Winter's Tale

Plot synopsis:
Following a brief setup scene the play begins with the appearance of two childhood friends: Leontes, King of Sicilia, and Polixenes, the King of Bohemia. Polixenes is visiting the kingdom of Sicilia, and is enjoying catching up with his old friend. However, after nine months, Polixenes yearns to return to his own kingdom to tend to affairs and see his son. Leontes desperately attempts to get Polixenes to stay longer, but is unsuccessful. Leontes then decides to send his wife, Queen Hermione, to try to convince Polixenes. Hermione agrees and with three short speeches is successful. Leontes is puzzled as to how Hermione convinced Polixenes so easily, and Leontes suddenly goes insane and suspects that his pregnant wife has been having an affair with Polixenes and that the child is a bastard. Leontes orders Camillo, a Sicilian Lord, to poison Polixenes. Camillo instead warns Polixenes and they both flee to Bohemia.
Furious at their escape, Leontes now publicly accuses his wife of infidelity, and declares that the child she is bearing must be illegitimate. He throws her in prison, over the protests of his nobles, and sends two of his lords, Cleomenes and Dion, to the Oracle at Delphos for what he is sure will be confirmation of his suspicions. Meanwhile, the queen gives birth to a girl, and her loyal friend Paulina takes the baby to the king, in the hopes that the sight of the child will soften his heart. He grows angrier, however, and orders Paulina's husband, Lord Antigonus, to take the child and abandon it in a desolate place. Cleomenes and Dion return from Delphos with word from the Oracle and find Hermione publicly and humiliatingly put on trial before the king. She asserts her innocence, and asks for the word of the Oracle to be read before the court. The Oracle states categorically that Hermione and Polixenes are innocent, Camillo an honest man, and that Leontes will have no heir until his lost daughter is found. Leontes shuns the news, refusing to believe it as the truth. As this news is revealed, word comes that Leontes' son, Mamillius, has died of a wasting sickness brought on by the accusations against his mother. Hermione, meanwhile, falls in a swoon, and is carried away by Paulina, who subsequently reports the queen's death to her heartbroken and repentant husband. Leontes vows to spend the rest of his days atoning for the loss of his son, his abandoned daughter, and his queen.
Antigonus, meanwhile, abandons the baby on the coast of Bohemia, reporting that Hermione appeared to him in a dream and bade him name the girl Perdita. He leaves a fardel (a bundle) by the baby containing gold and other trinkets which suggest that the baby is of noble blood. A violent storm suddenly appears, wrecking the ship on which Antigonus arrived. He wishes to take pity on the child, but is chased away in one of Shakespeare's most famous stage directions: "Exit, pursued by a bear." (It is not known whether Shakespeare used a real bear from the London bear-pits, or an actor in bear costume.) Fortunately, Perdita is rescued by a shepherd and his son, also known as "Clown."
"Time" enters and announces the passage of sixteen years. Camillo, now in the service of Polixenes, begs the Bohemian king to allow him to return to Sicilia. Polixenes refuses and reports to Camillo that his son, Prince Florizel, has fallen in love with a lowly shepherd girl: Perdita. He suggests to Camillo that, to take his mind off thoughts of home, they disguise themselves and attend the sheep-shearing feast where Florizel and Perdita will be betrothed. At the feast, hosted by the Old Shepherd who has prospered thanks to the gold in the fardel, the pedlar Autolycus picks the pocket of the Young Shepherd and, in various guises, entertains the guests with bawdy songs and the trinkets he sells. Disguised, Polixenes and Camillo watch as Florizel (under the guise of a shepherd named Doricles) and Perdita are betrothed. Then, tearing off the disguise, Polixenes angrily intervenes, threatening the Old Shepherd and Perdita with torture and death and ordering his son never to see the shepherd's daughter again. With the aid of Camillo, however, who longs to see his native land again, Florizel and Perdita take ship for Sicilia, using the clothes of Autolycus as a disguise. They are joined in their voyage by the Old Shepherd and his son who are directed there by Autolycus.
