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Darren Aronofsky
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The Fountain Hardcover – November 16, 2005

by Darren Aronofsky (Author), Kent Williams (Illustrator)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 206 ratings
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A companion to the forthcoming movie by the director of Pi traces a man's multiple-lifetime struggle to save a woman he loves and describes the concepts and visuals of the film as discussed by creators Ari Handel and Darren Aronofsky, in a volume complemented by production stills and original art. (Performing Arts)
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  1. Part of Series
    The Fountain
  2. Print length
    176 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Vertigo
  5. Publication date
    November 16, 2005
  6. Dimensions
    9 x 0.75 x 12 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1401200591
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1401200596
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When his plans for the ambitious, millennia--spanning fantasy film The Fountain were derailed, Pi and Requiem for a Dream directorAronofsky recast the story as a graphic novel, and although the movie was subsequently revived (starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz; it's due out later this year), the comics version stayed on track. Its three parallel stories, set in sixteenth-century Central America, the present day, and the distant future, respectively, depict the same man as a conquistador, a scientist, and an interplanetary explorer, always trying to prevent the death of the woman he desperately loves. Aronofsky's epic boldly blends mysticism and science, which coalesce in the hero's discovery of the mythical Tree of Life. Williams' lush, painted artwork, stylistically and narratologically reminiscent of Sandman illustrator Dave McKean's work, perfectly matches the script's passion and challenging abstruseness. Not simply an adaptation of the movie--the screenplay that is its basis being significantly altered when the film project was revived--the lavish, oversize graphic novel ought to be fascinating to compare with the released movie. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vertigo (November 16, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1401200591
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1401200596
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.3 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9 x 0.75 x 12 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 206 ratings

About the author

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Darren Aronofsky

Darren Aronofsky

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Darren Aronofsky is a Coney Island–raised, Academy Award–nominated screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for his surreal, high-concept work in films like Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, The Wrestler, and mother!

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
206 global ratings
So-so comic book. ugly faces
2 Stars
So-so comic book. ugly faces
I purchase this comic book after i see "the fountain" movie ( many times).Movie is great, a masterpiece. And i want to get more info about what not covered in movie - when and who Tommy and Izzi meet, what happen before,and so on - i want answers to questions, who not in movie.Actually, firsty i look for normal book - you know, from papper and a lots of that letters and words, and maybe, rare illustration - but, sadly, there is no one. As so i research, there is two books On the original film theme - Photo book with scenery ( looks out of sale in amazon), and that comic- book ( graphical novel is newly and strange name to old and knowy stuff -qactually yes, comicbook. i think, it was because "politcorrect" ?)Comicbooks interpretation is on artist, who make a graphic, as i reading before, tittleback pics not bad, price not very high, and i order it. yesterday i got it from post office and read throught.A bit disappointed - personages inside that comic book is mostly not like real actors, and faces too is merely ugly - Izzy not as close as simpathy,nice as in film.Story also is a bit different than in film - in my taste, is more simple and not raise as many thinks, as film.background is covered a little more in comic, but not much....all in all i be bit a disappointed. try to purchase hardcover photobook "the fountain" with film scenario inside - it must be better...
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Top reviews from the United States

