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==Reception==
==Reception==
''Winter's Tale'' has received generally negative reviews. On film review aggregation site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a 13% rating, with an average score of 3.6/10, based on reviews from 132 critics. The consensus states: "''Winter's Tale'' tries to retain the grandiose sweep of its source novel, but fails to fill it in with characters worth rooting for or a sensible plot."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/winters_tale_2014/ |title=Winter's Tale (2014) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=May 4, 2014}}</ref> On another aggregation site, [[Metacritic]], it holds a 31/100 score (citing "generally unfavorable reviews"), with reviews from 34 critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/winters-tale |title=Winter's Tale |work=Metacritic |accessdate=February 21, 2014}}</ref> Author [[Neil Gaiman]] defended the film in his personal blog.<ref>{{cite web|title=Neil Gaiman's Journal: Why you should see WINTER'S TALE and other deep thoughts about stuff|url=http://journal.neilgaiman.com/2014/02/why-you-should-see-winters-tale-and.html|work=[[Neil Gaiman]]|publisher=www.neilgaiman.com|accessdate=11 February 2014}}</ref>
''Winter's Tale'' has received generally negative reviews. On film review aggregation site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has a 13% rating, with an average score of 3.6/10, based on reviews from 132 critics. The consensus states: "''Winter's Tale'' tries to retain the grandiose sweep of its source novel, but fails to fill it in with characters worth rooting for or a sensible plot."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/winters_tale_2014/ |title=Winter's Tale (2014) |work=Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=May 4, 2014}}</ref> On another aggregation site, [[Metacritic]], it holds a 31/100 score (citing "generally unfavorable reviews"), with reviews from 34 critics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/winters-tale |title=Winter's Tale |work=Metacritic |accessdate=February 21, 2014}}</ref>


===Box office===
===Box office===

Revision as of 21:06, 25 June 2014

Winter's Tale
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAkiva Goldsman
Screenplay byAkiva Goldsman
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyCaleb Deschanel
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
Roadshow Entertainment (Australia & New Zealand)[1]
Release dates
  • February 13, 2014 (2014-02-13) (London)
  • February 14, 2014 (2014-02-14) (United States)
Running time
118 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$60 million[3]
Box office$30,800,231[4]

Winter's Tale (released in the United Kingdom as A New York Winter's Tale[2]) is a 2014 American supernatural drama film based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. The film is written and directed by Akiva Goldsman (in his directorial debut) and stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe, and Will Smith. The film was panned by critics and was a bomb at the box office.

Plot

In 1895, a young immigrant couple is refused entry into Manhattan because they have consumption. When their infant son is not allowed entry to the country without them, the couple decide to place him in a model sailboat named "City of Justice" to float there safely.

In 1916, the infant boy has grown up to be Peter Lake, a thief who was raised by a demon posing as the gangster Pearly Soames. But when Peter decides to leave Pearly's gang and the only life he’s known, Pearly is infuriated, and has his gang hunt down Peter. Peter is rescued by a mysterious white horse, his guardian angel. Although Peter hopes to move to Florida and come back in the summer, the horse encourages him to steal from one last mansion. The mansion is the home of Beverly Penn, a young woman dying of tuberculosis. While her publisher father Isaac and younger sister Willa go out, feverish Beverly takes a cold bath. She goes downstairs to play the piano while Peter is trying to unlock the safe. Peter discovers Beverly and she makes him a cup of tea. They tell each other about their stories and fall in love.

Pearly uncovers Peter’s “escape” and orders his men to Beverly’s home, believing she is to be Peter's "miracle," who will tip the balance between good and evil toward good, permanently. While preparing to leave with his mysterious white horse, Peter goes back to see Beverly one more time and is almost killed by Pearly. Peter rescues Beverly and they escape to the Lake of the Coheeries (where Pearly, bound to the five boroughs of New York, cannot follow). Peter meets Beverly’s family at their summer home. Isaac is at first skeptical of Peter, but later accepts him when he fixes an out-of-control furnace and saves both Isaac and the house. While on a walk, Beverly explains to Peter that everyone is born with a miracle inside and when she dies, she will become a star but his miracle is still inside him.