In Sicilia, Leontes is still in mourning. Cleomenes and Dion plead with him to end his time of repentance because the kingdom needs an heir. Paulina, however, convinces the king to continue his penance until she alone finds him a wife. Florizel and Perdita arrive, and they are greeted effusively by Leontes. Florizel pretends to be on a diplomatic mission from his father, but his cover is blown when Polixenes and Camillo, too, arrive in Sicilia. The meeting and reconciliation of the kings and princes is reported by gentlemen of the Sicilian court: how the Old Shepherd raised Perdita, how Antigonus met his end, how Leontes was overjoyed at being reunited with his daughter, and how he begged Polixenes for forgiveness. The Old Shepherd and Young Shepherd, now made gentlemen by the kings, meet Autolycus, who asks them for their forgiveness for his roguery. Leontes, Polixenes, Camillo, Florizel and Perdita then go to Paulina's house in the country, where a statue of Hermione has been recently finished. The sight of his wife's form makes Leontes distraught, but then, to everyone's amazement, the statue shows signs of vitality; it is Hermione, restored to life. As the play ends, Perdita and Florizel are engaged, and the whole company celebrates the miracle. Despite this happy ending typical of Shakespeare's comedies and romances, the impression of the unjust death of young prince Mamillius lingers to the end, being an element of unredeemed tragedy, in addition to the years wasted in separation.

Tags: fantasy, magical realism

Review:
Almost like the actors did a good job of "acting" like the characters but never quite crossed into "being" the characters.So if you're willing to accept the movie for what it is, an unabashedly romantic film that weaves religion as an integral part of the story, then I think that you will enjoy the film.
For his fantastical romance epic Winter's Tale, the Oscar-winning screenwriter has corralled the likes of Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Colin Farrell and Eva Marie Saint: an accomplished cast that would make many a more seasoned director envious.
The trouble is that Winter's Tale never really comes together as Goldsman clearly wants it to: the writing is smart and occasionally very good, but the film flounders when it should soar, losing rather than gathering pace and tension as it goes on.The story - based on Mark Helprin's ponderous 1983 novel - follows petty thief Peter Lake (Farrell) from the early 1900s through to the present day.
Initially looking to steal himself something nice, Peter sets aside all thoughts of pilfering treasure from the Penns when he meets and swiftly falls in love with Beverly (Downton Abbey's Jessica Brown Findlay), the beautiful, flame-haired mistress of the house who is slowly being eaten alive by consumption.It's all very romantic, or so we're told, with a supernatural element folded into the love story: Pearly becomes convinced that Peter is destined to save a girl with titian hair, an action that would upset the teetering balance between good and evil.
It soon becomes clear that fate, destiny and a whole lot of mystical mumbo-jumbo are at work here, and Peter will soon discover the healing and restorative powers of love itself.To be fair, Winter's Tale is built upon a raft of quite interesting ideas.
Pearly is easily the film's best character, unless you count the one played by another of Goldsman's Facebook friends (no spoilers, but this movie star is no doubt grateful to Goldman for a script that earned him bucketfuls of acting cred many years ago).Swimming somewhere in the reams of quite lovely footage assembled by Goldsman and his cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, there's a great movie with great ideas.
I actually read the entire book by Mark Helprin, unlike most of the professional critics, so I knew what type of movie it was going to be and I had appropriate expectations.
To my frustration, you really can't find any complete reviews of the book because I'm pretty sure most people (like me) had a lot of confusion with the story as well!In most of the reviews I read, people are ripping Akiva Goldsman apart saying his adaptation is awful, but I strongly disagree.
He had to leave out some of the aspects of the book in the interest of time (For example, a whole storyline of characters from the middle of the book are missing from the film.) He kept the really important parts of the novel and successfully makes them stand on their own.Leaving the theater, I feel like Goldsman's interpretation ACTUALLY CLARIFIED a lot of the book for me.
