This film really engages you. Most of the film is shot on steadycam which follows various carismatic students around a generic highschool. This shows a highschool masaccre without dramatising it at all and shows how emotionless the killers are about the whole thing, which makes it very realistic and relatable. The whole film is absolutely visually beautiful. There is a gay scene that is completely unnecessary which is dissapointing because other than that i can't say this film has a flaw. Some people i know found it slow, there are some long shots just of people walking through corridors. However i think this is a wonderful aspect of the film, you are put in the shoes of the students so when they are killed it means something to you. Also all the actors are real highschool kids and there was no script for the film, which could have been a disaster, but it actually adds a lot to the realism and they are all completely believeable.
Features: I enjoyed the features on this, i found the making of, almost as interesting as the film itself. It has interviews with the kids who played the roles and it's an interesting insight into an unusual, improvisational style of film making. I was dissapointed that it didn't have the original BBC film by Alan Clarke that inspired it. I had read rumours that this would be included, I think it may be on the French version. The Alan Clarke film is not available to buy and i really wanted to see it. If you have seen Clarke's film - Scum, you can see a minimal style that must have influenced Van Sant and is evident in Elephant.
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
very interesting, Great review, hope mine will get as good with time!
Pmshack99 05.09.2005 20:46
this isn't actually a bad review. you write well but it is too short. a bit more information on the plot and cast, as well as spacing it out better would get you higher ratings. paula x
LostWitness 05.09.2005 18:58
Have read very mixed things about this film. Your review was interesting but I must admit it was a bit too short to be of real use to me.
Elephant, the elegant and unsettling movie from Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho,Good ... more
Will Hunting), depicts students at a high school before and during a harrowing, Columbine-style shooting. The movie follows one young boy who takes over the wheel f...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Elephant, the elegant and unsettling movie from Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho,Good ... more
Will Hunting), depicts students at a high school before and during a harrowing, Columbine-style shooting. The movie follows one young boy who takes over the wheel f...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Inspired by the tragic events at Columbine High School, Elephant won both the Palme D'Or ... more
and Best Director prizes at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Shooting on location in an everyday American High school, with a cast primarily made up of students from...
![Elephant [DVD] [2004]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78512281.jpg "Elephant [DVD] [2004]")
Sep 5th, 2005
helpful by (33%):
somewhat helpful by (67%):
