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Worth Watching - Feb 23: Tarsem Singh's The Fall Trailer

by Alex Billington
February 23, 2008
Source: IGN

I really do NOT know what this is. It's probably the weirdest trailer I have ever seen. The Fall is presented by David Fincher and Spike Jonze and is directed by a guy known as Tarsem Singh, who directed that crazy movie from 2000 named The Cell. It's a strange combination of, well, I'm not sure I can explain. All you need to know is that if you're truly brave enough to watch this, then go ahead, but you've been warned - even by the end, you still might now know what it is! It's officially explains as a story about a little girl who meets a bedridden man who starts telling her a fantastical story which reflects his state of mind. As time goes by, fiction and reality start to intertwine in this "uplifting epic fantasy".

I invite anyone who can interpret what's going on to figure this out and let us know below. Unfortunately I don't think there is much we can do until someone actually sees it and is able to explain the full story from the movie. Thanks to IGN for originally posting this crazy trailer.

Watch the trailer for The Fall:

The Fall is directed by Indian filmmaker Tarsem Singh, of that wacky movie with Jennifer Lopez named The Cell. The script was written by Dan Gilroy (Two for the Money), Nico Soultanakis, and Tarsem Singh. The Fall debuted at the Toronto Film Festival last year and was picked up by Roadside Attractions for a March 2008 limited release. We'll keep you updated on what we hear regarding an official theatrical release, if you actually want to see it.

Explore tags: Indies, To Watch, Trailers

http://apagetopassthetime.blogg.se Markus

Holy shit, this gave the goosebumbs all over! Looks really beautiful and interesting as hell!
http://apagetopassthetime.blogg.se Markus

And of course i meant "interesting as hell", not ass. Sorry about that, haha.
nha

Excellent - really impressive visually and an interesting story by the looks of it. I'm there! P.S. The trailer cuts off oddly toward the end.
http://apagetopassthetime.blogg.se Markus

Oh and one more thing, where do you guys get the trailers from? I've been searching all around for this one but it's nowhere to be found. I'd like to put it on my blog so yeah, where do i find the code for the trailer? Thanks!
Traveler

This film looks stunning! I never saw The Cell but now I want to go rent it after watching this. If it ever comes out in the UK I'll be there.
jason_md2020

Finally! I've been waiting to hear about another Tarsem project since The Cell. This guy's command of the camera & visual imagination are second to none.
chiatze

Does anyone know what the piece of classical music is called that they´re playing during the trailer? And who composed it? thx!
Bynk

Chiatze: It is Beethoven's 7th Symphony, Mvt. 2. The use of Beethoven's 7th evokes Zardoz in my mind, which used the Symphony. The movie looks great. A mix of The Cell and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen and The English Patient (period wise). Nice to see such a visually stunning fantasy film, with the spate of visually similar fantasies being released as of late.
Roderick

Yep, definitely it gave a "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" vibe, I don't know why but I love it. Can't wait for it.
http://movieguyreviews4u.blogspot.com Ryan

Huh?!?!
kitano0

Why is the tone of the article so dismissive? Some of us like "this sort of thing", and I thought "The Cell" was outstanding. I will definitely check this one out!
Matt S.

What's so confusing or eluding about this trailer? The character in the bed does a fine job in setting up the premise for us.
Richard

I hated The Cell, but this actually looks pretty good, its so wierd that it could never be "that" good but it might have something pretty special for film enthusiasts, general populace? no.
Alfredo

When I read Markus' comment saying he got goosebumps, I was like "ehh" But then I watched the trailer and it really did, especially when he asks if she wants to save his soul and the little girl smiles. Looking forward to this.
John D.