Roll_on
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful in every way.
Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2015
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I have read many reviews of the movie that this graphic novel is based on. I wll admit that it takes several viewings to understand the plot. This book, which was written when production stopped on the film when the large studio pulled the plug on filming, really helped me to understand the whole concept, even though it does not exactly match the movie. ***Then there is the artwork! By far, this is the most beautiful graphic novel I have come across. Kudos to the illustrator. This is something that I enjoy reading over and over again. It touches on all human emotions without making me feel that I am being led by the nose to feel them. I believe that every reader will get something personal from the story. I can't recommend this book more highly.
3 people found this helpful
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El Pablito Grande
5.0 out of 5 stars Great supplement to the film
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2021
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The artwork is beautiful, and brings a new dimension to the story, and I feel like there's more exposition throughout the book.
2 people found this helpful
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h4xr4nubs
5.0 out of 5 stars Sci Fi TRIP!
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2023
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Fantastic book! Highly recommended especially if you loved the movie!! You get to get inside the mind of Aronofsky and it is simply wonderful.
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N. Durham
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant ideas, but ultimately too ambitious for it's own good
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2006
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Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky's long in development film The Fountain is finally seeing the light of day, and this graphic novel serves as one of the many steps taken in getting it there. Tom Verde is a man of many times in this story spanning over a thousand years. Once a conquistador, to a present day doctor, to a future savior of a dying star, Tom lives and fights all in the name of love. In this case, his love is Izzi, and he stops at nothing to ensure their love lasts forever. Because the fate of the film was up in the air, Aronofsky transformed it into this graphic novel, which in turn allowed for a more dynamic and epic story, although in the end it's too ambitious for it's own good. We don't ever really connect with Tom and his journey through the ages, but you have to admire Aronofsky's heart and desire to tell this story. The best part of The Fountain is undoubtadly the painted art by Kent Williams, which may take a while to grow on you, but once it does, you'll love what you see. If you've already seen the film starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz (replacing original attached stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchet), the graphic novel serves as a "director's cut" of sorts, but serves Aronofsky's purpose much better, and it's quite fitting to be under the Vertigo label. All in all, if you want to read something different and soulful, look no further.
3 people found this helpful
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delphiki
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised to say the least.
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
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I ordered this as a gift for someone who is a huge fan of this story. I honestly thought it was just a book, but when I opened the package all I could say was wow. It is an incredibly illustrated graphic novel that is the size of a school textbook. At this price, you can absolutely not go wrong. If you're looking at this page, you already know you want it.
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Chad Baptiste
5.0 out of 5 stars A rivaling portrayal of a visionary
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2014
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This book was such a remarkable insight of what Aronofsky envisioned for the Fountain that it stands as a testament to itself. Beautifully created imagery, that even by comparison to the scenes that made it into the final film, it's strength alone holds it stature and exists outside of the already visual mastery that is The Fountain.
It saddens me in many ways just what that movie could've been if he was given the means to create it. However, it stands to reason why Aronofsky is such a prolific director and story teller, that he was still able to recreated this story to an entity that may very well go down in history as one of he most underrated sci-fi epics that ever existed.
2 people found this helpful
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C. Wells
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome supplement to the movie.
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2008
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I watched the movie about 8 months ago and by the end of it I had no idea what happened. I gave it another couple months and I watched it again. It all clicked! The movie definitely ranks on my top ten movie list for its genre. What an awesome surprise it was that it was a graphic novel. After reading through it, it makes a lot of the movie make more sense. A must read if you like the movie.
4 people found this helpful
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Herb Shoemaker
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Book!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2019
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This book...swoon. So beautiful. The book store owner was very sweet, answered all my questions about the book, and got it to me fairly quickly. Thank you. <3
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Antonio Manifacio
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente
Reviewed in Mexico on January 23, 2021
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Buena historia
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Jose Manuel Aragon Sanchez
4.0 out of 5 stars Notable
Reviewed in Spain on October 29, 2016
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Íntimamente relacionado con la película homónima y sus vicisitudes de producción, es especialmente interesante como complemento de ésta. En tapa blanda, papel de calidad, buena impresión y color. Sobre el trabajo artístico en sí: "es cuestión de gustos". Bastante recomendable.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great "adaptation" companion piece for a wonderfully visual movie
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2016
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Great "adaptation" companion piece for a wonderfully visual movie, starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weitz, spanning three eras in a couples reincarnated lives and telling an epic story of love conquering fate and time. Drawn by Kent Williams, the artist on, amongst other things, a comic miniseries starring Wolverine and Havok of the Uncanny X-Men called Meltdown, set during the Australian Outback years (believed by most comic officianados as the pinnacle of the mutant story) as coincidence would have it Wolverine is another character played by Hugh Jackman.
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Ken Kellar
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning vision in graphic form.
Reviewed in Canada on April 20, 2013
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Full disclosure: I love The Fountain.

From the first time I viewed the movie right through to today, Darren Aronofsky's least recognized movie has been at the top of my favourite movie list. Everything about the film is fantastic.

This isn't a review of the film, though. This is to discuss the films' sister project.

Both the version of the film that we were given and the graphic novel were born out of the death of the original film project, scheduled to star Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. After a time, and with a scaled down, "indie" script, as Aronofsky himself describes it, he began a graphic novel version of the film so that even if the film was never made, he would be able to share the creations he and his crew had thus far produced.

This graphic novel is as ethereal and heartfelt as the movie it is connected to, telling us the same story through a different lens, in a way. The plot is no different here, but we are given more time to look at it in a new way. This novel isn't the film, not exactly, but neither is it so divorced so as to be unrecognizable. The main characters are the same, and while there are some slight differences in plot (the death of Father Silva in The Conquistador's story), as well as a few extra "scenes" one feels might have been cut from the film for timing issues, we are treated to the same procession of events, and the same glorious conclusion.

Gone are the concessions to the rating system. Nudity, blood and language abound much more in this version than in the film. It might be detracting to some, but it is honest in its approach, and never crude for the sake of it. The art is tasteful and beautiful in an almost abstract way. Pages go from mostly black and white inking to explosions of colour. The characters are drawn with a sense of life that is rarely on paper as convincing as it is here.

At the end of it all, however, the same messages are delivered to us. The same emotions are brought front and center. The same passion is displayed to us, through a page instead of a roll of film. And through this wonderful novel, we gain so much more insight into the film and our own versions of it. Another review for the movie or book claimed to "know all the answers," but I find that statement extremely arrogant and narrow-minded. Every person comes away from this story with their own unique view of it. We are simply not meant to "understand" this film, because Aronofsky knows that questions are sometimes more important than answers, and that the journey is so much more meaningful than the end.

The Fountain graphic novel is about beauty, love and death. It has more questions than answers, and revels in the journeys of life. If you can accept that, if you can open your mind to this stunning work of art, you will start to see the world in an entirely different light.

I promise.
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Julien
5.0 out of 5 stars Beau livre
Reviewed in France on May 27, 2014
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Je voulais compléter ma collection Aronofsky en bon fanboy.
Le livre est vraiment beau : le papier est d'excellente facture et les impressions parfaites mettant bien en valeur les dessins de Kent Williams.
Cette version brochée est vraiment excellente : aucun besoin de plier le livre pour pouvoir lire au centre des doubles pages.
Bonne lecture !
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