Tim Burton’s films are famous for their gloominess enclosed in Gothic scenery, as well as for some exaggerated staging, which reminds one of immersion in a surrealistic tale. By the time of the filming of "Big Fish" the director had already formed his own style, but this time he was painted with new, exaggeratedly bright tones that had previously been presented not so much. The author of such masterpieces as “Edward Scissorhands” and “Sleepy Hollow” is recognizable because often the same actors play in his paintings. "Big fish" is no exception in terms of Helena Bonham Carter's participation, but Burton approved a very heterogeneous and motley company for other roles.
Plot
The novel was based on the novel by writer Daniel Wallace. His story is divided into several chapters, which are sequentially located in the film. The elderly Edward Bloom is near death and does not get out of bed. His son Will arrives with his wife in his home to say goodbye to his father and hear everything that was unsaid during his lifetime. The fact is that the son always considered his dad a great inventor and dreamer, in the incredible stories of which there was not a drop of truth. But this time, he casts aside his skepticism and again decides to listen to the life story of Bloom the Elder, in which there are all kinds of miracles, evil witches and circus artists.
Ed bloom
In the film, viewers first meet the elderly Edward, whose story begins to alternate with the adventures of his youth. The dying old man was played by the revered British actor Albert Finney. Fame overtook him after starring in Sidney Lumet's film Murder on the Orient Express, where he played Hercule Poirot. He is also known for films like Tom Jones, Scrooge, Erin Brockovich, and Good Year. In the film "Big Fish", the actors playing the Bloom spouses appeared differently for the audience: for scenes from the past and present. The role of young Ed is played by Ewan McGregor, whose talent at that time just began to open up to the world after participating in the musical Moulin Rouge and the first episode of Star Wars. In addition to the Lucas trilogy, it can be seen in such works as “Angels and Demons”, “Ghost” and “Contact List”.
Sandra bloom
In the film "Big Fish", the actors were selected as old-school, and beginners. The role of the aging wife of Edward went to the unsurpassed Jessica Lang, on whose account 2 Oscars for the paintings “Blue Sky” and “Tutsi”. Rather, she is familiar to the modern generation in her leading roles in the four seasons of the American Horror Story series, each of which has a new storyline, where different characters are mostly played by the same actors. Big Fish has also become one of Alison Loman ’s most successful films in her career , before which she had only one truly noteworthy role in Ridley Scott’s “Great Scam”. With Tim Burton, she played, respectively, the young Sandra Bloom, with whom the protagonist had been looking for happiness for so long.
Will and Josephine Bloom
For the role of the son of the main character and his wife, actors who already had experience in big cinema were taken. Big Fish is far from the first successful film for both Billy Crudup and Marion Cotillard. The first was seen thanks to the paintings “Without Limit”, “Awakening the Dead”, “Almost Famous” and “Wanderer”. After that, he appeared in such famous films as “Keepers” and “Beauty in English”. The wife of his character was performed by Frenchwoman Marion Cotillard. It is noteworthy that, in addition to the tape "Big Fish", the actors starred together in the criminal action movie "Johnny D." Before filming with Burton, the actress became famous for her roles in Taxi 3 and in the melodrama Fall in Love with Me if You Dare, and later in the films Life in Pink, The Beginning and Midnight in Paris. Now she is in great demand both in her homeland and in Hollywood.
The role of Helena Bonham Carter
It's no secret that Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are Burton's most frequent actors. “Big Fish” is a film that did without Depp, but the director’s wife appeared here in two images at once: the one-eyed witch and the girl Jenny. They are completely different externally and internally, but Helena perfectly fit into both. In addition to participating in her husband’s projects, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland, she is also known for her roles in Fight Club, King Says and Harry Potter.
Minor Characters
In the film "Big Fish" actors and roles are very important for the perception of the whole picture. The image of the poet Winslow was tried on by the famous actor Steve Buscemi, familiar to the audience from the films “Big Lebowski” and “Mad Dogs”. The role of giant Karl deservedly went to Matthew McGrory, who became famous for his gigantic growth, which reached more than two meters. Also, the famous actor Danny DeVito, who can be seen in countless paintings, including in such films as “Get Shorty”, “Matilda”, “Man on the Moon”, as well as in Burton himself in the paintings “Batman Returns”, also distinguished himself. "And" Mars attacks. " Here he played the director of the circus. Without a doubt, the film owes its success not only to stunning computer graphics, costumes and music, but also to a perfectly selected acting ensemble that embodied such a touching, lively and kind human story on the screen.