I'm so glad that this film finally got picked up for distribution!
Tait Howard

I would love to know when and where the limited release showings will be. The Cell is one of the most beautiful movies visually and in terms of storytelling that i have seen in a long time, but jennifer lopez and vince vaughn were perhaps not the best choice for the hero and heroine. Im so excited for this that i can barely contain myself!
scar

loooks kind of whoa....very unique characters with great cinematography!!!
Carsten

This actually premiered at the Berlin Film Festival over a year ago in the children's section (over 14). It's a pretty awesome movie, imagination running wild. Somewhere between Jodorowsky, Del Toro and Almodóvar.
Sinner

What can I say? Beautiful. It did have a "The Cell" vibe, especially with set & costume design & that is a definitely a compliment to this film. I'll keep an eye out for it.
Katster

never watched the cell, but this one does look interesting... will have to keep an eye out for it when on dvd.
Keith

Ill netflix it.
cornholio_by_the_sea

this will be worth the visuals alone even if the story should fall through...dazzling scenery...
Paulina

Wow! it looks great! and interesting!
Curtis

wow that looks totally weird and different you can count on me watching it.
Micah

I had heard that Tarsem was working on this film. Interesting to see Fincher and Jonze get involved in releasing it - I guess it takes imaginative, visionary directors to really appreciate those who haven't fully made it into Hollywood yet. Love it or hate it, but the Cell is one of the most original and stunning pieces of cinema within the last few decades. It's good to see that he's been able to do more. For those interested in seeing something Tarsem Singh did prior to The Cell, check out the music video for R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion.
lucky

It looks like the director is inspired a lot from "Pan's.Labyrinth".!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scully

Besides looking Visually Stunning, to say it Looks Interesting is putting it Mildly. For some Reason "Adventures of Baron Muchausen" comes to mind, but with almost a Narnia Feel. Not sure what the Rating is for this, but from this Trailer alone I'd take My Kids (15 & 13) to see it.
NCL

M is for Morphine, looks interesting. I could watch Lee Pace all day.
http://opuszine.com/ Jason

I saw this in Toronto a few years back, and while it's certainly stunning from a visual standpoint -- there are several sequences that are simply jawdropping -- I didn't think the story was quite up to par. It's interesting that a previous commenter mentioned "Pan's Labyrinth", because there are certainly a few similarities. But "Pan's Labyrinth" is much, much better.
Brian

Looks kind of like a really-trippy, yet beautiful modern take on Baron Munchausen. I'm there
sarah

looks amazing. i totaly agree with brian!
Liam

Why is your tone so arrogant and dismissive when reviewing this movie. You claim to not understand it and probably won't even if "you are truly brave enough to watch this." This trailer looks amazing. The mood and tone explain everything you need to know. There is amazing imagination, spectacular suffering, truly profound bonds, truth, lies, deception and trust. There is learning, loving and losing in the worlds we know and the one we create. I wonder is you like Micheal Bay movies a lot. That would explain your opions and fear of something that looks truly magical and breathtaking. We need more movies like this.
RG

For what I could get from the trailer, the bed ridden man is actually addicted to some kind of substance (drug) and uses the little girl to get it for him, and in order to have her keep coming back, he tells her this fantastical tell that is as hallucinogenic as it gets.
Jason S

Thank God a movie for people who can appreciate art and creativity!!!!!!!!! I dontthink its wierd at all, I would have to say its original instead. What would you rather see Hanna Montana????
http://Firstshowing.net J.Bradley

This looks like a slicker version of "El Topo". Boy do we need a movie like this to shake things up. Loved "The Cell", always wondered what happened to it's director and if he did - or was gonna' do - anything else. Can't wait for this. I'll be watchin' like a hawk for it.
Linda

Man. You must not be the sharpest crayon in the box. It makes me truly wonder if you are a capable film critic.
mack_jigger

To RG, well, what I "got" from this trailer is that the bedridden dude suffered paralysis due to "The Fall" and uses the little girl (and the story) to be a good bandit and get him morphine to commit suicide. That little girl, in the few seconds I've seen her in that trailer, gives me goosebumps. She looks absolutly "good" in her role. I don't even know why I feel this. All I know is with the cinematography, the awesome music, I get all teary-eyed when I watch this trailer. Can't wait. Release date is in April, wide through N-America.
http://9thsf-igc.com SHANE D

He made the CELL.......................enough said I will watch this
Mel

Finally a good original movie that isn't just put out to make money but instead to tell a story. Looks awesome, music is awesome, director is awesome. What else could you want? It also reminds me of "The Little Princess", story telling wise.
Anthony