Is my book missing pages?" The movie version is the way I wanted the book to end.Additionally, Helprin's wordy descriptions played out in my minds eye of the beautiful (and the not-so-beautiful) aspects of the story were brought clearly to life in the movie with the expertly executed "tug-on-your-heartstrings" musical score and cinematography.
I couldn't believe how the movie was shattered , out of tone , confusing at many times , uncontrolled ( not in a good way ) and utterly stupid , not in the least sense near a fairy tale even .
Simple and powerful as that .If you're someone who wants to watch themes of love discussed in good and powerful movies , this is one of the best .
If you have not read the book, use this review as a reason to either bypass the film initially and read the book first, or to understand that the screenplay is a huge departure from the intended story.The novel Winter's Tale is a romance with a supernatural overtone bathed in a tribute to New York City if it could always remain in a mystical state.
In doing so, he dumbs down the original story to the point it insults the audience, holding their hand and telling them what to think as opposed to letting the moviegoer figure things out.Winter's Tale is condensed, filtered and sanitized of it's soul.
Even without having read the novel, evidence of awkward changes for the screenplay dumb down the original subtle supernatural theme which was ironically as clear in it's message as it was abstract in it's delivery.As a romance film there are heartfelt moments and the chemistry between Peter Lake and Beverly Penn does have enough strength to bring a tear to some audience members.
Winter's Tale is a complex supernatural love story with too many important characters to have fit into a short two or three hour film.
The film is stunning to watch, the story has many levels of meaning that embrace the such topics as immortality, good versus evil, miracles, death and dying and transcendent love, and it is cast with a collection of superb actors who take us with them through this fantasy of time and love and redemption.
Seriously, who the heck could give this movie less than a 7 out of 10?This is a purely epic film that both children and adults (both genders) would love to watch.There's everything a serious movie-goer could want in a film: intrigue, suspense, magic, hope, faith, lust, love, incredible acting pedigree in every scene...It really is a shame that a comeback role performed to such a high level (Farrell) along with above-the-grain supportive acting by known actors like Crowe, Connelly, and many other notables gets banished with the likes of some poorly done horror film because the people watching it don't know how to spot a winner.Ignore the ridiculous haters.
I have to confess that the ending of the book left me feeling a bit cheated - but the movie fixes that.The cast was stellar - I became Peter Lake and fell in love with Beverly.
The music (Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams) was wonderful, the cinematography (Caleb Deschanel) was breathtaking, the acting (Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly & Russell Crowe) was top notch & very touching and the writing & directing by first time director, Oscar winning screenplay writer Akiva Goldsman, was outstanding!
In 1895, a couple of immigrant is not allowed to entry into the United States because the man has tuberculosis (a.k.a. consumption) and they leave their baby son in a miniature of sailboat named "City of Justice" to be adopted by some family.In 1916, in New York, the baby has grown up and is the burglar Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), who was raised by the demon and gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe).
Peter decides to rob one last house and leave New York, but he meets the red-haired twenty-year old Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay) that is dying of consumption and they immediately fall in love with each other.
Will Peter succeed in using his miracle this time?"Winter's Tale" is an underrated magical romance with a beautiful story of miracle and eternal love.
The greatest inconsistency of this movie is relative to the dates, since the story begins in 1895 and jumps to 1916 and Collin Farrell, despite his great performance, does not convince as a twenty-one year-old man (he is almost forty).
Script is full of metaphors, symbolism with huge amount of detail and depth in it, thought-provoking ideas, it is beautiful and unique, which is quite rare in films nowadays.There is plenty to see for the mainstream audience, as well as people who have different perspective, so it works on both levels, which really surprised me.The acting is a strong part and everyone did a great job to portray interesting and multi-layered characters, especially the chemistry between Colin Farrell and Jessica Brown-Findlay was wonderful to watch, and they fit the roles very well.
