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Written by Michael Muckian, Contributing writer
May 5, 2011
Robert Pattison and Rosie the elephant in a scene from “Water for Elephants.” – Photo: Courtesy
The exterior of Baraboo’s Circus World Museum – Photo: Courtesy
When Steve Freese, executive director of the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, heard that 20th Century Fox had purchased the movie rights to “Water for Elephants,” Sara Gruen’s popular novel about a Depression-era circus, he lost no time in sending a proposal to the film’s producers. If they wanted authenticity, Freese was ready to provide guidance from the greatest circus museum on Earth.
Freese’s pitch proved persuasive. Director Francis Lawrence followed up with a visit to the museum in the spring of 2009. A year later David Crank, the film’s art director, and set decorator Jim Erickson were in Baraboo picking out circus wagons to be used in the film.
Circus World Museum wound up providing a variety of historical items to make the production more authentic, including memorabilia, photos and even vintage films that the museum could no longer play because of their age. The studio was able to restore seven of the eight films, returning the originals and providing the museum with digital copies that it can now show to visitors.
In addition to providing the circus wagons used in the movie, the museum’s staff trained the crew on how to use them. “There’s an art to unloading a circus wagon from a train, and it can be dangerous if it isn’t done right,” Freese explained. “We had to teach the actors playing the roustabouts how to do this.”
Freese said he and his staff participated in roughly half of the movie as it was being filmed in Piru, Calif. Despite the prominent role that Circus World Museum artifacts play in the film, none of the movie was shot on location in Wisconsin.
“Since the Wisconsin film tax incentives had been vetoed by former Gov. Jim Doyle (in 2009), the film was shot in California, Tennessee and elsewhere,” Freese said
The museum’s primary role was consulting with set director Jack Fisk, offering direction on how the set should look in order to replicate a 1930s circus. “Historians will walk away from this film saying that this was extremely well made from a historical perspective,” Freese promised.
The consulting gig proved to be a bonanza for the museum, earning it $346,000 for scenic contributions. Both Freese and Circus World Museum wagon master Harold Burdick also got on-camera gigs, with Freese appearing in a scene with lead actor Robert Pattison. In addition, he shared time on the set with leading actress Reese Witherspoon.
Both of the celebrities impressed Freese with their courage.
“Robert Pattison is an extremely brave man,” he said, especially in a scene in which the “Twilight” star was supposed to thrust his arm into the lion’s cage. “Even though it was a prosthetic arm that was inserted into the lion’s cage, he had to have his face close to the bars,” Freese said. “He came in and did it like a professional.”
Witherspoon did many of her own stunts with Silver Star, her character’s horse. But Witherspoon’s greatest challenge may have come in working with Rosie, the film’s namesake elephant.
“There’s a scene in which Rosie rears up on her hind legs with Reese standing next to her,” he said. “Rosie lets go with the longest fart you ever heard and it was all Reese could do not to laugh.”
Perhaps the greatest surprise Freese encountered during the filming was the need for a special handler every time an animal appeared on the set. This even included a scene inside a boxcar full of flies.
“Someone had to be there to make sure the flies weren’t swatted or mistreated,” Freese said. “It’s my understanding that at the end of the scene this person gathered up the flies and took them with him.”
The film, which opened April 22 to mixed reviews, concerns runaway veterinary school dropout Jacob (Pattinson), who hops a train in the night, only to discover that he’s boarded a circus train. He is hired to care for Rosie, the rundown circus’ elephant and the focal point of wrath from brutal animal trainer August (Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz).
The young veterinarian falls for August’s wife Marlena (Academy Award-winner Witherspoon), the circus bareback rider. The usual love triangle folderol then ensues, against the backdrop of the Great Depression.
Despite the criticism the film has taken, Freese said “Water for Elephants” is an accurate depiction of what was happening to circuses during the 1930s. “We lost a lot of the greatest circus names during that period,” he said.
Freese hopes that the film’s success will help boost interest in circuses and attendance at the museum, the historic winter home of the original Ringling Brothers Circus. During the past four years attendance has increased, reaching 62,213 last year compared with 46,000 in 2006. In addition to a variety of exhibits, the museum offers 10 daily circus performances.
Freese said Gov. Scott Walker’s budget reforms will have an impact on the State Historical Society, but no cuts have been specified for Circus World Museum.
“Things are looking good so far on our horizon,” he said.
