ^ Salisbury, Mark; Tim Burton (2006). "Introduction to the Revised Edition by Mark Salisbury". Burton on Burton. London: Faber and Faber. p. XX. ISBN 0-57122-926-3. "Burton connected to its central theme of a son trying to reconcile with his dying father, and the script gave him a means to address his feelings about the death of his own father, who had passed away in 2000." 
  3. ^ a b Fraga, Kristian, ed (2005). Tim Burton: Interviews. Conversations with Filmmakers Series. University Press of Mississippi. p. xix. ISBN 1578067596. 
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  32. ^ Linder, Brian (2003-08-28). "Burton's Fish Story Shifted". IGN. http://movies.ign.com/articles/435/435863p1.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21. 
  33. ^ Mitchell-Marell, Gabrielle (2003-12-08). "Big 'Fish' fry for Gotham". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117896869. Retrieved 2009-06-20. 
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  35. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Big Fish (Apr 27, 2004 Columbia TriStar)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-50123. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  36. ^ "Big Fish (Jun 7, 2004 Columbia Tristar)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-120761. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  37. ^ Germain, David (2005-08-30). "New on DVD". Arizona Daily Star. http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/104479.  See also: Kuebler, Monica S. (May 2004). "Big Fish". Exclaim!. http://exclaim.ca/motionreviews/generalreview.aspx?csid1=58&csid2=774&fid1=4574. 
  38. ^ "Big Fish (Blu-ray) (Mar 20, 2007 Sony Pictures)". Overview (Allmovie). http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/big-fish-blu-ray-154397. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  39. ^ "Big Fish". Hollywood Foreign Press Association. http://www.goldenglobes.org/browse/film/23711. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  40. ^ "Big Fish". British Academy of Film and Television Arts. http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?sq=Big+Fish. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  41. ^ "Past Saturn Awards". Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  42. ^ Leopold, Todd (2003-03-24). "'Chicago' triumphs at Oscars". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/23/sprj.aa03.oscars/. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  43. ^ Morris, Chris (2004-12-08). "Grammy noms pointing West". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000732825. Retrieved 2009-10-13. 
  44. ^ "Big Fish". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1127787-big_fish/. Retrieved 2010-09-07. 
  45. ^ "Big Fish: Top Critics". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1127787-big_fish/?critic=creamcrop. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
  46. ^ "Big Fish (2003): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/movie/big-fish. Retrieved 2009-07-11. 
  47. ^ a b Travers, Peter (2003-11-20). "Big Fish". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080621142810/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947859/review/5947860/big_fish. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  48. ^ a b Clark, Mike (2003-12-24). "Fanciful 'Big Fish' swimming in visual delight". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2003-12-10-big-fish_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  49. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (2003-12-03). "Big Fish". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,526081,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  50. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Big Fish". ReelViews. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/b/big_fish.html. Retrieved 2009-07-14. 
  51. ^ Ebert, Roger (2003-12-24). "Big Fish". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20031224/REVIEWS/312240301/1023. Retrieved 2007-04-16. 
  52. ^ Corliss, Richard (2003-12-08). "Seven Holiday Treats". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101031215-557084-2,00.html. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  53. ^ "Best of the Aughts: Film". Slant Magazine. http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/feature/best-of-the-aughts-film/216/page_2. Retrieved February 10, 2010. 

Further reading

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Big Fish
[[Template:FULLPAGENAME: Tim Burton|v]] • [[{{TALKPAGENAME:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Tim Burton}}|d]] • [{{fullurl:Template:FULLPAGENAME: Tim Burton|action=edit}}e]
Tim Burton
Directed
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)Template:·w Beetlejuice (1988)Template:·w Batman (1989)Template:·w Edward Scissorhands (1990)Template:·w Batman Returns (1992)Template:·w Ed Wood (1994)Template:·w Mars Attacks! (1996)Template:·w Sleepy Hollow (1999)Template:·w Planet of the Apes (2001)Template:·w Big Fish (2003)Template:·w Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)Template:·w Corpse Bride (2005)Template:·w Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)Template:·w Alice in Wonderland (2010)Template:·wDark Shadows (2011)Template:·w Frankenweenie (2012)
Producer
Edward Scissorhands (1990)Template:·w Batman Returns (1992)Template:·wThe Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)Template:·w Cabin Boy (1994)Template:·w Ed Wood (1994)Template:·w Batman Forever (1995)Template:·w James and the Giant Peach (1996)Template:·w Mars Attacks! (1996)Template:·w The World of Stainboy (2000)Template:·w Corpse Bride (2005)Template:·w 9 (2009)
Short films
The Island of Doctor Agor (1971)Template:·w Stalk of the Celery Monster (1979)Template:·w Vincent (1982)Template:·w Frankenweenie (1984)
Literature
Burton on Burton, edited by Mark Salisbury (1995, revised editions 2000, 2006)Template:·w The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories (1997)Template:·w The Art of Tim Burton, written by Leah Gallo (2009)

Retrieved from "http://yak.rapint.com/wiki/Big_Fish"

Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikiquote

Big Fish is a 2003 film about a man who goes home to be with his family as his ailing father passes away. During his time there, he recalls the outlandish tales that his father told about his own life, always swearing they were true.