Cinematography is also a very important part of the movie, the film visually looks amazing and it helped to create a believable New York, with all of the different settings and themes - major and small.There are some issues here and there, but it is a 'Tale' and i think this motion picture represents the title perfectly.The only real problem is the marketing..
Like the miracles it so often talks about, screenwriter turned director Akiva Goldsman fantastical love story Winter's Tale needed a miracle of its own to succeed as it's a film that features far too many elements, a love story that is not in the slightest believable, some camp villains for the bad movie ages and generally a feeling of a cheap hackneyed movie moonlighting as a fantasy epic.
Like in real life movie miracles can happen, but here the only miracle is how any of these actors got through the film without laughing hysterically at each other's shocking dialogue and delivery.
Since I never had read the book I kind of felt lost trying to understand who the characters were; the story simply didn't translate well on film.
We are first introduced to Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) as he is trying to escape from the evil Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe), who wants him dead.
To have so many good actors playing in such a love story it was a refreshing movie.
I believe anyone looking for a feel good movie with a villain, a love story, and adventure, this is definitely the movie for you.
The problem is not even with the acting – It simply has A LOUSY STORY – and this comes from a man who likes romantic and Valentine's Day-suitable movies.
Winter's Tale reminds us that we do not view films for their sensible realism; we watch them, so, for one brief moment, we may leave our world, and escape to an entertaining realm of magic and enticement, something which this movie does wonderfully.The dialogue, acting and surreal visuals make the entirety of this movie a poetic experience which stays with you long after the credits have rolled.
But the Rest of the Cast are OK with Russell Crowe Happily Chewing the Thing and Colin Farrell looking Determined and Thoughtful as He Discovers many Rules and Regulations concerning "The Ways of the Universe".Overall, it is an Over-Baked and Underrated Movie that has been Pummeled by Critics and is an Easy Pile-On because of its Sentimentality and ambitious Production Full of Wonders and Willful Seriousness.
Set at the turn- of-the-century (the 20th Century, that is), this adaptation of the Mark Helprin novel employs generous dollops of magic realism in a vain attempt to cover a multitude of narrative sins.Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) is a dreamy-eyed thief-with-a-heart-of-gold who makes a home for himself in the attic of Grand Central Station, rides around the city on a kind of magic horse, and, on one of his periodic burglaries, meets Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), a poor little rich girl, who, like all good heroines of a certain era, is rapidly succumbing to consumption.
Repeating to some extent his Javert bit in "Les Miserables" (minus, thank heavens, the singing), Russell Crowe plays Pearly Soames, a sadistic Fagin-esque figure who raised the orphaned Peter up to become a thief but who now thinks his young ex- protégé has just turned into a great big softie (the fellow has somehow gotten the notion that he can steal from people without actually harming them physically) and is determined to make Lake pay for his disloyalty.
Despite these themes the film falls short and is not the mesmerizing enchantment it aspires to be.Adapted from Mark Helprin's book of the same name, Winter's Tale is a story about true love set in a familiar but mythical early 20th century New York City.
What transpires is a vivid and supernatural tale of true love, time travel, and life saving miracles.Not having read the tale prior to discovering and watching the movie, I was confused throughout.
Winter's Tale as a film adaptation is the product of writer, producer and director of Akiva Goldsman and seems as though much of the intrigue to the imaginative world was hacked out for simplicity's sake.The little explanation we as an audience have is that there is true, time ebbing, love between Peter and Beverly.
I cannot understand people - particularly professional reviewers - who approach a film loaded down with all the baggage they carry through having read a book on which it is based.The film is, or certainly should be, judged as a stand alone entertainment.A Winter's Tale works splendidly on that level.I found it an oft-times moving and well-acted story and the three principals giving top mark performances.It is arrant nonsense to try and down-play something that doesn't convey every nuance and plot swerve of its inspiration...or were some of them expecting Shakespeare?.
