The Man from Elysian Fields

In Greek Mythology, the Elysian Fields is a place of existence reserved for the souls of the most virtuous and heroic individuals. The Elysian Fields in this film are far from that. It is an escort service for which Byron Tiller, played by Andy Garcia, joined because he desperately needed a job. Byron, a writer, could not get his work published. As an escort, he became intimate with Andrea Allcott, the wife of a renowned author Tobias Allcott, played by James Coburn. Tobias, who is much older than Andrea, and in very poor health, in fact, he is dying, is aware of the intimacy between Byron and his wife, and even approves of it. Tobias is having difficulty writing his last book and strikes a deal with Byron to co-author his last book with him, which Byron agrees. Byron, however, writes the book. Byron's wife, Dena, who dearly loves Byron, is unaware of any of this, i.e., that he works for an escort service and is intimately involved with Andrea Allcott.Byron writes the book. And what happens when Tobias dies is what makes the Elysian Fields seem more like the dark bowels of Hades.Andy Garcia is outstanding as Byron, and James Coburn is excellent as Tobias. Mick Jagger puts in a very good performance as the owner of The Elysian Fields. And the supporting cast is superb.This is a tense film which will hold your interest throughout.

I kept reading the trailer on this film and saw Mick Jagger listed as one of the actors so I kept away. Mick Jagger???? Really??? But I love Andy Garcia so on a cloud covered afternoon I decided to watch this gem of a film. What a story line, Love the idea of being an 'escort' in order to save the one thing you love most in your life only to end up destroying it. Brilliant idea about co-authoring the novel while screwing the wife only to get screwed yourself. Even tho I could see that coming, it was just beautifully conceived. Jagger's role was small enough so I could ignore his acting, which was just OK. Even he could not fail with the cast around him, Margolies, Huston, Coburn, Garcia. I wish the ending was not so 'pat'. It would have rounded out the story if Byron just kept wandering all over while still attempting to write. I wondered why in the beginning the Alcott character wife was not more alluring and as it unfolds, you see she has to remain undesirable and the viewer cannot be too sympathetic lest Byron go back to his wife. I need to take up stock and write these trailers myself. Mick Jagger??? Really??? stick to singing.

Spoiler alert--"to an extent." To my knowledge, no one becomes a writer in the manner the plot has depicted in this film. Applause to suburb acting for Andy Garcia and Mick Jagger; although, I never knew Jagger could act, yet he's good and fits the role. Moving to the film, itself. Dialogue, setting, acting, and an unbelievable plot keeps me interested. This film is about a happily married writer who is penniless for lack of success of his books until he becomes affiliated with an escort service. Desperation causes an empty-pocketed writer to do strange things; he doesn't think well in certain situations. This writer is taken advantage of by the wife of a well-known, older, and physically ailing novelist who's writing his final novel. That's where the down-and-out writer trusts without a contract. He finishes the Novelist's book on non-existent trust. The older writer is portrayed by the great actor, James Coburn. I loved this film and the acting, yet there again---it's fiction and doesn't happen in the world of reality. It was a beautiful collaboration with the successful Novelist, aside from deceit on the conniving wife's part. I would have collaborated after the ink had dried on thecontract, beforehand.

The "Man From Elysian Fields" is an excellent film. It has an A-list cast, great dialog delivered poignantly by an ensemble of well-developed characters, good urban cinematography and a plot that belies initial expectations by creating suspension of disbelief. Don't give up on this movie. The trivial treatment of the backstory in the first ten minutes or so made me abandon the film for a while, but I eventually resumed watching, and it was the best film decision I've made in a long time. Once the superficial story lines are plotted, the film takes some unexpected, dark and twisting turns into the unpredictablity of human nature. The "Man From Elysian Fields" was released almost 20 years ago, but its timeless story of redemption clearly has stood the test of time for me. The age of the film gave me a chance to see a young Andy Garcia and Juliana Margulies, a younger Angelica Houston and Mick Jagger (yes, that one), and a still vital James Coburn the year before he passed away. I haven't provided any plot details because the film warrants discovery on their own. Five stars.

