The Book of Eli / Le Livre d'Elie (Bilingual)

Was totally blown away by the cinematography, plot and acting in this film. Due to negative reviews in the liberal atheist media, I must admit I had deferred watching this film for a long time, and then last week I thought 'why not' and started watching......

Events move at just the right speed in the film - not too slow or fast, and the plot twist at the end is a complete revelation.

I've often wondered what would happen if, following an apocalyptic war and two-thousand years, a new human civilization resurfaced, built upon the precepts of a religion that used as its sacred text a book written in, say, 2003. This could mean priests distilling the messages inherent in the text of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix or The Time Traveller's Wife. Theologians could struggle to decipher the spiritual meaning of Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven or Brown's The Da Vinci Code. A considerable portion of the human population could end up following the holy rules and commandments outlined in Dude, Where's My Country?

In The Book of Eli, directed by the Hughes Brothers, the world-changing catastrophe, and event--or series of events--referred to as The War and The Flash, is much more recent, having occurred just thirty years ago. It was sufficient, however, to send civilization back into the Dark Ages and eliminate most forms of entertainment or instruction, including reading. In fact, books seem to have become a rare commodity and treated by several characters as antique curiosities, much as we think of medieval weaponry . . . or all royalty. But to a few characters, books are precious, and one book in particular is especially so. Eli, played by Denzel Washington, carries such a book, dipping into it on a daily basis, quoting from it when pressed to do so. Eli has been wandering this blasted world for thirty years, ever since The War/Flash, searching, he says, for a suitable place for his book.

For his part, Carnegie, played with suitable zeal and eloquence by Gary Oldman, wants the book for its power and ability to enslave people of weaker mind--which is just about everyone within a fifty-foot radius of the literate Carnegie.

I am not spoiling anything by revealing that the book is, of course, the Bible.
The revelation comes fairly early in the film, but the title itself is a giveaway. The capitalized word Book, followed by a quintessentially biblical name is a clue so obvious that they might as well have called the movie Eli's Bible or The Holy Book After a Big War and a Flash that Was Probably a Nuclear Explosion.

It's obvious, but it's a means to examine the real value of the Bible, its teachings, and that, in the end, that value is all in the interpretation. If one interprets the Bible as a means to subjugate, limit and control others, well, it's an evil thing. If, however, one sees it as a way to better one's life and those of others, well, it's a good thing. As such, it has, historically, been a very good thing and an absolutely horrendous thing. It's all in the interpretation.

But I can't help but feel that the filmmakers here missed a real opportunity. They've created a truly interesting world here, one that brings to mind Cormac Macarthy's post-apocalyptic landscape in The Road, given a couple decades to grow and develop. The visuals and tone are strongly defined through the use of desaturation and patient camerawork. It's a good-looking film and feels almost like a high-quality comic book movie, something based on source material published by Vertigo or one of the smaller imprints. It's just that it could have been more; it could have pushed a little harder. Why the Bible? We already know the impact the Bible can have and has had on human civilization. If the filmmakers wanted to explore the ways by which humans imprint their nature on a text written long ago, shaping its message to fit their goals, good or bad, why not pick a less obvious book? It would have been interesting if the viewer had been led to believe that Eli was carrying a Bible, only to reveal that the book Denzel had been reading and quoting from had been an anthology of twentieth-century poetry, or the collected works of Stephanie Meyer. Now that would have been a surprise. It also would have had me--and quite a few others, I'm sure--wondering exactly what kind of civilization such a religion, with such a holy text, would spawn. You see, I already know what kind of world the Bible can lead to . . . we all do.

The Book of Eli(released Jan/10)is a work directed by the Hughes Brothers and stars,among others,Denzel Washington,Gary Oldman,Jennifer Beals,Tom Waits and Roddy McDowell.The movie is about a man on a mission,who doesn't stop until the job is done.
The story is set in a post apocalyptic world,where desolation,isolation and deprivation are the daily routine.Washington(Eli)with a keen sense of smell,taste and hearing,is "heading west"on a personal trek to get a copy of the King James Version of the Bible to the West coast.It is a book he reads religiously(no pun intended)every day.Not only are his senses keenly developed but his fighting skills match or out do even those.He has been on his walkabout for thirty years now and one wonders why he hasn't gotten to the west coast long before that.The story will tell us,but all in due time.
Eli has had to endure,among mnay other hardships,bandits along his journey and the movie starts out with one such ambush,which he "defuses" in quick order.He wanders into a derelict town run by Oldman.Oldman is a voracious reader but there is one book he wants to possess and that is what,unbeknownst to him,Eli carries.Oldman finds Eli is a man he needs to help run his town,but Eli is not interested.Oldman "invites" Eli to stay the night but Eli bolts before sunrise.A"companion" that is sent in to bed Eli goes nowhere,but the girl does indicate the next day that he carries the book matching the one Oldman wants.Oldman and the gang manage to catch him just as he is leaving and the ensuing shoot out still doesn't stop him,leaving Oldman wounded in the process.
Eli makes it to a house in the middle of nowhere where an older couple are holed up.Oldman of course wants that book.He pursues and catches up to Eli at the house.It is here that Eli's book and he part company,and Eli is shot in the stomach and left for dead.The"companion" goes after Eli and finds him some time later miraculously walking westward on the open highway.Together they finally make the west coast.In fact they reach San Fransisco and row out to Alcatraz.There there is a colony run by McDowell,who are preserving all audio,visual and written forms of communication pre-apocalypse.In cut scenes back and forth between Eli at Alcatraz and Oldman back in his town,we see the latter finally getting the book opened and seeing....nothing he can "read",because it is written in braille! In Alcatraz we see Eli sitting down with McDowell and dictating the entire Bible to him.Using old printing presses,a book is produced and carefully shelved among other pieces of religious material.As the film ends Eli has passed away and his companion is wearing some of his accoutrements as she heads back home.
The film is shot entirely in a washed out sepia tone and proves quite effective is setting a certain feeling and look throughout.While the premise is certainly interesting I found the going could get a little on the slow side at times,and the ending of the film especially got a little more drawn out than it should have.Remember we are dealing with a subject matter here that has been done over and over again,especially in the past few years,so I was personally looking for something special that would set this one apart from all the rest.I really didn't find much.However Washington does his usual good job in his role and he is ably assisted by the likes of Tom Waits,Oldman and McDowell in a small role near the end.Watch for Jennifer Beals in a surprise and nice role as Oldman's woman.Also for you Harry Potter fans,look closely at that old couple in the house...nuff said.
Technically speaking the film is in its w/a a/r of 2:35:1 and is clear and crisp.Extras include a deleted/alternate scene and a comic/cartoon about the back story to Oldman's charcater with the voices of Oldman and Washington.
All in all another in a long line of post apocalyptic films with a very good cast and some surprise cast members.But it is not original enough to set it apart/elevate it from all the others.Interesting story but only 3 1/2 stars.