This movie looks great and I will definitely watch simply for the fact that it is by the same director of The Cell even if it didn't look amazing(which is putting it mildly). From what I understood from the trailer is that the guy telling the story meets this young girl in the hospital(?) and befriends her by telling her a story. The girl, enthralled by his story telling, want the man to continue but he willo do so only if she does something for her. I think the man wants to kill him self (maybe) and so asks the young girl to get him some pills or something so that he can commit suicide. The girl won't let this happen so she convinces him that he has something to live for and they become true friends and possibly continue the story together (at the end of the trailer you see them both in the same outfit in the fantasy world together. I understand it that way becuase throughout the trailer you see the man telling the story is also the same man that is in the sotry). Thats my take on it. You all may have figured that all out already but yeah...
Armen

Anyone know the Music from the russian trailer as it says "film by acclaimed director tarsem" and the men begin to twirl and spin. It has bell sounds and drums, and a choir as the song progresses. would be a great help. If you dont know where the russian version is its on youtube here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ687jU_r6Y
Djo Rock

Looks like Tarsem wants to be the next Jodoworsky, by way of REM videos and Matthew Barney's Cremaster series. I'm all for experimental film. We certainly haven't seen everything the medium is capable of yet- so why insist that every film be digestible in one sitting, by the lowest common denominator?
Angel G

Man, its strange yet interesting. I was first scratching my head then I wanted more. It is hard to make out but it has something to do with an adventure from another time line that is mixing with the bed ridden man and the girl... All I can say this will be the silent movie that will come out and do very well..
Djo

After seeing this preview I rented the Cell and was transfixed- WOW. Tarsem is adept at using visual metaphors, rendering his films the way surrealist painters use to employ imagery- with multiple meanings. There are obviously two main characters in this whole film: the Bed ridden man and the little girl. He's telling her a story which draws her into his world, and the two of them also take on personalities within the story itself. It looks like he's using the little girl to get some drugs, or otherwise chemicals with which to commit suicide. (The girl, understandably, doesn't like where the story's going once the drugs take hold). Nonetheless, he's imbued within her a sense of this world he told her about, and his death probably isn't the last that the audience or the girl will see of it. Was that really that hard to get? I mean, c'mon. Have any of you ever seen El TOPO? Christ- this seems to me infinitely more straightforward than any David Lynch film (excepting the Straight Story). I won't criticize his apparent gross obsessions. Lynch said something great when I saw him speak, a few years ago. Someone asked- "Why all the dark, violent imagery?" He said essentially that in diving into the place where inspiration comes from, he chooses not to shy away from anything he finds there. Accepting what comes through, as a balanced whole, with both the light & darkness within, we can face our demons head on, as opposed to pretending they don't exist. Films like this get made by Artists w/ a great deal of Vision and Patience. And, in today's climate, it takes other filmmakers, clearly, to recognize the value of their work and get the thing distributed. What a shame... I think anybody complaining about this not making sense is just too absorbed by our culture of Instant Gratification... ~Viva le Arte!
brett

k i don't get how the guy that wrote the explanation for the trailer didn't get what was going on. this dudes telling a little girl a story in order to get her to steal him drugs and as the girl begins to see what's going on the story that he tells her takes over her imagination and becomes entwined with the reality of what's actually happening. anywho, this movie looks visually stunning, the story looks engaging and the story looks ambitious and awesome. very stoked.
Blake

I love to watch movies but there hasnt been a movie recently that i have been more interested in. I love how the real and the immagionary become intertwined. The pictures look great also. But because of its limited release (probably only in NY and LA) i worry that i will not get to see it. What are the chances of small theaters showing it, does that hinge on the movies success. Netflix does not have it nor does any other place i have checked. because it came out a year ago in berlin there has to be somewhere i can get a copy. Does anyone have any information about how to see this movie.
mack_jigger

The trailer is now on http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/thefall/ but & it says : In Theatres: May 9th, 2008 So fingers crossed, but I'm not hopeful, the last release date was in April. Now it's May. That trailer still gets me teary-eyed, I don't know why. Maybe the haunting music, which I cannot find anywhere (in that special version), the images, that little girl when she complains about him stopping at the same place each time. I'm getting tired of waiting.
Blake

So do we know if there is a way to order this movie because i dont want my fears to come true! (see post 46)
Jojo K.

