Dec 05, 2011 this is a post ive actually wanted to make for quite awhile as the book of eli has been on my five greatest movies ever made list ever since i saw it it currently stands at number three. A few observations about the book of eli welcome to. Into this world steps machetewielding road warrior eli a man on a. Jul 30, 20 fictional characters who are blind in entertainment are rare but when they are included the characters are often interesting and provide a perspective on life not normally noticed by those with sight. The book of eli starts out with 10 minutes of dialoguefree imagery depicting the type of postapocalyptic wasteland made familiar in recent. The book of eli s storyline is strong, with only a few mishaps. The film presents some religious subthemes, which might find differing interpretations by different viewers.
Eli is the man with one name who ambles into a backwater burg in search of water and comes face to face with evil in the form of carnegie gary oldman, who is involved with the blind claudia jennifer beals while he pursues claudias nubile daughter solara mila kunis. After watching the book of eli, i started to wonder if eli was actually blind the whole time. In the book of eli 2010 when the main character stares directly as the sun, his eyes do not dilate. He finds solace in a unique book which he carries on his person and guards closely, whilst surviving by hunting small animals and seeking goods in destroyed houses and vehicles to trade in.
When hannah came to shiloh to pray for a son, eli initially accused her of drunkenness, but when she protested her innocence, eli wished her well. It is the best christian movie i have ever seen despite the fact that im sure the writers werent really looking for it to be christian. A man travels across a wasteland, carrying a mysterious and powerful book. The book of eli is a 2010 american postapocalyptic neo western action film directed by the hughes brothers, written by gary whitta, and starring denzel washington, gary oldman, mila kunis, ray stevenson, and jennifer beals. Eli wants to get moving west, but the towns powerhungry overseer, carnegie, has other plans for eli and his book. Back in town, carnegie tries to open the bible but realizes that he didnt take elis key to the book flap.
Eli bumps the car door with his bag to gauge exactly where it is. The few survivors have clumped together into ramshackle settlements that are beginning to crumble from within. The book of eli works, even if the preservation of christianity isnt high on your personal postapocalypse bucket list. Hi, i made this video to prove that eli is not blind at least not in this scene. It was an amazing opportunity to work with people that i respect and can learn from. It could be that the movie was meant to highlight that despite even a fatal wound eli was supernaturally protected so that he. Book of eli caps wasteland saga with a twist wired. Eli tries to see if the woman is blind by testing her. These kinds of people are common to the inhabitants of the world of the book of eli. Click here to start a new topic please sign and date your posts by typing four tildes new to wikipedia. Clark, the main character reveals in tortuous detail his adolescence. Her most recent novel, big girl small, fsg 2011 received the 2012 american library associations alex award and was named one of the top 3 books of 2011 by newsday. At the end, we see eli telling the librarian that he has the book, intercut with a scene of carnegie attempting to break into the one hes been given.
Eli, played by denzel washington, is a traveller making his way towards the west. Feb 22, 2014 jesus and the book of eli part 1 remember the book of eli. Fictional characters who are blind braille works blog. The world in book of eli while barren and hot, is also filled with brutal killers and savages, but there always appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. He heard a voice in his head to carry the worlds last bible west, and. A razorsharp debut about a woman who goes so far off the deep end, she might never make it back up sam james has spent years carefully crafting her reputation as the best psychologist at typhlos, manhattans most challenging psychiatric institution.
He heard the cat meow, thus enabling him to shoot the cat with the arrow. Hannahs eventual child, samuel, was raised by eli in the tabernacle. The book of eli continues hollywoods obsession with postapocalyptic tales, and in many ways feels like it belongs in the same world as the road. In order to leave the town, eli must avoid the threats of bikers, henchmen, and other thugs, and escape with supplies of water and food. He is played by actor denzel washington, who also portrayed lincoln rhyme, john creasy and robert mccall. In the first house eli holes up in, he looks at the mouse, he roots through his bag, while moving his head to see better into the bag. The movie opens on a shot of a sixshooter, the main character denzel washington. Fictional works that feature realistic, positive or just plain awesome portrayals of blind and visually impaired people. Eli has to feel the feet to see if there are boots on the skeleton. As eli dictates, lombardi writes it all down, word for word. In the movie the book of eli we discover at the end that the bible eli has been carrying the entire movie is written in braille.
Eli is the model of the positive power of religion. He looks out the window the next day, moving his eyes to and fro to take in the situation. Eli is the main protagonist in the 2010 dystopian postapocalyptic thrillerdrama film the book of eli. Carnegie gets the book, which is the bible, and eli s been blind all along. Originally the load, who also falls for a trap, solara is eventually able to overcome her captors using string as a garrote, takes out another vehicle with a grenade, then drives back to retrieve eli. Redridge recovers the book, with a locked flap, and gives it to carnegie, who releases solara. After looking around i saw that im not the only one who questions whether or not he is. Eli does not notice the car with the skeleton until he hears the sound of rattling metal. It was one of a spat of post apocalyptic dramas with washed out color and characters who care more about surviving to the end of the day than dental hygiene. At one point, eli is injured, yet he continues to walk down the path he started at the beginning. Eli in the bible was a jewish priest living in the days of the judges and serving god at the tabernacle in shiloh, a city near the hill country of ephraim 1 samuel 1. According to imdb faq, yes he was possibly partially blind. Dec 20, 2015 i will defend to the death that the book of eli with denzel washington is underrated. In the book of eli 2010 when the main character stares.