Directed by Tim Burton. Written by John August (screenplay). Based on Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace
An adventure as big as life itself. taglines
Spoiler warning: Plot, ending, or solution details follow.

Contents

Edward Bloom

  • If goldfish are kept in a small bowl, they will remain small. With more space, the fish can double, triple or quadruple its size.
  • There are some fish that cannot be caught. It's not that they're faster or stronger than other fish. They're just touched by something extra. Call it luck. Call it grace. One such fish was "The Beast".
  • Sometimes, the only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to offer her a wedding ring.
  • I was trying to find a cure to my gigantificationism...
  • Now, it's common knowledge that most towns of a certain size have a witch, if only to eat misbehaving children and the occasional puppy who wanders into her yard. Witches use those bones to cast spells and curses that make the land infertile... Yet of the all the witches in Alabama, there was one who was the most feared. For she had one glass eye, which was said to contain mystical powers.
  • I was thinking about death and all. About seeing how you're gonna die. I mean, on one hand, if dying was all you thought about, it could kind of screw you up. But it could kind of help you, couldn't it? Because you'd know that everything else you can survive.
  • I was never much for being at home, Will. It's too confining. And this, here... being stuck in bed. Dying is the worst thing that ever happened to me.
  • Armed with the foreknowledge of my own death, I knew the giant couldn't kill me. All the same, I preferred to keep my bones unbroken.
  • Oh, come on. I can't go back, I'm a human sacrifice. If I go back they'll think I'm a coward. I'd rather be dinner than a coward.
  • The biggest fish in the river gets that way by never being caught.
  • There were two roads out of Ashton, a new one which was paved, and an older one that wasn't. People didn't use the old road anymore, and it had developed the reputation of being haunted. Well, Since I had no intention of ever returning to Ashton, this seemed as good a time as any to find out what lay down that old road.
  • Now, there comes a point where a reasonable man will swallow his pride and admit that he's made a terrible mistake. The truth is, I was never a reasonable man.
  • What I recalled of Sunday School was that the more difficult something became, the more rewarding it was in the end.
  • I agreed to spend the afternoon, if only to understand the mystery of how a place could feel so strange, and yet so familiar.
  • This town is more than any man could ask for. And if I were to end up here, I'd consider myself lucky. But the truth is, I'm not ready to end up anywhere.
  • As difficult as it was to reach Spectre, I was fated to get there eventually. After all, no man can avoid reaching the end of his life.
  • This isn't how I die.
  • We didn't have a proper wedding. Your mother-in-law was never supposed to marry me. She was engaged to somebody else.
  • It was on that night Karl met his destiny. And I met mine. Almost.
  • They say when you meet the love of your life, time stops. And that's true. What they don't tell you, is that once time starts again, it moves extra fast to catch up.
  • You will never know its Girth!
  • It was that night I discovered that most things you consider evil or wicked are simply lonely, and lacking in social niceties.
  • Fate has a cruel way of circling around on you. After all this work to leave Ashton, the girl I loved was now engaged to one of its biggest jerks. There's a time when a man needs to fight, and a time when he needs to accept that his destiny is lost, that the ship has sailed, and that only a fool will continue. The truth is, I've always been a fool.
  • Sandra Templeton! I love you! And I will marry you!
  • While I took the beating of a lifetime, it was Don Price who was ultimately defeated.
  • Truth is, I've been thirsty my whole life. Never really known why.
  • Y'see, most men, they'll tell a story straight through— it won't be complicated, but it won't be interesting either.

Will Bloom

  • In telling the story of my father's life, it's impossible to separate the fact from the 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 happened. But that's what kind of story this is.
  • Everyone loves my father. He's a very likeable guy.
  • Okay, okay— The thing about icebergs is you only see 10 percent. The other 90 percent is below the water where you can't see it.That's what it is with you Dad. I'm only seeing this little bit that sticks above the water.
  • [last lines] That was my father's final joke, I guess. The man tells his stories so many times that he becomes the stories. They live on after him. And in that way, he becomes immortal.

Jenny

  • It's not a woman, it's a fish. No one ever catches her. Fish looks diff'rent to diff'rent people. My daddy said it looked like the coon dog he had when he was kid...back from the dead.
  • Fate has a way of circling back on a man, and taking him by surprise. A man sees things differently at different times in his life. This town didn't seem the same now that he was older.

