Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #172312 in Books
• Published on: 2006-11-28
• Released on: 2006-11-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 196 pages

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

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.

Customer Reviews

Beautiful (but not what's advertised)
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!)

ISBN: 0789314959 Is Not the Graphic Novel
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.

Great stuff.
I'm a big fan of Aronofsky's films and have been following the production of "The Fountain" since the beginning. I'm sure the endless delays will have been forth it after reading Kent Williams' comic adaptation of the script though.

I don't want to give anything away, because that would take away the joy of discovery. I'll simply say that it's a powerfully written, and exceedingly psychedelic story about love, death, and eternal life.

The art is wonderful. Broad water color looking strokes over sketches combined with at least two other styles of illustration. Very fitting for the story. Each section has its own visual continuity that can suddenly shift to reflect the mood. It's really quite an achievement. I paid well over what amazon is charging and I don't feel ripped off at all. It really is great.

If you have any love of good, powerful, character/idea driven science fiction I suggest you give this a shot. Yes, it's a graphic novel. Even if you're not versed in the particular vernacular of reading comics you'll still find much to love here. Something about the panel layout makes it feel more like a movie than any book I've read before. Go forth! Buy!