IMDb > Elegy (2008/I)
Elegy
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Photos (see all 54 | slideshow) Videos (see all 15 NEW)
Elegy (2008) -- This is the theatrical trailer for Elegy, directed by Isabel Coixet.
Elegy (2008) -- MyMovies.Net - Clip - One shot encounter (WMV)
Elegy (2008) -- Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson, along with director Isabel Coixet, discuss their new sensual film "Elegy," which stars Sir Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz and opens in limited release on Aug. 8th.
Elegy (2008) -- Open-ended Trailer from Samuel Goldwyn Films
Elegy (2008) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   7,218 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Isabel Coixet
Writers (WGA):
Nicholas Meyer (screenplay)
Philip Roth (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Elegy on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 April 2008 (Spain) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance more
Plot:
Cultural critic David Kepesh finds his life -- which he indicates is a state of "emancipated manhood" -- thrown into tragic disarray by Consuela Castillo, a well-mannered student who awakens a sense of sexual possessiveness in her teacher. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 4 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(71 articles)
Trailer - Pedro Almodóvar's 'Broken Embraces'
 (From Get The Big Picture. 14 October 2009, 4:47 PM, PDT)

Tiff 2009 Two Days In: What’s Good & Bad So Far
 (From Screen Rant. 12 September 2009, 1:19 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
A Moving Ben Kingsley Conduit Stolen By Penelope Cruz more (80 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Penélope Cruz ... Consuela Castillo

Ben Kingsley ... David Kepesh

Dennis Hopper ... George O'Hearn

Patricia Clarkson ... Carolyn

Peter Sarsgaard ... Kenny Kepesh

Deborah Harry ... Amy O'Hearn
Charlie Rose ... Charlie Rose

Antonio Cupo ... Younger Man

Michelle Harrison ... 2nd Student
Sonja Bennett ... Beth

Emily Holmes ... 1st Student

Chelah Horsdal ... Susan Reese

Marci T. House ... Administration Nurse
Alessandro Juliani ... Actor #3 in Play
Tiffany Lyndall-Knight ... Actor #2 in Play
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Elegy: Dying Animal (USA) (working title)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for sexuality, nudity and language.
Runtime:
112 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
David Kepesh: [interview on the Charlie Rose show] We're not all descended from the Puritans.
Charlie Rose: No?
David Kepesh: There was another colony 30 miles from Plymouth, it's not on the maps today. Marymount it was called.
Charlie Rose: Yeah, alright, you mention in your book...
David Kepesh: The colony where anything goes, went.
Charlie Rose: There was booze...
David Kepesh: There was booze. There was fornication. There was music. There was... they even ah, ah, ah, you name it, you name it. They even danced around the maypole once a month, wearing masks, worshiping god knows what, Whites and Indians together, all going for broke...
Charlie Rose: Who was responsible for all of this?
David Kepesh: A character by the name of Thomas Morton.
Charlie Rose: Aah, the "Hugh Hefner" of the Puritans.
[...]
more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2008-08-09)" (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Déjame Recordar more

FAQ

What is this movie about?
What is an "elegy"?
Is "Elegy" based on a novel?
more
13 out of 19 people found the following comment useful.
A Moving Ben Kingsley Conduit Stolen By Penelope Cruz, 21 October 2008
8/10
Author: jzappa from United States

Ben Kingsley, who is capable of playing practically any role, seems to be remarkable at playing men who are very smart but their thoughts are a lot less than pure most of the time. Elegy is a film that could easily have been written with him in mind, though by the time it's over, Penelope Cruz has stolen away with it, and changed Kingsley's character in the progression. It's properly made.

Kingsley seems to be just about the entire movie as a self-seeking book critic. He was married in the past, and has a well-to-do son. He got divorced years ago and has a sex pal relationship with another woman who he sees rarely, played by Patricia Clarkson, who I can totally see having the capability for no-strings occasional liaisons. He is frequently attracted to his female students, and sometimes has sex with some of them. Still, to steer clear of trouble, he always waits until they graduate. With one of these women, Penelope Cruz's character, a more profound relationship grows.

But Kingsley has never matured in this manner. He is preoccupied with jealousy, certain that she is seeing someone else, someone younger, more handsome and virile. He even shows up at a dance he knows she's attending, to check up on her. His doubt frustrates and deters her, because she cannot put up with not being trusted.

When the time comes, the movie makes a dramatic bend which surrounds all the deepest bona fide feelings of the story. And in these scenes, Cruz is peacefully compelling and dreadfully real. You come to appreciate why the director, Isabel Coixet, cast Cruz rather than a younger, authentically college-age actress. An actress necessitates wisdom and the familiarity of time to play these scenes, and Cruz must have both, especially now that I'm seeing her shortly after her incredible performance in Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

That this nuanced drama with erudite cultural ambiance is not merely a self-indulgent male writer's wet dream about the horny scoundrel and the exquisite and charming Venus is a relief. That it sees Manhattan plainly as a location benefits this story because it is a place where we suppose things like this are liable to take place, not like the typical burgh where we live. Then there is Dennis Hopper as the old comrade with whom Kingsley has coffee and plays racquetball, who tries to bring wisdom to Kingsley's activities, but sees no light at the end of the tunnel. And Peter Sarsgaard as Kingsley's son, with problems of his own, and a father who has become not only a shame but an unrelated matter. But what the movie's not afraid to do is let you in on Kingsley's feelings after awhile. Who cares about all these things he should accept as responsibility when he's so immersed in love for this new, young person?

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Elegy (2008/I)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Self-Indulgent, Exploitive, Pornographic Piece of Crap firexwood
Wow...I thought DOUBT was crap! ios2000-1
As a breast cancer survivor, I'm offended toni_reese
Cafe in the movie. emwunc
Er, isn't penelope cruz a little old to play this? bb1983
Don Logan's distant cousin? termsandconditionsapply
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