Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5190 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-05-28
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 96 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Science fiction and romance collide in The Fountain, the ambitious third feature from director Darren Aronofsky (Pi, Requiem for a Dream), who laboured for four years to complete this epic-sized love story that stretches across centuries and galaxies. Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (Aronofsky's real-life companion) play lovers in each of the film's three settings--16th century Europe and America (Jackman is a Spanish explorer searching for Incan magic), the present day (Jackman is a doctor attempting to cure his dying wife), and the 26th century (Jackman is a space traveller seeking a gateway to the afterlife)-–who struggle mightily to stay united, only to lose each other time and again. Aronofsky may not have chosen the easiest presentation for audiences to absorb his theories on the lasting qualities of life and the transformative powers of death-–the final sequence, in particular, with a bald Jackman floating through space in a bubble, harks back uncomfortably to "head movies" of the late '60s-–but his leads have considerable chemistry (and look terrific to boot), which goes a long way towards securing viewers' hopes for a happy ending. Critical reception for The Fountain has been nothing short of bloodthirsty, with Cannes audiences booing, but there are elements to enjoy here, even if the premise throws one for a loop. Ellen Burstyn (who earned an Oscar nomination for Requiem for a Dream) delivers a typically solid performance as Jackman's boss in the present day sequence, and special effects (most done without the benefit of CGI) are also impressive given the film's low budget (spurred by a mid-production shutdown after original stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett ankled the picture). And science-fiction fans whose tastes run towards the metaphysical (Asimov, Le Guin) will appreciate the attempt to present the genre in a serious light. -- Paul Gaita

Synopsis
Darren Aronofsky's THE FOUNTAIN is sure to enchant, beguile, and inspire intense debate among his fans. During the gap since 2000's REQUIEM FOR A DREAM, Aronofsky had struggled to bring THE FOUNTAIN to the screen, principally because leading man Brad Pitt dropped out of the project. The complex tale is split into three different time periods, beginning in the 16th century, when a conquistador named Tomas (Hugh Jackman) strives to find the Tree of Life. The second part of the story finds Jackman playing a Buddha-like character who zips through outer space and dreams of a woman named Izzi (Rachel Weisz). And the third part, which consumes most of the film's screen time, is set in the present day and sees Jackman playing a doctor named Tommy, who is married to the terminally ill Izzi. In this third section Tommy strives to find a cure for Izzi's brain tumour, and makes some progress after experimenting on a monkey with a substance discovered in a tree in South America. Meanwhile, Izzi has been writing a book that she calls THE FOUNTAIN, but has left the final chapter for Tommy to write. As Aronofsky pushes and pulls his sepia-tinted film between the three time periods, he weaves a deeply thoughtful, special effects-laden story that touches on themes of mortality and self, and requires a great deal of work from the director's audience. Movies such as Kubrick's 2001 and Tarkovsky's SOLARIS come to mind as Aronofsky gets deep into philosophical waters, and the various story strands of THE FOUNTAIN are as inconclusive and open to interpretation as the films that have clearly influenced it. The film makes for uneasy and sometimes confusing viewing, but will find its audience among intrepid souls who are fully prepared to let go and immerse themselves in Aronofsky's peculiar, daring, and thoughtful cinematic universe.

Customer Reviews

Unique & Visionary
There were as many detractors as those appluading this film on it's release, but you can't please everyone. This film is cut from an entirely different cloth than most of the Hollywood dross out there these days, and shows a certain level of forward thinking from Warners to stick by Aronofsky and his vision for the film. What we get is a tight, well acted piece of filmaking which literally glows and radiates an intense passion throughout the 90min screentime. It may be too open ended for most cineplex viewers, requiring a leap of imagination to absorb the tryptich of narrative as the film jumps between 3 timelines: Past, Present, Future, but for those of us prepared to invest something into the experience( and leave all that 21st century cynicism/ negativity at the door) you'll be rewarded with a beautiful, emotive, intelligent film that leaves you wanting more.
Everyone will have their own take on what the film actually means, and where and when the final timeline actually takes place? but that is the beauty of this film, it makes you think, about yourself, your loved ones and our place in the universe. If only more films did this the world could be a better place.