An interesting story, good acting by a coterie of famous names, but...something did not gel for me. Was it the singularly depressing atmosphere? Was it the unappealing nature of being a male escort and the details that go with it? Was it Andy Garcia's character and his interpretation of the small moments? It is not a movie that satisfies the soul, despite an ending with positive tones to it. It left a definite bitterness in my mouth that makes it impossible for me to claim that I liked this movie. 3 stars

Product was exactly as described, brand new with security seals and wrapping. There was a problem with non-delivery at first (not Wonderbook's fault, they shipped quickly), but Wonderbook was quick to respond and process a refund. I found the package stuffed in my mailbox much later and notified Wonderbook, so hopefully they get paid for the product they sold me. Customer service was friendly, apologetic, and responsive - would buy from them again in the future!For the movie: It's an underrated and somewhat difficult film to find. I randomly saw it on a plane ages ago; don't remember where I flew to, but I remembered the film.The cast and performances are top-notch. It's one of my favourite offerings from Andy Garcia, and Mick Jagger has surprising screen presence. It's one of the few films I've ever seen that I think could have actually done with less music to enhance the emotions of a scene, because the performances and inherent drama spoke for themselves. I'm also a big fan of dramas that have a bit of comedy mixed in, it makes it feel more realistic (which this film does effectively). Great script.The themes and plot of the movie I'm sure can be found elsewhere, so I'll just say it's definitely worth a watch. I'm not going to nitpick it here - I thoroughly enjoy the film every time I see it, and that's the important thing!

George Hickenlooper réalise un film riche en émotions et magistralement scénarisé et interprété.Mick Jagger, parfait en Satan des temps modernes, évolue du cynisme absolu à la sensibilité affective, donnant ainsi le ton à ce récit où à tout moment il est fait référence à la Grâce et à la Rédemption.Par le biais de la difficulté de la création littéraire le scénario aborde l'amour tout comme la superficialité des sentiments. Il traite également avec finesse et audace de la déchéance liée à la prostitution (ici la prostitution masculine) tant sur le plan physique que sur le plan intellectuel.Il est également question du mépris, de la trahison et de l'imposture des apparences (Olivia Williams est sublime en "garce" manipulatrice). L'utilisation d'un nègre littéraire en étant ici l'illustration. On s'en sert puis on le jette.Andy Garcia, comme toujours à fleur de peau et terriblement séduisant, passe avec aisance de la déchéance à la renaissance. Il donne énormément d'humanité à son personnage contraint à devenir escort boy afin de nourrir sa famille alors qu'en fait il est un écrivain de talent.James Coburn compose avec virtuosité une sorte d'Hemingway dont on ne sait pas trop bien si on doit le comprendre ou le rejeter.Les autres comédiens dont Julianna Margulies et Anjelica Huston dans un rôle bref mais intense font également preuve d'énormément de talent.Un film à ne pas manquer tant il est riche, cohérent et parfaitement bien mené.

Unfortunately this DVD was posted to me in Australia from the Northern Hemisphere in the incorrect PAL format, therefore it was unfit for purpose. Perhaps the distributors could be aware of this for future reference. I ordered through Amazon.com.au, incorrectly assuming Australian distribution.

The story seems to be well enough described, so I will just say why I give it 5 stars.Every actor seems to be just the right picked person for each role, and I have never seen James Coburn better.Since I never bought Stones Music, but got catched by Brian Auger and Miles Davis, I didn`t know much about Mick Jagger.Mick Jagger was to me a very pleasant surprise. What a personality! His charisma kept me glued to the chair fromthe moment he entered the room. In fact I wasn`t in the right mood to sit down with a film that evening, but this one suregot my attention. I guess this film needs an audience with some life experience. Specially those of us that had to start fromscratch a few times, when all doors seemed closed to get a new job, and freelance solutions were the only risky challenge left.To me, Mick Jagger and his personality gave the extra edge to this film, and makes me rate it 5 instead og 4 stars.I knew the other actors and their quality, so they gave what I expected of them.This is a film to watch many times as years goes by. I`ve watched it two times in two weeks now, and I still love it !

Autor B.Tiller (A.Garcia) findet keinen Verleger, kann seine Familie nicht mehr ernähren und findet keinen anderen Job. In seiner Not wendet er sich an Luther Fox (M. Jagger), der einen Escortsevice betreibt....Ein eher leiser und bitter-süßer Film.Schauspielerisch überragend: Mick Jagger, der uns hier eindrucksvoll beweist, daß er nicht nur den Jumping Jack Flash kann.