Elegy

Siento un poco de pena cuando soy (casi) el único que ve la excepcionalidad y perfección de cierta película. Significa que sus creadores no obtendrán el crédito que se merecen... Elegy es una película increíblemente madura, sensible y psicológicamente compleja que es creativa en sus detalles cinematográficos (desde el guión hasta el brillante montaje, que escala magistralmente todas las escenas clave). La directora retrata el enamoramiento de un hombre de unos cincuenta años de forma quizá más precisa e incluso para un espectador más joven más comprensible de lo que podría hacerlo un director masculino (lo que no hace sino confirmar la teoría de que las mujeres pueden entender a los hombres mejor que los hombres a ellas). Elige deliberadamente al dúo Ben Kingsley / Penélope Cruz, aparentemente desparejos, para los papeles principales, de modo que sólo con un inesperado giro final puede dar forma plena a la armonía de sus personajes. Tampoco se me ocurre una representación mejor y más imaginativa del viejo amigo de Kingsley que Dennis Hopper, por el que, por lo demás, no siento ninguna simpatía como espectador. En cuanto a la pareja central, Kingsley es el corazón y el alma de la película y es difícil ver dónde termina su genio actoral y comienza el genio del director para guiar a los actores; el verdadero genio probablemente radica en su comprensión mutua y la sinergia de sus talentos. Después de muchos años, durante un fin de semana (cuando elegí al azar ver Elegy y Vicky Cristina Barcelona) por fin aprendí a apreciar a Penélope Cruz. Es un tesoro y no sólo como actriz. Y no olvidemos a la «fríamente consciente» y apasionada realista Patricia Clarkson, en quien el personaje de Kingsley encuentra su único refugio estable. Vi Elegy sólo para llenar mi tarde de domingo, y obtuve una satisfacción cinematográfica emocional y espiritual absoluta. ¿Por qué la última toma estática de la playa no pudo durar hasta el final de los créditos finales? (24.11.2008)

Average. Coixet and screenwriter Meyer turned Roth's phenomenal text into a sentimental and hackneyed love story. There is no irritability, anarchy, pornography - it is kind, moderate, protracted and sometimes quite boring. Only the solid Kingsley and the excellent Hopper stand out (his cynicism was supposed to dominate in the film!). I highly recommend buying the book instead of a ticket to the film and reading it instead of spending two hours in the movie theatre. It doesn't take much longer and it's an infinitely stronger experience. (06.10.2008)

The text translates to: A modestly vulnerable Creature and enchantingly captivating Beauty. It is hard to say how much credit to attribute to sensitive direction, a strong material from the source, or enthralling performances, for the truth remains that this combination mesmerizes from the first to the last dialogue. Whether it concerns close themes such as jealousy or fickleness, or more distant ones like old age, one can only respectfully bow to the carefully crafted story. (08.11.2010)

As a drama of an aging man searching for an opportunity for sexual indulgence and finding his last true love, it deserves 5 stars because Penélope Cruz and Ben Kingsley belong to the elite of their acting generation and Isabel Coixet knows how to film it with elegance and sensitivity. As a film adaptation of Philip Roth's literary work, however, it barely reaches three stars. Personally, I haven't read the book but I know other books by Roth, and if he wrote like Isabel translates, he wouldn't be considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, American novelists. It lacks bitterness and selfishness, and it lacks that dark side of a partnership. Only romance remains, the tragedy of unfulfilled desires and serious illness. Overall impression: 75%. (28.08.2014)

A thoughtful and sensitively crafted film, but one that dwells too much on analyzing individual characters and moves forward too slowly. The components are of high quality (direction, music, editing, performances), but I somehow couldn't find the spark between the protagonists, which is a shameful flaw in a story about two people, and there was an apparent lack in genuine emotions. It is a harsh story, but it is overly “film-like” and too polished according to a visually perfect and dialog-wise cleverly thought-out template. It’s missing rawness, and that is the main drawback for me. (07.01.2009)

Muy exitosa adaptación de la novela de P. Roth. Por supuesto, casi nunca un director logra llevar toda la trama del libro a la pantalla, por lo que aquí también faltan algunas escenas y algunas descripciones bastante naturalistas. Pero en la concepción de Isabel Coixet, esas escenas probablemente no encajarían y resultarían perturbadoras. Además, todo el libro se basa en las reflexiones y los pensamientos internos del protagonista, lo cual borraría por completo a los demás personajes en la película. Esta película, en última instancia, es una celebración de Penélope Cruz y su apariencia etérea. No tengo una actitud negativa hacia Ben Kingsley, pero simplemente no encajaba en el papel de David y eso me molestó durante toda la duración. Isabel Coixet eligió muy bien al resto de los actores: Sarsgaard, Clarkson e Hopper son excelentes, sin mencionar a Penélope, pero Ben Kingsley debió haber sido reemplazado por alguien más, como Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, etc. (12.07.2009)

A very human story, which is presented with emotions, but I sometimes had the feeling that it was too simplistic, that Isabel Coixet wanted us to shed a tear. However, it's not surprising because the story is beautifully touching. And also straightforward. Gradually, you realize that life can sometimes be quite ordinary. This is exactly the kind of story that is somewhat ordinary, even though it has extraordinary elements, that the creators tried to capture. The professor falls in love with his student. She is beautiful, why shouldn't he fall in love when he lives alone, and she is quite nonconformist. He is an art critic, why should he be uninteresting? She also finds something appealing in him, he has doubts because he is old for her. There is a turning point and then we just wait. The story is not breathtakingly overwhelming, sometimes it is simply ordinary like life itself. What makes it extraordinary are the acting performances. Ben Kingsley showed here that he does not have to play only villains, but that he still has what it takes to handle a serious role. He succeeds here, and it is also thanks to the excellent Penélope Cruz, who is simply a great actress. Moreover, she is beautiful and is not afraid to show it. A perfect couple who absolutely do not match, but still they can create a pair that fits perfectly together. Maybe too perfectly. Something has to go wrong, that is clear. The film is beautiful, not intrusive, it doesn't try to get to you at any cost, but still it succeeds here and there. It is very relatable and very human. However, it sometimes tries to push too hard. David's (Kingsley) best friend has a heart attack at the moment when he should be the happiest, David receives a call from Consuela (Cruz) at a moment when he doesn't expect it anymore. At least the ending is not simplistic, although there is a kind of happy ending here. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/12/umirajici-zvire-4-vanoce-slunce-seno-2.html (03.03.2013)

An elegant, human, hypnotic, and very well crafted drama about interpersonal relationships. Ben Kingsley honorably handles his role of the mentally still spry professor who is nevertheless fully and painfully aware of his age and I rank his performance in this film among his best. Penelope Cruz proves that, apart from her visual appeal, she is also a reasonably good actress. The fact that the script isn't very "deep" and doesn't go to the bottom of the emotions of certain situations (which is usually desirable in deep and harsh dramas) is paradoxically rather an advantage in this case, as the entire film is more likely to stand out as an elegant chamber drama with credibility achieved precisely by Kingsley's focused acting or by the overall sheen of slickness by carefully working with the visuals using the graceful tones of a piano. A genre film treat – not formulaic, and though at the same time not particularly groundbreaking, yet very good and appealingly and distinctively rendered. (14.12.2012)