Pearly goes to see the devil, Lucifer, who is also referred to as "Judge," asking to gain access to Peter at Beverly’s lake home; the Judge refuses. So, Pearly calls in a debt owed to him by one of Lucifer’s angels and orders the angel to poison Beverly. At a ball, the man ordered to poison Beverly disguises himself as a servant and poisons Beverly's drink. When she returns home, Peter sneaks up to the tent where she sleeps and they make love. Afterwards, as Beverly tries to tell Peter something, she suddenly dies. Peter carries her to the greenhouse, where Willa made an "enchanted" bed (like Snow White's), which could save a princess from dying. With a kiss, Peter attempts to resuscitate Beverly, but is too late and he weeps over her body.

During the funeral, Willa gives a distraught Peter a sprig of baby's breath from Beverly's coffin. As Peter and Horse are about to leave, Pearly and his men surround them on the Brooklyn Bridge. Peter orders Horse to leave (to save himself) and Pearly gives Peter four head-butts and pushes him off the bridge. Peter miraculously survives, but wanders around the city with amnesia for a century, drawing chalk art of a red-headed girl on the pavements.

A century later — in 2014, Peter bumps into a girl named Abby and meets her mother, Virginia Gamely. He rediscovers the "City of Justice" plaque from the toy sailboat his parents placed him in as a baby to get to New York. Pearly discovers that Peter did not die by falling off the Brooklyn Bridge and is still alive. Peter then discovers the Theatre of the Coheeries, founded by Isaac who has dedicated it to Beverly. He goes to the library where Virginia works, who helps him get his memory back. While there, he meets Willa, who is grown up and became Virginia's boss for her newspaper.

When they discover Peter's location, Pearly again orders his men to go kill him. When he is at Virginia's apartment for dinner, her daughter Abby has a seizure and Peter learns that Abby has cancer and realizes that Abby is Peter's "miracle." He convinces Virginia he can save Abby. When Pearly and his men arrive, Peter and Virginia flee to the rooftop with Abby, where they find the horse waiting to rescue them. The horse flies them to the Lake of the Coheeries, but Pearly has become mortal to pursue Peter. Just as Peter, Virginia, and Abby are within sight of the greenhouse, Pearly and his men arrive. Horse flies away and lands hard on the ice, which breaks, and Pearly's men drown. Peter and Pearly engage in a fistfight and Peter stabs Pearly with the "City of Justice" plaque. Pearly turns to ice and dies.

Peter and Virginia desperately take Abby and lay her gently on the bed in the greenhouse, but lose hope, even after Peter lays the flower given to him by Willa. Abby then comes back to life and Peter brings both Virginia and Abby home with a brighter future ahead. After visiting Bevery's grave one last time, the film ends with Peter and the horse, thundering through the streets of Manhattan, suddenly leaping into the sky and flying into the night sky to become stars and to reunite with Beverly as Virginia, Abby, and Willa look up.

Cast

Listo, an Andalusian stallion that plays "The Horse"

Production

Development

Initially Warner Bros. attempted to sign Martin Scorsese in 2002, but Scorsese turned down the chance to direct the movie calling it "unfilmable". Later on Winter's Tale became a "passion project" for director Akiva Goldsman, who was given the go-ahead for the film by Warner Bros. in February 2011 with a budget of $75 million.[7][8] It was reported that the film's budget was dropped to $60 million in February 2012; at the same time Will Smith and Russell Crowe were linked to the project in supporting roles.[9]

Various actors were considered for the central roles of Peter Lake and Beverley Penn. Benjamin Walker, Tom Hiddleston, Aaron Johnson, and Garrett Hedlund auditioned for the role of Peter Lake[10] while Elizabeth Olsen, Bella Heathcote, Gabriella Wilde and Sarah Gadon tested for the role of Beverly.[11] In March 2012 it was reported that Jessica Brown Findlay had been offered the role of Beverly; Colin Farrell was linked to the role of Peter Lake in the following month.[10]

William Hurt joined the cast as Beverly's father, Isaac Penn, in August 2012.[12] In September 2012 multiple new cast members were announced, including Matt Bomer, Lucy Griffiths and Eva Marie Saint.[13] The final major addition to the cast was Jennifer Connelly, whose involvement was confirmed in October 2012 shortly prior to the start of filming.[14]

