Everything Is Illuminated

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=200 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="006dba33.gif"> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id107.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="9"><U>9</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="All I Want"><U>All I Want</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Ash Wednesday"><U>Ash Wednesday</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Avalon"><U>Avalon</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id7.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Black and White"><U>Black and White</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bobby"><U>Bobby</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id8.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Bumblebee Flies Anyway"><U>The Bumblebee Flies Anyway</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Chain of Fools"><U>Chain of Fools</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Child in the 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TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us"><U><IMG SRC="021ef530.jpg" border=0 width="239" height="83" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A>  |    <A HREF="http://www.frodolivesin.us" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us"><U> </U></A><A HREF="http://www.frodolivesin.us" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us"><U>home</U></A></div> <div> back to  <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="RE: 35 Elijah Wood Movies"><U><B>RE: 35 Elijah Wood Movies</B></U></A><B> </B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=370 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#FFFF99" TEXT="#080000"> <div>   </div> <div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated</B></I><B> [PG-13] [2005]  </B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="553" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM HEIGHT= 217 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad2fa8d0.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="141" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="ad1fbd30.jpg" border=0 width="251" height="211" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <B>For more screencaps from this movie, see </B><A HREF="http://www.frodolivesin.us/nonlotr/id102.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.frodolivesin.us/nonlotr/id102"><U><B>Observing Jonathan</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> Overall movie:  <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#663300" FACE="Arial" ><B>*****</B></FONT></div> <div> EJW content: The main character, no matter what people say about Alex stealing the show, and a bundle of neuroses as only Elijah could play one (that is, as a human being the audience can understand and care about).  </div> <bR> <div> In my review of <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Lord of the Rings/Fellowship of the "><U><I>Fellowship of the Ring</I></U></A>, I wrote, "Let's just say it has its faults, but I wouldn't realize that if I hadn't read the book..."   I'd say exactly that about <I>Everything Is Illuminated</I>. I knew the movie wouldn't - and shouldn't try to - follow the three interwoven but separate story lines of the book, but there was one change in the thread that <I>was </I>followed that I was disappointed in, as it eliminates one of the book's most thought-provoking issues. It's possible the issue was considered too difficult to deal with sufficiently within the limitations of a movie; it's also possible the change is related to the fact that the director (Liev Schreiber) was attempting to make the story mesh with his own grandfather's history.</div> <bR> <div> Alex and his grandfather basically move from the book to the movie without major changes. Because of the way the book is written, though, book-Jonathan is something of an invisible character. The thread that's followed in the movie is one that, in the book, we see through his <I>eyes</I>, but not through his mind or heart. So Jonathan as we encounter him in the movie is entirely a construct of Liev and Elijah, and is the biggest contribution the movie makes to the overall story. (How the real Jonathan Safran Foer felt about this transformation isn't recorded, but he hasn't said a negative word about the movie and even appears onscreen for a few seconds.) Movie-Jonathan is probably the best example we've had since <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Ice Storm"><U>Mikey Carver</U></A> of Elijah's ability to let us know exactly what's happening inside an interiorly-directed, even repressed character while somehow still allowing the character to completely hide his emotions. (How does he <I>do </I>that?) </div> <bR> <div> The movie keeps enough of the book's surreal elements to be intriguing, although the most blatantly surreal thread in the book (in which Jonathan invents a history for his ancestors because he's been unable to uncover their real history) is missing. Those who've read the book will appreciate the use of the river as an element that shows up in both dream and reality. Most of the deleted scenes that are on the DVD are also more surreal than what ended up on screen, and show some ways the story <I>could </I>have been approached, but I have to say I much prefer what we actually got in the end.  </div> <bR> <div> The music and the cinematography both add a lot to the movie. The abrupt switch in tone they convey at the story's midpoint is breathtaking, but not disconnecting; it seems to be exactly as it should be. (And, yes, that is "Alex" and his real-life group, Gypsy Bordello, singing during the end credits. It's possibly less obvious that it's the same group playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" very badly when Jonathan arrives on the train.)</div> <bR> <div> There have been some questions about whether the movie is advisable for children. My feeling is that if they're mature enough to deal with the emotional impact of the Holocaust, not on history but on individual people, it wouldn't do any harm and may do a great deal of good - provided there's an adult who can talk with them about it. The movie does assume that viewers have basic knowledge about the Holocaust; visuals such as people wearing the Star of David and German soldiers in jackboots are used without being explained. Next to those issues, I believe the small amount of sexual banter in the movie is inconsequential. If a parent isn't sure how their adolescent child (I wouldn't suggest it for any younger than that) will react, I'd advise the parent to watch the movie first. Now that it's on DVD instead of in the theater, it's easier to discuss the story as it unfolds. </div> <bR> <div> Totally advisable for adults, and essential for any Elijah Wood followers. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> _______________________________________</div> <bR> <div> The soundtrack is available (with, may I say, a particularly nice cover), as are portions of it to listen to at amazon.  The movie tie-in book has now been released and also has quite a handsome cover, and the DVD is available, too:</div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="424" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 53 WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated: </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Soundtrack</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated movie tie-in edition (paperback)</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><bR> <div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated on DVD</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 WIDTH="136"><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000AYEIMW&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>  </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0060792175&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B000DWMN2S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> (BTW, if you go to the DVD page at amazon, please consider sending them an "error on this page" note letting them know that Eugene Hutz is <I>not </I>the star.)</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>On the book: from a pre-movie-release write-up but still relevant:</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <B>You can buy the book, a widely-acclaimed first novel, in several formats (note: all of the audio versions listed here are unabridged).  When an Elijah Wood fan wrote Jonathan Safran Foer and told him how much many of us enjoy the book, he wrote back with a thank you and a request for help in keeping his new book, </B><I><B>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</B></I><B>, on the bestseller list against some negative reviews that he believes are more personal than literary.  Here are links to those two books, with both professional and customer reviews, plus some interesting-looking books that JSF has edited and one short biography of the author: </B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="4" WIDTH="436" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM HEIGHT= 49 WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated (trade paperback)</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM><NOBR><div> <I><B>Tout est  Illumine </B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 ><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0618329706&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0060529709&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=2879293111&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM HEIGHT= 82 WIDTH="136"><bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated (audio; 10 CDs)</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated (audiobook including interview with the author: special order)</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Everything Is Illuminated (audio download)</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 ><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1419326767&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1402528515&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0007Y9KEQ&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="16" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="136" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM HEIGHT= 82 WIDTH="136"><bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Future Dictionary of America (edited by Jonathan Safran Foer)</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="136"><bR> <div> <I><B>A Convergence of Birds (edited by Jonathan Safran Foer) Used only</B></I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=BOTTOM WIDTH="136"><div> <I><B>Contemporary Authors: Biography - Foer, Jonathan Safran (HTML download)</B></I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 75 ><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=193241620X&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1891024221&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=afewworabo-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0007SJB4G&fc1=000000&=1&lc1=0000ff&bc1=000000&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&f=ifr&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"> </iframe>  </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id80_m.htm" TITLE="Everything Is Illuminated"><U><B><IMG SRC="1647d3c0.jpg" border=0 width="125" height="60" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>