The Fountain [Hardcover]

Darren Aronofsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 28, 2006

What if you could live forever? The Fountain is an odyssey about a man's thousand-year struggle to save the woman he loves. In three separate lives—Tomas the conquistador, Tommy the scientist, and Tom the explorer—Thomas is driven to discover the mysteries of life; all three stories converge into one truth as he comes to terms with life, death, love, and rebirth. The book is an extension of Aronofsky's cinematic vision, and will contain production stills of the film's stars Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, original script, original art, and observations from creators Ari Handel and Darren Aronofsky. Edited by Darren Aronofsky, The Fountain is not so much a tie-in or a behind-the-scenes look at the film, but rather a thoughtful meditation on the film's provocative themes of life and death and its singular visuals.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Often hailed as renowned director Stanley Kubrick's heir apparent, Darren Aronofsky's directorial debut Pi won the Director's Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Award, and the Open Palm. His follow up, Requiem for a Dream, captivated both fans and critics alike. The Fountain is a Warner Bros. Pictures and Regency Enterprises film. It will be released domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Universe (November 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789314959
• ISBN-13: 978-0789314956
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 0.8 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #452,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful (but not what's advertised), December 9, 2006

By 

D - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Fountain (Hardcover)

Okay, so this arrived at my doorstep and wasn't what I expected. It's NOT the graphic novel that apparently preceded the film, as described by Amazon's blurb. Instead it's a lovely book of images from the film, and a copy of the film's script. Now I need to order the actual graphic novel, but I'm really glad I have this too! It's just the coffee table art book I've been waiting for, and a great reminder of the film's visual beauty.

(By the way, the same reviews are appearing under both books. I don't know what that's all about. I'm going to try ordering the graphic novel and hope I receive the right thing!)

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars ISBN: 0789314959 Is Not the Graphic Novel, November 29, 2006

By 

Robert Haas - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fountain (Hardcover)

The hardcover ISBN 0789314959 is instead a collections of imagery from the movie with a separate screenplay enclosed in a booklet in the back. Be aware when you order this.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, but I liked what I got..., May 29, 2007

By 

Jason Czaplicki "Czaple" (Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fountain (Hardcover)

Having originally missed The Fountain when it made its short theatrical presentation, I finally got a chance to see it, and after which I was compelled to do two things:

1.) Upgrade to the Blu-ray version, as this was a movie that deserved to be watched in the highest definition possible - not only is the story compelling but the cinematography is beautiful.

2.) Read the graphic novel that Aronofsky had adapted his screenplay into after his initial effort to get the movie made fell through.

Having said this you might be wondering why I'm writing a review for this item, as getting a 'picture book' wasn't part of one of those two things I was compelled to do. The answer to this question is, after briefly reading through the product description it was my understanding that this was a hardbound rerelease of the graphic novel to complement the movie. It was my surprise then, when I got my brown box from Amazon and removed the shrink wrapping from the contents within, that I found not a graphic novel but a book filled with stills from the movie. Initially I was distraught, as I had just paid $20 for the wrong book, and my first instinct was to return the item.

Having settled down a bit, I decided to give the book a chance and slowly thumbed through it. From the first few pages I found myself drawn into the artistically render adaptations of stills from the movie. The photographs in this book do a wonderful job of visually representing the thematic elements of the movie, and are simply gorgeous to look at. Never having seen this movie, one could pick up this book and find sunken into every page pictorial representations of the emotional context that made The Fountain so wonderfully appealing.

It was also my great surprise to find embedded in the back cover of this book a copy of the screenplay from the movie. Flipping through the screenplay was exciting, as it allowed me to see the manuscript from which the movie was born. Toward the end of the screenplay there is also a nice summation by Aronofsky about the thematic elements of the movie, and how they relate to the journey in which the protagonist undergoes. This would definitely be a book you would set on the coffee table when you invite friends over to watch The Fountain. While not a necessary addition, a nice addition nonetheless for fans of the movie.