Thirty years after a nuclear apocalypse, eli travels on foot toward the west coast of the former united states. The book of eli, sometime in the future a lone warrior eli denzel washington is on a mission surrounding the presumed last remaining bible. Since a broken bridge is shown in the book of eli movie we need to locate this reference in the dantes inferno. The acting is adequate throughout, but not dazzling. Sola ra see s e li has a book, and he offers to share his food, saying grace before they eat. He never takes them off in the movie,possibly due to his blindness. Multiple top notch fight scenes that are both entertaining and realistic check. The book of eli is kind of like watching the book of mormon filmed and rewritten as a futuristic action movie, except with fewer hot bitches. Jennifer beals, best known for her main role in the 1983 film flashdance, has been last seen acting in the 2010 film the book of eli where she plays the role of the claudia, the blind mistress of the nomad eli. However, not only will the story revolve around him, but i wanted to research how blind people actually think of the world and describe the cities in a way only a blind person could. Eli and solara are surrounded and dragged out of the house.
Hes a biblical character, but his story is tucked in 1 samuel. If you know about the bible, there is an eli that was blind since the movie is semibiblical. Eli is the main protagonist in the 2010 dystopian postapocalyptic thrillerdrama film the book of eli he is played by actor denzel washington, who also portrayed lincoln rhyme, john creasy and robert mccall biography thirty years after a nuclear apocalypse, eli travels on foot toward the west coast of the former united states. As the film ends, eli who we now realize is blind has memorized the entire king james bible. Eli wears dark sunglasses, as blind people often do. Like many people who were alive at the time of the nuclear apocalypse, eli is blind. There are many many clues as to eli s character being blind throughout the entire movie. The book of eli 2010 frequently asked questions imdb. The book of eli is a 2010 american postapocalyptic neowestern action film directed by the hughes brothers, written by gary whitta, and starring denzel washington, gary oldman, mila kunis, ray stevenson, and jennifer beals. Eli, who was nearly blind, was sitting at the front gate to hear the returning soldiers return was unaware of the event until he asked about all the commotion in the city.
I could imagine the introduction being performed by someone like jerry seinfeld or possibly the late rodney dangerfield as a standup act. Eli was, according to the books of samuel, a high priest of shiloh. Jan 11, 2010 though in the vein of recent films like 2012, a blockbuster about the end of the world as predicted by the mayan calendar, evangelical movie buffs are touting the book of eli as a rare major studio release where the protagonist is unabashedly a christian. Book of eli eli is not blind at least not in this scene. Denzel washington especially brings the amazing character of eli to life with his passionate performance. Redridge entreats eli to surrender the book and eli tells redridge where he hid it. Establishing its storytelling rules clearly and well, the film simply is. A soldier had returned through the back gate and given the news of the battle to the people. Unlike the road, the book of eli does not linger on the bleak, morose and desolate dying earth. In the nottoodistant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the. The book of eli is underrated finally someone said it.
Scars are sexy books with imperfectdisfigureddisabled heroes, books with disabled heroes, blind deafmute, blind heroesheroines in roman. Was denzel washingtons character in book of eli blind. This is not a forum for general discussion of the articles subject put new text under old text. Early on, eli pretends to give up the book, only for it to turn out to be a book safe containing a live grenade. In a violent postapocalyptic society, a drifter, eli, has been wandering westward across north america for the last thirty years. The book of eli, by sam moffie begins with a monologue about eli done in such a humorous fashion. In a world where few people read and basic survival is constantly threatened, it is unusual that someone would place such great importance on a book.
He carries a mysterious book, clearly of great importance to him. Jennifer beals, best known for her main role in the 1983 film flashdance, has been last seen acting in the 2010 film the book of eli where she plays the role of the claudia, the blind mistress. Unless youre particularly observant its not outright apparent that hes blind when watching the first time until the very end of the movie when the camera zooms in and you can see his eyes are clouded. In this latest episode of he said he said, jeff bayer and i try to wrap our hea. Used with an arrow in the beginning, but the rest of the movie only uses regular slowmo. The story revolves around eli, a nomad in a postapocalyptic world, who is told by a voice to deliver his copy of a. Crazy and awesome villain for our protagonist to battle gary oldmans carnegie check.