You won't see a more beautiful film all year
After a long wait, complete with the projects being stopped in its tracks once already, The Fountain finally reached our screens to an occasionally perplexed and/or apathetic audience on one hand, on the other to an audience that it struck an emotional chord with.

I fall into the latter, if you hadn't guessed.

This was always going to be Darren Aronofsky's difficult third movie following the mind-melting Pi and the emotional assault & battery of Requiem for a Dream, but he pulls it off with an intimate, heartbreaking story that happens to span 1000 years, only it doesn't once you think about it.

The three narrative threads (Tommy in the modern day, Tomas the Conquistador, and Tom the spaceman) may appear to jar, but they all fit into the story - not the story of the film, but the book that Tommy's dying wife Izzy is writing as her brain tumour threatens to overcome her once and for all.

The Fountain has an air of sadness that seeps from the screen: the repeated motif of Izzy asking Tommy to take a walk with her in the snow plays time and again, and takes on sadder connotations every time, while the Tommy/Tomas/Tom character(s) all face an impossible task in trying to prevent natural following it's inevitable course towards death, and how man is unable to prevent the people he loves succumbing to fate. One scene sees Tommy completely numb by bad news, walking down a street and unable to take in what's going on around him (passers-by, traffic, construction works) and we don't hear a thing until he's almost hit by a car.

As always, Aronofsky can create stunning images on screen, and as always accompanied by Clint Mansell's intimate, stripped-back score that enhances the events and the feeling of loss that is preparing to come to the fore upon all three variations of Hugh Jackman's lead character. Indeed, even when he succeeds, it ends up hurting him as he just prolonged the inevitable until it could hurt him once more.

It may not be a Friday night popcorn movie by any means, but it is a one of the finest pieces of filmmaking of recent years, and more proof that Darren Aronofsky is an underrated director that is capable of creating cinematic genius out of the meanest of circumstances, and is a film that you should see.

Aronofsky achieves what Kubrick could not
It is unfortunately rare these days in the finance driven world of Hollywood, that movies so original, so different, so kaleidoscopic and beautiful arrive on our screens. Making a film like The Fountain takes vision, passion, and a desire to be artistic above that of the desire to make a blockbuster hit, for this is surely a movie that won't be understood or appreciated by the majority.

However, imagination left director/screenwriter Darren Aronofsky when he named his film. The definite article is over-used in movie titles, and this may sound like a nitpick, but it is a regrettable truth that films are remembered foremostly by their name, and this one belies the originality it contains within. Do not be put off by the title, this is one of the most original movies you will ever see. The Brazilian name Fonte da Vida (Fountain of Life) better suits, I think.

Out of 2006 also came Pan's Labyrinth, from which can be drawn parallels in its originality, dreamlike cinematography, and intricately weaving plots. However, unlike Pan's Labyrinth, there were no moments in this movie that I felt were poorly conceived, or poorly executed. The Fountain is a masterclass in the art of film-making, and will stand up in its own right for years to come. It's as stunning as the best Kubrick film, and I think a better screenplay than Kubrick could ever write, and at 92 minutes running time is mercifully shorter. This is the right length for a movie. Is Aronofsky a reincarnation of Kubrick, but with a much heightened degree of good sense?

The story is marketed as a science fiction tale spanning more than a thousand years. However, there really is no science in it. This is not a movie that fans of Star Trek or Star Wars, or those films typical of the sci-fi genre, will naturally relate to. This is a more humanistic and spiritual tale; a love story, a tragedy, an awakening.

Hugh Jackman has a chance to show off his tremendous theatrical training, by taking the lead as a man so determined to save the life of his wife Izzi (the best Rachel Weisz performance I have seen yet), that his work, and his fear of death, is dominating his life. Jackman pulls this performance off flawlessly, despite the sometimes mind-bending visuals and plotline, his character is always totally convincing. Weisz successfully portrays a character with remarkable substance and dignity, who has accepted her fate and is ready to embrace it with open arms. She is inspirational.

Ellen Burstyn also deserves a special mention, recruited again after Aronofsky's last outing - Requiem for a Dream - although her role is small in this film, it is vital, and she brings with her a touch of magic; culminating in one of the most perfect examples of private humanity I believe I have ever witnessed on the screen.

In the hands of some directors, The Fountain would have become a slushy, over-sentimental, superficial and spiritually barren movie. But in the hands of Aronofsky, it is a masterpiece.