Inkheart (2008)

Director:

Iain Softley

Writers (WGA):

David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay)
Cornelia Funke (novel)

Release Date:

23 January 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Every story ever written is just waiting to become real.

Plot:

A young girl discovers her father has an amazing talent to bring characters out of their books and must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all, with the help of her father, her aunt, and a storybook's hero.

Plot Keywords:

Book | Villain | Escape | Reading | Young Girl

Cast

Brendan Fraser	...	Mo 'Silvertongue' Folchart
Sienna Guillory	...	Resa
Eliza Bennett	...	Meggie Folchart (as Eliza Hope Bennett)
Richard Strange	...	Antiquarian Bookshop Owner
Paul Bettany	...	Dustfinger
Helen Mirren	...	Elinor Loredan
Rafi Gavron	...	Farid
Matt King	...	Cockerell
Steve Speirs	...	Flatnose
Jamie Foreman	...	Basta
Stephen Graham	...	Fulvio
Mirabel O'Keefe	...	Young Meggie
Andy Serkis	...	Capricorn
John Thomson	...	Darius
Lesley Sharp	...	Mortola

Also Known As:

Ink Heart (USA) (alternative spelling)
Tintenherz (Germany)
Corazón de tinta (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Coeur d'encre (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Coração de Tinta (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Atramentové srdce (Slovakia) [sk]
Atramentowe serce (Poland) (poster title) [pl]
Bläckhjärta (Sweden) [sv]
El libro mágico (Mexico) [es]
Inima de cerneala (Romania) [ro]
Inkoustové srdce (Czech Republic) [cs]
La leggenda del cuore d'inchiostro (Italy) [it]
Mürekkep yürek (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Mustesydän (Finland) [fi]
O melanokardos (Greece) [el]

MPAA:

Rated PG for fantasy adventure action, some scary moments and brief language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

Germany | UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG (certificate #43606) | Ireland:12A | Germany:12 | South Korea:All | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Taiwan:PG-12 | Netherlands:9 | Argentina:Atp | Peru:PT | South Africa:10V | Sweden:11 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-11 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Mexico:A | Iceland:10 | Australia:PG | New Zealand:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bourne Woods, Farnham, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Internationale Filmproduktion Blackbird Dritte

Trivia:

Paul Bettany's wife, Jennifer Connelly, appears as Dustfinger's wife.

Goofs:

Plot holes: Mo has been looking for a copy of the book for nine years and never thought of contacting the author until his daughter mentions it.

Quotes:

Narrator: Since the dawn of time, storytellers have enchanted audiences with their words. But there is an even rarer gift. There are those, who by reading out loud, can bring characters to life. Out of books and into our world. Most of these Silvertongues, as they are know prefer to keep their skills a secret but some do not even know this gift is theirs, until it is too late.

Inkheart is a highly enjoyable film. But it is NOT the book.

Let me begin by saying I have read the book and most of the second. When I saw the trailer, there were so many elements I could not place that I presumed this film would be some combination of all three books, and almost did not see it as I had not yet read the last book. I'm glad I did not succumb to this temptation.

The movie itself is loosely based on Funke's book. That's right, "book." It is actually NOT based on all three books, but rather, just as the title implies, the initial Inkheart. The elements I could not identify were never in the book. So...If you're a book fan and are unable to separate the literary story from a film adaptation, you WILL be disappointed. But honestly, if you're looking for something that bears more than a slight resemblance to the book, you still may be disappointed by the omissions, rearrangements, and substitutions.

But do let me say that Brendan Frasier is a wonderful Mo. The casting choice of Eliza Hope Bennett as Meggie was a bit of a surprise, but she is lovely and does very well as Meggie. Paul Bettany is a beautifully tragic Dustfinger. Wow, what a performance Bettany gives! I was also surprised by Helen Mirren's casting as Aunt Elinor, but she was a capable and endearing Elinor. I was even impressed by Rafi Gavron's Farid. I can't wait to see where HIS career leads him. He has great promise. They, and the supporting cast, were wonderful. Not one stiff performance. Andy Serkis was also good as Capricorn. I can't say he was "awesome," as he was not nearly as scary as the literary version, and seemed somewhat of a victim of his own circumstances herein, but he was enjoyable, nonetheless.

If you have never read the books, however, you may find this as I did; an enchanting lovely fantasy with enigmatic characters and a slick execution style. I enjoyed this work far more than I should have, considering the plethora of WIDE variances from the literary source.

All in all, while Inkheart is a highly enjoyable film, it is NOT the book. My advice? Watch the movie. Love the movie. Then read the book and find a hundred new reasons to love it again.

It's still fun, it's still wonderful, and it's still enchanting.

It rates an 8.2/10 on the movie scale.

It rates a 3.5/10 on the adaptation scale.

It rates an 8.4/10 on the fantasy scale from...

the Fiend :.