Big Fish
Short description
Big Fish centres on Edward Bloom, a man who has spent his life turning his experiences into extravagant stories. His son William has heard them all and has grown tired of never knowing what is true, and the distance between them widens. When Edward falls seriously ill, William comes home and begins piecing together his father's life from the tales he has been told, trying to separate fact from invention before it is too late. The film is adapted from Daniel Wallace's novel and blends domestic drama with fantasy, moving between the present and the heightened world of Edward's adventures.
Tim Burton directed, working from a screenplay by John August, and the film was produced by Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks and Richard D. Zanuck. It was Burton's twelfth film as director, following Planet of the Apes and preceding Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney play Edward at different ages, with Billy Crudup as William, Jessica Lange and Alison Lohman as Sandra, and Helena Bonham Carter as Jenny and the Witch.
Made for about 70 million US dollars, the film took roughly 123 million dollars worldwide, a modest return relative to its cost. Audiences have rated it highly: 7.9 out of 10 on IMDb from around 477,000 votes and 7.7 out of 10 on TMDB from some 7,950 votes. A critics' rating of 7.5 out of 10 from 219 reviews places it broadly in line with those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Steven Spielberg was initially slated to direct the film (he intended to cast Jack Nicholson as the older Bloom), but due to a heavy workload, he declined the project, and Tim Burton ultimately directed it.
- The story titles in the book are: “The One Where He Talks to Animals,” “How He Tamed the Giant,” “How He Saved My Life,” “His Immortality.”
- Filming began on January 13, 2003, in the state of Alabama and wrapped up in early April of the same year. From there, the film crew moved to Paris, where they shot several scenes.
- The actor who played Karl the Giant had the largest foot in the world. Even in kindergarten, his height was 1.5 meters and his weight was 70 kg. He died a year and a half after the film's premiere.
- The film is based on Daniel Wallace's novel “Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions” (1998).
- Even before the film's release, this collection of fairytale novellas was a bestseller – 50,000 copies were sold. Wallace came up with the title remembering his father, a traveling salesman's, favorite expression: “He often said he would never want to be a big fish in a small pond.”
- The film's screenwriter, John August, released a book titled “Big Fish: The Shooting Script” (2004) upon its completion.
- Daniel Wallace, author of the novel “Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions,” played an episodic role as an economics teacher in the film.
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