Taglines: This is not a true story. This is true love.
Set in 1916 and present-day Manhattan, Winter’s Tale follows the story of Peter Lake (Colin Farrell). Peter Lake is a Irish 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 Irish insane gangster Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) and his gang of thugs by Athansor, a mysterious white horse who becomes his guardian angel.
Winter’s Tale (released in the United Kingdom as A New York Winter’s Tale is an allegorical 2014 American supernatural fable based on the 1983 novel of the same name by Mark Helprin. The film is written and directed by Akiva Goldsman (in his directorial debut) and stars Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, Russell Crowe, and Will Smith.
About the Story
In 1895, a young immigrant couple is refused entry into Manhattan because they have consumption. When their infant son is not allowed entry to the country without them, the couple decide to place him in a model sailboat named “City of Justice” to float there safely.
In 1916, the infant boy has grown up to be 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 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 lives, a young woman dying of consumption. While her publisher father Isaac and younger sister Willa are not home, Beverly discovers Peter preparing to commit robbery of the house. When he assures her that he no longer wishes to commit robbery, she offers to make him a cup of tea. They tell each other about 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. Peter rescues Beverly and they escape to the Lake of the Coheeries, where Pearly, who is supernaturally limited to the five boroughs of New York, 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 which are destined to become stars when they die.
Pearly asks the devil, 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, a man poisons Beverly’s drink. When she returns home, Peter sneaks up to her tent. The two have sex and she suddenly dies. After the funeral, as Peter and his mysterious white Horse are about to leave, Pearly and his men surround them on the Brooklyn Bridge. Peter orders his mysterious winged Horse to fly away, and Pearly gives Peter four 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, Peter bumps into a girl named Abby and meets her mother, Virginia Gamely. He rediscovers the “City of Justice” plaque from the toy sailboat his parents placed him in. Peter then discovers the Theatre of the Coheeries, founded by Isaac who has dedicated it to Beverly. He goes to the library where Virginia works and she helps him get his memory back using historical photographs archived at the library. While there, he meets the grown up Willa, who is the boss of Virginia’s newspaper. Abby has a seizure, revealing that she has cancer. Realizing that Abby, not Beverly, is his “miracle” and spiritual destiny, Peter convinces Virginia that he can save Abby.
About the 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.
Winter’s Tale
Directed by: Akiva Goldsman
Starring: Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Jessica Brown Findlay, Jennifer Connelly, Will Smith, William Hurt, Eva Marie Saint
Screenplay by: Akiva Goldsman
Production Design by: Naomi Shohan
Cinematography by: Caleb Deschanel
Film Editing by: Tim Squyres, Wayne Wahrman
Costume Design by: Michael Kaplan
Set Decoration by: Leslie E. Rollins
Music by: Rupert Gregson-Williams, Hans Zimmer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence and some sensuality.
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: February 14, 2014
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