Dialogue

Edward: Having a kid changes everything. I mean, there's the diapers and the burping and the midnight feedings...
Will: Did you do any of that?
Edward: No, but I hear it's terrible. Then you spend years trying to corrupt and mislead this child, fill its head with nonsense and still it turns out perfectly fine.
Norther Winslow: I've been working on this poem for 12 years.
Edward: Really.
Norther Winslow: There's a lot of expectation. I don't want to disappoint my fans...The grass so green, Skies so blue, Spectre is really great!
Edward: It's only three lines long.
Norther Winslow: This is why you should never show a work in progress.
Beamen: You won't find a better place!
Edward: I don't expect to.
Jenny: Promise me you'll come back.
Edward: I promise. Someday. When I'm really supposed to.
Man in crowd: Mayor, he ate an entire cornfield!
Young girl in crowd: He ate my dog!
Mayor: Son that creature could crush you without trying.
Edward: Oh trust me— he'll have to try.
Edward: Will never told you?... Ah, Probably just as well. He would have told it wrong anyway. All the facts and none of the flavor.
Josephine: Oh... so this is a tall tale?
Edward: Well, it's not a short one.
Karl: I don't want to eat anybody. I just get so hungry. I'm just too big.
Edward: Did you ever think maybe you're not too big— but, maybe this town's just too small?
Amos: Tell me, Karl, have you ever heard the term “involuntary servitude?”
Karl: No.
Amos: Unconscionable contract?
Karl: Uh... Nope.
Amos: Great! Here you go.
Edward: I just saw the woman I'm going to marry, I know it. But I lost her.
Amos: Oh, Tough break. Well, most men have to get married before they lose their wives.
Edward: I'm going to spend the rest of my life looking for her. That or die alone.
Amos: Damn, Kid!
Amos: Forget it Kid. Don't waste your time. She's out of your league.
Edward: What do you mean? You don't even know me.
Amos: Sure I do. You were hot shit back in Hickville, but here in the real world, you got squat. You don't have a plan. You don't have a job. You don't have anything except the clothes on your back... You were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean, and you're drowning. Take my advice and go back to Puddleville. You'll be happy there.
Edward: You don't know me, but my name is Edward Bloom and I love you. I've spent the last three years working to find out who you are. I've been shot and stabbed and trampled a few times— I broke my ribs twice— but it's all been worth it to see you here, now, and to finally get to talk to you. Because I'm destined to marry you. I knew it the first moment I saw you at the circus. And I know it now more than ever.
Sandra: I'm sorry.
Edward: You don't have to apologize to me. I'm the luckiest person you'll find today.
Sandra: No, I'm sorry. I'm engaged to be married. But you're wrong. I do know you. At least by reputation. Edward Bloom from Ashton. See, I'm actually engaged to a boy from Ashton. Don Price. He was a few years older than you.
Edward: Well... congratulations. I'm sorry to have bothered you...
Josephine: You never told me how your parents met.
Will: They met at Auburn.
Josephine: What about the details? How they fell in love. The Circus. The War. You never told me any of that.
Will: That's because most of it never happened.
Josephine: But it's romantic.
Will: You have to understand. When I was growing up, he was gone more than he was here. And I started thinking— maybe he has a second life somewhere else. With another family, another house— he leaves us, he goes to them. Or maybe there is no second family. Maybe he never wanted a family. But whatever it is, maybe he likes that second life better. And the reason he tells all those stories is because he can't stand this boring place.
Josephine: But it's not true.
Will: What is "true"? He's never told me a single true thing.
Edward: What do you want, Will? Who do you want me to be?
Will: Yourself. Good, bad, everything. Just show me who you are for once.
Edward: I have been nothing but myself since the day I was born. And if you can't see that, it's your failing, not mine.
Sandra: It was during the war. Your father went missing. They thought he was dead.
Will: That really happened?
Sandra: Not everything your father says is a complete fabrication.
Jenny: One day, Edward Bloom left, and never returned to the town he'd saved. As for the girl, the common belief was that she'd become a witch, and crazy at that. She became something of a legend herself. And the story ended where it began.
Will: Well, logically, you couldn't be the witch, because she was old when he was young.
Jenny: Well, it's logical if you think like your father. See, to him, there's only two women: your mother and everyone else... And one day I realized I was in love with a man who could never love me back. I was living in a fairy tale... I'm not sure I should have told you any of this... I wanted to be as important to him as you were, and I was never going to be. I was make-believe and... his other life, you, you were real.
Will: As we get-as we get close to the river, we see that everybody is already there.
Will: And I mean everyone...It's-it's unbelievable.
Edward: The story...of my life.
Will: And the strange thing is,there's not a sad face to be found,everyone is just so glad to see you.And send you off right.
Will: You become what you always were...A very big fish...And that's how it happens.
Edward: Exactly.

Taglines

  • An adventure as big as life itself.

Cast

External links








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