Ok just so all you know the person who did the music is Krishna Levy. I don't believe the soundtrack for the movie is out yet, but if you want to check out some of his other stuff he is on itunes
john

Not everything needs to be easily explained and put into convienant little boxes...... 2001: a space odyssey is a good example of this...
Djo Fortunado

I have to disagree. 2001 is not a good example of this, it's a GREAT example. Possibly the finest out there.
dona

I saw this movie its honestly the most amazing movie i've ever seen. Not boring in the least, and if you want to be seriously touched and moved, go see it!
Blake

BUT HOW. I dont know how to see it.
Betsy

You can buy it off the Apple store: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/thefall/trailer/
Betsy

BLAST! I spoke to soon! It's just another preview!
Blake

This movie tantalizes me.
http://abodyofenglish.deviantart.com Torrey

That little girl looks so adorable, and Lee Pace is a gorgeous man.
Jenna

I saw "The Fall." It was FANTASTIC. So much better than "The Cell" because there was more emphasis on visuals, less dreary gray scenes, and less gratuitous violence. It's absolutely beautiful. I would see it four times in a row. Catinca Untaru is captivating with her sweet endearing nature, and Lee Pace is enigmatic and plays the role superbly. Translation: GO SEE IT!
Jenna

By the way, it will be out nationwide on May 30th, but right I think it's just in New York and California.
kat(uk)

Anyone know if it's coming to the uk?
Blake

I saw it and i loved it. Obviously the visuals were mind blowing. It is hard not to keep thinking about the settings during the movie but I thought that the little girl was just as good if not better than the settings. THe acting from her and Lee Pace was nuts.
Chelle Fae

I saw this movie in Houston, Texas on Saturday May 31st, and now, three days later I'm still reeling. The tale is one of desperation, innocence, love, obsession, and fear. Our two main characters are in an LA hospital. Alexandra (who has fallen and broken her arm) visits Rob (who has also fallen and lost the use of his legs) daily to hear an "epic" tale, which comes to life before our eyes. It is Alexandra's imagination that creates Tarsem's world. The characters play dual roles in the world of the story and the realm of fantasy. Sometimes these characters change as the story is being interpreted through the eyes of Alexandra or Rob. Rob thinks he can not face life without his love and the use of his legs. He tells Alexandra the tale to gain her trust so that she will bring him pills in order to commit suicide. This is no spoiler as it it only the very bare bones of the tale. Where Tarsem really shines is in nuance and emotion - what lies underneath. It is also, as the trailer will attest visually spectacular. Some critics have argued that the characters are two dimensional - not so says I. The characters in the story are formed in the mind of a 6 year old girl. They are not destined to be complex, only tragic, heroic, and beautiful. The real world characters are single minded - Alexandra in her quest for companionship and Rob in his quest for self-destruction. See this movie - it is, by far, the best of the year!
Squire

I saw the movie and understood what was going on as others claimed. Visually I was impressed. Storywise I was bored. I don't necessarily agree or disagree with the original review, but I take exception to people who resent people reasons for things, or "things that don't fit in a neat box". Everything doesn't have to fit in a neat box but I believe there are creatives who really aren't who use the excuse of not fitting things into boxes to mask not having a clue about what they're doing. And those who see meaning where there may or may not be who love to criticize others who don't feel the depth of their emotion for a particular piece as being shallow or idiotic need to lay off. We're all different. That's why movies like this get to be made.
Rupe

I saw it this weekend on a trip to LA and would love to know if I'm going to be able to go see it again now I'm back in the UK. Anyone know? It's definitely a film for watching on the big screen.
Sofia

This film is opening in the Uk in August. And it is one of the best films I have ever seen.
amar

does anyone know how or where the soundtrack can be purchased...it would be a shame not to release it.
liz

What is the name of the song/composer for the music? and can dvd/score/song/album be purchased? thanks, liz
Mike S.

Song is Beethoven's 7th, composer is.. well, Beethoven. I'm sure you can find it anywhere.
Mike S.

Forgot to mention - the most amazing thing to me about this movie (other than the entire movie itself) was that it was entirely devoid of any cgi special effects. Everything you see is real.