Filming

Principal photography began in October 2012, but was quickly delayed due to Hurricane Sandy.[15] Shooting took place at various locations across New York City including Grand Central Terminal, Red Hook, Brooklyn, East Village, Manhattan, and Central Park.[16][17][18] Filming was also done at Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York.[19] The cinematographer was Caleb Deschanel,[20] who photographed the film with Arri Alexa digital cameras and Panavision C-, E- and G-Series anamorphic lenses.[21]

Music

The musical score for Winter's Tale was composed Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams.[20] A soundtrack album was released on February 11, 2014 by WaterTower Music.[22]

On February 4, 2014, four tracks were revealed on Soundcloud, and were released on February 14. "Miracle", by Scottish singer and "Suddenly I See" star KT Tunstall would be the lead single of the soundtrack. Three other tracks are revealed each co-composed by Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams: "What's the Best Thing You've Ever Stolen?", "You Don't Quit Me, Boy", and "She Was Like a Bright Light".[23]

Reception

Winter's Tale has received generally negative reviews. On film review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 13% rating, with an average score of 3.6/10, based on reviews from 132 critics. The consensus states: "Winter's Tale tries to retain the grandiose sweep of its source novel, but fails to fill it in with characters worth rooting for or a sensible plot."[24] On another aggregation site, Metacritic, it holds a 31/100 score (citing "generally unfavorable reviews"), with reviews from 34 critics.[25]

Box office

The film opened poorly at #7 with just $7.3 million in its first weekend. Winter's Tale grossed just $12.6 million in the United States, and $18.2 million abroad for a total of $30.8 million worldwide. With its $60 million budget, the film took it hard at the box office.

References

  1. ^ "Film Distribution - Village Roadshow Limited". Village Roadshow Pictures. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "A NEW YORK WINTER'S TALE (12A)". Warner Bros. British Board of Film Classification. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  3. ^ "Winter's Tale". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  4. ^ "Winter's Tale". Boxoffice.com. Retrieved April 16, 2014.
  5. ^ "Full cast and crew for Winter's Tale". Internet Movie Database. January 30, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  6. ^ http://andalusianworld.com/blog/andalusian-stars-in-a-winters-tale/
  7. ^ "Akiva Goldsman Gets Green Light On 'Winter's Tale' At Warner Bros". Deadline.com. February 1, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Kit, Borys (April 11, 2011). "Casting Couch: Who's Testing for Directors Roland Emmerich, Akiva Goldsman and 'Die Hard 5' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  9. ^ "Russell Crowe and Will Smith Save Akiva Goldsman's Directing Debut, Winter's Tale". Vulture.com. February 1, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Colin Farrell Offered Lead In Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale' Opposite 'Downton Abbey' Star Jessica Brown-Findlay". IndieWire. April 26, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  11. ^ "Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston Up For Akiva Goldsman's Winter's Tale". Cinema Blend. November 7, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
  12. ^ Fleming, Mike (August 1, 2012). "William Hurt Joins Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale'". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  13. ^ Fleming, Mike (September 21, 2012). "Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale' Sets Matt Bomer, Lucy Griffiths, Eva Marie Saint". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  14. ^ Fleming, Mike (October 11, 2012). "Jennifer Connelly Joining Akiva Goldsman's 'Winter's Tale'". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  15. ^ Verrier, Richard; Blake, Meredith (October 29, 2012). "Hurricane Sandy shuts down film and TV production on East Coast". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  16. ^ "Crowe 'Tale' of B'klyn woe". New York Post. November 27, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  17. ^ "'Winter's Tale' filming around Cooper Square; Russell Crowe Alert". EV Grieve. December 2, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  18. ^ "Adam Levine soaks up the L.A. sun while Jennifer Connelly freezes in New York". EV Grieve. January 16, 2013. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  19. ^ "Hollywood Snow Falls on Lyndhurst". Rye Patch. January 29, 2013. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  20. ^ a b "Below-the-Line Impact Report 2012". Variety. July 30, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
  21. ^ "Celebrate Valentine's Day with 'Winter's Tale'". Panavision. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  22. ^ "WaterTower Music to Release Hans Zimmer's and Rupert Gregson-Williams' 'Winter's Tale' Score". Film Music Reporter. December 17, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  23. ^ "Get Ready for Romance With Four Exclusive Tracks From the 'Winter's Tale' Soundtrack". Moviefone. February 4, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  24. ^ "Winter's Tale (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2014.
  25. ^ "Winter's Tale". Metacritic. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
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