Mr Crowe dominates and terrifies in every scene he is in, just like Oliver Reed's Bill Sykes in 'Oliver' (1968).Good support is given by the rest of the cast, but special mention should go to; Jennifer Connelly who got it just right, McKayla Twiggs who was just amazingly good, and Will Smith in his little role.Filming was superb, all scenes had a cold, crisp, wintery look to them that fitted in perfectly with the story.About this time last year, St Valentine's Day, there was a nice romantic film with a magic theme, called 'Beautiful Creatures'.
So we saw the movie version of 'Winter's Tale' which required me to re-read the first three chapters of Mark Helprin's excellent novel on the subway trip home, to restore my faith in humanity and this extraordinary book.
The story is a bit far fetched with the classic romantic lines and what not, but given that it's a fantasized tale one can overlook this.As I said, this isn't a movie to be highly remembered, but it is somewhat ostracized for the wrong reasons, hence I recommend a viewing of this, as you just might be surprised.Rating: 7/10.
I give it an 8 out of 10, because it's original, the actors and characters are effective, the story is great, the look of it is beautiful, the music is fitting and fantastic, and the end of it leaves you feeling good..
The time changes, and so the world that gives a second chance to complete what he have failed in the first attempt.''I suppose you know what to do, horse.''It's bad to hear that this movie did not do well and once again a reason for me to hate critics.
Will he use his miracle to save Beverly?I knew this was touted as a love story and didn't understand the casting of Colin Farrell as I don't think of him as a romantic lead.
There is some magic in here and we see good and evil bandied about with Peter and Beverly, of course, but also we see Lucifer (Will Smith) and Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) a demon who needs to kill Peter to tip the scales in favor of the dark side.
The entire film was a bit fantasy and stuff like that and the most of all was the story of the horse as he was flying around the streets of New York in 1915 and in 2014, both were excellent.
I've not read the book from which Winter's tale has been adapted, but it seems there is a nice message in it.The movie does what it can to demolish it.Russel Crowe is unable to act in the role of the bad guy, he seems to have forgot how to act after a "A Beautiful mind", but here he performs his worst character.
I felt it the first time I saw, and I just really enjoyed it in the second time I saw it.The main roles are embodied by Colin Farrell (as the good guy, Peter Lake), Jessica Brown Findlay (in the role of the young, rich and sick Beverly Penn) and Russell Crowe (as the evil Perly Soames).
Boring movie, the only good thing here is the way Russelle Crowe acts.
The story is a total mess which even great actors couldn't save.Overall, "Winter's Tale" is a boring an uninvolving movie.
Parts of it were good: Colin Farrell is brilliant as Peter, Russell Crowe is a fiendishly wonderful Pearly Soames, and William Hurt is perfect as Isaac Penn; yet parts were bad.
I actually went in to watch this movie without reading any synopsis, reviews or ratings.I simply read the title, looked at the poster that came along with it, and I knew there was something special about it.Winter's Tale immediately comes off as something 'magical' in the first few minutes and it leaves you with more questions than answers.
It was based on a book that I have never read but it really felt like someone just wrote this story in a few hours and then came up with an ending mid-filming.
Truth be told, I wanted to watch Winter's Tale mostly because Russell Crowe was in the cast, and I read the book as well.
Still, Winter's Tale is not a big disappointment and delivers what one would expect from the genre -neither more nor less.As for the cast, though I'm not a fan of Colin Farrell, I think he was really good as Peter Lake, and the chemistry between him and Beverly (Jessica Brown Findlay) did work, especially in terms of reflecting their fragile relationship and the sadness of having limited time to spend together.
For a love story, the plot isn't as predictable and cheesy as you would expect, which is perhaps why I managed to sit through it without getting bored.The cinematography in 'Winter's Tale' is terrific - the best part of the movie.