I loves me a good western and the book of eli fits the bill. He calls the engineer in to unlock the book and once its unlocked they see the bible is in braille in alcatraz, a closeup of elis face shows us that he is blind as well. Book of eli explores a postnuclear apocalyptic world overrun by desperate bandits and violent gangs. Eli uses a machete, a bow, and a number of guns effectively despite his blindness. Rachel dewoskins fourth book, the critically acclaimed novel, blind, was published in august, 2014. Book with a blind protagonist im wanting to read a book where the main character is blind visually impaired, preferably written by an author who suffers from the same condition as the protagonist.
The waters of life are absent in the future, and the world is a dust bowl. Jan 22, 2010 like its titular protagonist a deadly smooth washington, the book of eli early on sets a course and never deviates from its core mission of being an actionpacked, end of days road movie. There are moments where you could construe he was blind only after you decided he was. It is revealed that eli is blind and the bible he was carrying is written in braille. In the end, the book of eli feels more like a simplistic, post apocalyptic parable with singledimension characters who have no arc rather than a satisfying film.
He then proceeds to recite the bible to lombardi word for word, allowing him to make new copies. The island yes, its alcatraz has its own printing pressa dinosaur that is handset and hand operated. Remnants of the flash showing all over eli s body in a scene where eli is washing himself down. Carnegie threatens to kill solara, to the dismay of redridge. The script was conceived by english screenwriter gary whitta and then subsequently rewritten by american screenwriter. Spoilers every clue in the book of eli that explains the. Is the character eli blind in the movie the book of eli. After carnegie s blin d mistress claudia bri ngs eli food and water, carnegie orders her daughter solara to s educe eli, but he rebuffs her. Yes, the character eli, played by denzel washington, was blind throughout the movie. In the movie the book of eli, was the character played by. The book of eli is a wellcrafted film with stunning cinematography, a haunting score, and moving performances from the ensemble cast. Jan 09, 2010 the book of eli sam moffie, devra bastiaens, na on. But the point i was driving at was that the book of eli, a weirdly halfreligious adventure story set 30 years after a nuclear conflagration left the united states a burnedout wasteland, has a lot of digital intermediate done very poorly, and it is so specifically terriblelooking that i can well imagine it turning an average person on the. Jesus and the book of eli part 1 worldviews, worship.
The book of eli is a movie telling the story of a post apocalyptic world in which the main character morgan freeman is a blind man who has one of the last books in the world. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the the book of eli article. Jesus and the book of eli part 1 remember the book of eli. Its interesting that both cite mad max, a film which is not described as a neowestern in its article despite pegging many of themes and tropes listed above, certainly far more than the book of eli does.
He finds a small town ruled by a ruthless man, who attempts to take the book. Marauding gangs haunt the ashen wastelands of america, preying on innocent passersby. When eli failed to rein in the abusive behavior of his sons, yahweh promised to punish his family, resulting. Well in the divine comedy bolgia 6 has a broken bridge. This thread is now designated the official discussion thread for the book of eli. Does this imply that he is blind and has been living completely by faith his entire life or is the punchline of the movie that he is the simply the last living man on earth who can read braille. Slightly ironic in that her name is related to the sun, which caused the ruin of the world took a level in badass. Denzel washington in a world where it pays to be a loner. Jan 15, 2010 in the old testement book of 1 samuel, there is a priest named eli who by chapter 3 has become blind.
In the bible, the high priest eli was blind, and some might say that there are several scenes which may indicate that in the. Blind characters are usually popular with audiences, especially when their other senses have heightened abilities. Shortly after the war, eli heard a voice, presumably gods, directing him to find the last copy of the bible in existence, buried under rubble. He asks her whether it happened after or during the war, which may give the reason for his blindness. Whether you liked it or not, its hard to deny that the film starring denzel washington didnt send your brain on its own journey, especially after the movies grand twist was revealed. The book he carries with him is a brail bible which he literally guards with his life. He writes with so much pathos and detail, it cant all be imagined pain. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Mar 03, 2017 i thought he was blind when i saw the movie. Jan 16, 2010 the bolgias in the book of eli is shown as a dry riverbed that is spanned with a small bridge. Eli is best remembered for his blessing on samuels mother and for. Apr 20, 2010 the book of eli is an oldfashioned western dressed up in postapocalyptic rags. The makers of the film have incorporated this into the character of denzel.
Like in the bible there was a priest named eli who was not born blind but later did become blind. Sep 22, 2016 at the risk of spoiling the twist ending, were going to have to talk about book of eli if were going to talk about awesome movies that portray blind people. The official facebook page for the book of eli some will kill to have it. Realizing eli is a literate man like himself, carnegie forces him to stay the night under guard. Interesting story to read and may broaden our interpretation of the character in the movie. But the book of eli, unlike most antireligious westerns, affirms the power of god and explores how religion can be used for good or ill. Eli was blind before the war and after finding the bible and hearing gods voice he regained his sight until his task was completed finding a safe place for the bible this is why he did things a blind man would do and could read braille and also why is eyes were normal at the start of the film and clouded and the end. In the postapocalyptic biblical thriller the book of eli, denzel washington plays a blind man who feels hes been called by god to carry the last remaining copy of the bible across the country. Eli is staring her down for her reaction to his test.
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