Wednesday, June 18, 2008

The Jungle

Author(s): Zgamer
Location: Eagle, ID

“The Jungle"

Produced by: Robert Lantos, J.C. Spink and Paul Webster
Directed by: David Croenberg
Written by: Josh Olsen and Steven Knight
Based on the book by Upton Sinclair

Principal Cast:

Adrien Brody as Jurgis Rudkus
Chloe Sevigny as Ona Rudkis
Armin Mueller-Stahl as Dede Antanas Rudkus
Naomi Watts as Marija Berczynskas
Ellen Burstyn as Teta Elzbieta Lukoszaite
Tim Robbins as Phil Connor

Tagline: "Buyer Beware!"

Running Time: 125 Minutes

Rated R for graphic, grisly depictions of factory accidents, disturbing scenes, nudity and sexuality

Synopsis: Debt. That is all that surrounds Jurgis’ world. To think things had seemed so promising. Not long ago, he immigrated to America with his finacee Ona, his father Dede Antanas, Ona’s cousin Marija and stepmother Teta Elzbieta. They all had the dream of a better life rooted into their skulls from the stories told in their homelands and now wanted to fulfill it. In Chicago, they enjoy what should have been a promising event of things to come with Jurgis and Ona’s wedding feast. However, Fate had other plans. Shortly after the feast, bills begin to pile up. From the payment for the feast to payments for the house, including some hidden costs put in by the swindling dealers, Jurgis’ family is now in trouble. With no other options, Jurgis, Ona, Marija and Dede have to search for work.

Jurgis and his father eventually obtain jobs at a meat processing plant at the Chicago “Packingtown”. There, Jurgis sees the evils of labor abuse. Dozens of workers, including many who are missing fingers or dying from infections, are forced to work long, backbreaking hours for very little pay. They continually risk their lives and limbs to work for bosses that are ungrateful for their aid and neglectful of their products. Each day, Jurgis is ordered to prepare obviously contaminated and poorly cut hunks of meat to be sold to grocery stores all over America. Though Jurgis is quite capable to work under these conditions, his financial and family issues worsen the already troublesome burden. Marija is having trouble maintaining her job and Ona has had to suffer the difficulties of working while pregnant. Then, on the eve of the birth of Jurgis’ son, Jurgis’ father falls ill to the contamination of the factory and dies.

This devastates Jurgis. However, it is only the start of things to come. As the brutal cold of winter descends upon Chicago, fate deals a new hand of sorrow. When Jurgis sprains his ankle due to unsafe factory conditions, the factory fires him while he is recovering. Marija, still in financial trouble, is being pressured by her factory supervisor to join a prostitution ring that she runs. But worse of all, Ona is once again pregnant, but not by Jurgis. One night after work, her corrupt boss Phil Connor forced Ona to have sex with him. Out of impulse, Jurgis attacks Connor at his office. He is arrested and unfairly sentenced to a month in prison.

After his sentence was over, Jurgis discovers that his family had been evicted from their already shabby house into a slum in the outskirts of town. While heading there, he spots Marija inside a prostitution house. Tearfully, she explains that it was the only job left that she could get. When he finally arrives to the slum, he finds Ona in bed prematurely in labor. Though she tries her best, the grueling labor eventually kills both her and the baby. Depressed and penniless, Jurgis turns to alcohol to dull the pain as he searches for a new job. When Jurgis finally work at a manure farm, his firstborn son drowns in a mud-logged street. Jurgis, all but completely crushed, wanders the streets until he enters a building that is holding socialist meeting. As the flamboyant speaker preaches of worker rights and revolution, Jurgis suddenly feels inspired. As the crowd cheers on his intense speech, Jurgis stands up and joins them. He realizes that if society wishes to crush the immigrants, they will have to return the favor. The screen fades as Jurgis listens to the words “Chicago Will Be Ours” rings in his ears.

What the press would say:

For anyone who only thought that David Croenberg could only gross you out, I say shame on you. I have just walked out of one of the most emotionally draining and expertly crafted films of the year. Croenberg must have been feeling good after the critical praise from his previous work “A History of Violence”. However, rather than doing another graphic novel adaptation, Croenberg has delved deep into classic American literature and resurrected Upton Sinclair’s revolutionary novel. And what a resurrection it is!

Though the story center around the tragic story of an immigrant family, the main topics of the movie still have relevance today. Acclaimed writers Olsen and Knight do an amazing job in writing a period piece that not only has great dialogue and structure, but can also draw an audience as well as any action movie with its emotional power. If anything, this adaptation reminds us that we have it easy. Not pulling any punches, the film shows more than its share of hideous images portraying the horrors that can occur in factories. Limbs are severed, faces are boiled and the workers see death as a salvation. Complimented with the grim realization of the condition of meat sold in that time, you get a sense of satisfaction as well as disgust that this book had solved the labor conditions problem so many years ago. Another prominent issue is the attitude of society towards immigrant workers. Despite their willingness to do menial jobs and unfavorable labor, they are still seen as expendable and less than human. The film’s final moments give a glimpse of what consequences may occur if this is not resolved Hopefully, Croenberg will set those thinkers straight with this movie.

Croenberg and his team should be credited mostly for making moral and literal filth seem so artistic. Through gritty camera work and a grimy color scheme, Croenberg makes you feel sympathy for these poor characters. The art direction is amazing, as the film not only gives an accurate portrayal of old America, but also creates one of the most eerily believable settings in film history with the meat factories. However, all of this would be for nothing if it were not for the great cast portraying the characters. Adrien Brody, with that sad-puppy face and depressing voice, is the ideal Jurgis. Throughout the film, a tear from the entire audience matched every bitter tear he shed onscreen. Brody carries the film with an emotional intensity that cannot appropriately be put into words. He is matched by fellow cast members Sevigny. Mueller-Stahl and Watts, who are all worthy of our sympathy. From Muller-Stahl’s heartbreaking deathbed scene to Watts’s teary speech on her eventual career option, the cast all portray the ultimate tragic heroes.

The Jungle will not be an easy film to forget, even after its bittersweet “happy ending”. Croenberg has crafted a masterpiece of emotional filmmaking. Just try looking at your lunchmeat the same way after going through those two beautiful hours.

Award Possibilities

Best Picture (Robert Lantos, J.C. Spink and Paul Webster)
Best Director (David Croenberg)
Best Actor (Adrien Brody)
Best Supporting Actor (Admin Mueller-Stahl)
Best Supporting Actress (Chole Sevigny)
Best Supporting Actress (Naomi Watts)
Best Adapted Screenplay (Josh Olsen and Steven Knight)
Best Cinematography (Peter Suschitzky)
Best Art Direction (Rebecca Holmes and Nick Palmer)
Best Editing (Roland Sanders)
Best Make-Up
Best Original Score (Howard Shore)

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