Winter's Tale

Winter's Tale is a 2014 American supernatural drama film based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. The film is directed and written by Akiva Goldsman and stars Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly and Will Smith. Winter's Tale is Goldsman's debut as director of a feature film.
==Summary==
Set in 1916 and present-day Manhattan, Winter's Tale follows the story of Peter Lake (Colin Farrell). Peter Lake is a thief who falls in love with Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay), a dying girl who occupies one of the houses he breaks into. Lake is saved from the insane gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) and his gang of thugs by Athansor, a mysterious white horse who becomes his guardian angel.
== Plot ==
In 1895, a young immigrant couple is refused entry into Manhattan because they have consumption (Tuberculosis). When their infant son is not allowed entry into the country without them, the family is forced to return to their ship named City of Justice. The parents break the display case containing a model of the ship and place their baby inside it on the water, then watch him float to the New York City shoreline. In 1916, the baby boy has grown up to become Peter Lake (Colin Farrell), a thief raised by a supernatural demon posing as the gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe). Peter is marked for death when he decides to leave Pearly's gang. In a confrontation, he is rescued by a mysterious (winged at times) 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 where Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay) lives, a young woman dying of consumption, whose fever is so high she sleeps outside in a tent in the winter cold. While her publisher father Isaac (William Hurt) and younger sister Willa are not home, Beverly discovers Peter preparing to rob the house. When Peter assures her that he no longer wishes to commit robbery, Beverly offers to make him a cup of tea. They tell each other their stories and fall in love. Pearly orders his men to Beverly's home, believing that saving her is Peter's "miracle" and spiritual destiny and that he can destroy Peter by preventing it. Peter rescues Beverly from being knifed by Pearly, and they escape to the Lake of the Coheeries, where Pearly, who is supernaturally limited to the five boroughs of New York City, cannot follow. Peter meets Beverly's family at their summer home and wins their respect.
While on a walk, Beverly explains to Peter that everyone is born with a miracle inside and they are ultimately destined to become stars when they die. Pearly asks Lucifer (Will Smith) for access to the lake home, but his request is denied. Instead, Pearly, who refers to himself as a Knight among Lucifer's angels, calls in a debt owed to him by another of Lucifer's angels. At a ball, the angel disguised as a waiter poisons Beverly's drink. When Peter and Beverly return home from the ball, Peter watches the shadows she casts upon the sides of her lighted tent, joins her, and the two make love. Her pulse races faster than ever due to the poison in her heart, and she dies. After the funeral, when Peter and his mysterious white horse return to the city, Pearly and his men surround them on the Brooklyn Bridge. To save its life, Peter orders his mysterious winged horse to fly away, and Pearly gives Peter five vicious head-butts, pushing 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. In 2014, the 119 year-old, but physically undiminished Peter, bumps into a young girl named Abby (Ripley Sobo) and meets her mother, Virginia Gamely (Jennifer Connelly). He rediscovers the brass name plate of the "City of Justice", the model ship in which his parents placed him. Peter then discovers the Theatre of the Coheeries, founded by Isaac, who has dedicated it to Beverly. He visits the Isaac Penn Reading Room where Virginia works, and she helps him restore his memory using historical photographs archived at the library. While there, he meets Beverly's now elderly sister Willa (Eva Marie Saint), the owner of Virginia's newspaper, who recognizes him.
When Peter visits the Gamelys for dinner, he learns that Abby has cancer. Realizing that Abby, who is wearing a red scarf (like his sketches) and has red hair, is his "miracle" and spiritual destiny, instead of Beverly as he originally believed, Peter convinces Virginia that he can save Abby. Pearly learns that Peter is still alive and with Virginia, and he is surprised to learn from Lucifer that Peter was Beverly's miracle, making him love her so much that he couldn't die. Enraged, Pearly asks to fight Peter as a mortal so he can destroy him forever, and Lucifer grants his request while reminding him that if he loses then he himself will be destroyed forever. Pearly and his men arrive at Virginia's apartment, causing Peter and Virginia to flee to the rooftop with Abby. The mysterious winged horse flies them to the Lake of the Coheeries, but Pearly, now mortal, can pursue Peter beyond the Five Boroughs. After Horse dispatches Pearly's men by crashing the ice so that they all drown, Peter and Pearly engage in a fistfight. Peter is losing until a light shines from the heavens and allows Peter to stab Pearly in the neck with the name plate from the boat, "City of Justice." Pearly turns to snow and Peter is able to save Abby on the princess bed after he kisses her forehead. After visiting Beverly's grave one last time, Peter mounts the horse to be carried away to the stars, while the elderly Willa witnesses his ascension.
==Cast==
*Colin Farrell as Peter Lake
*Russell Crowe as Pearly Soames
*Jessica Brown Findlay as Beverly Penn
*Jennifer Connelly as Virginia Gamely
*Will Smith as Judge
*William Hurt as Isaac Penn
*Eva Marie Saint as Adult Willa
*Matt Bomer as Peter's father
*Lucy Griffiths as Peter's mother
*Finn Whittrock as Gabriel
*Listo, an Andalusian stallion, plays the number one version of the white horse Athansor
==Production==
Winter's Tale has been described as a "passion project" for director Akiva Goldsman, who was given the go-ahead for the film by Warner Brothers in February 2011 with a budget of $75 million. It was reported that the film's budget was dropped to $46 million in February 2012; at the same time Will Smith and Russell Crowe were linked to the project in supporting roles.
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 while Elizabeth Olsen, Bella Heathcote, Gabriella Wilde and Sarah Gordon tested for the role of Beverly. 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.
William Hurt joined the cast as Beverly's father, Isaac Penn, in August 2012. In September 2012 multiple new cast members were announced, including Matt Bomer, Lucy Griffiths and Eva Marie Saint. The final major addition to the cast was Jennifer Connelly, whose involvement was confirmed in October 2012 shortly before the start of filming.
Variety reported that the cinematographer on the film will be Caleb Deschanel and the composer Hans Zimmer.
Principal photography began in October 2012 but was quickly delayed on account of Hurricane Sandy. Shooting took place at various locations across New York City including Grand Central Station, Red Hook, Brooklyn, East Village, Manhattan and Central Park.
==Videos==
Winter's Tale (2014) - Movies Trailer for Winter's Tale
Winter's Tale - Trailer 1
Winter's Tale - Trailer 2
==Images==
==References==
Category:Films
Category:American films
Category:English-language films
Category:2014 films
Category:Warner Bros. films
Category:Supernatural
Category:Supernatural films
Category:Drama
Category:Rated PG-13