The Fountain - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[sophie]

A piano and vocal interpretation of Clint Mansell's "Stay with Me" theme was originally recorded for the end credits, with Justin Skomarovsky on piano and Anohni (of the group Antony and the Johnsons) on vocal. Director Darren Aronofsky, though satisfied with the piano arrangement, didn't feel that Antony's lyrics consummately reflected the film's message and narrative. Ultimately, Aronofsky discarded the song and opted instead to record Skomarovsky's piano arrangement with veteran Hollywood pianist Randy Kerber.

[sylvia]

Warner Bros. refused to do a director's commentary for the DVD release, so Darren Aronofsky recorded one in his living room and released it on his website.

[kenneth]

Rachel Weisz and Hugh Jackman agreed to work on the film at a reduced rate.

[richard]

The rainforest setting was inspired by the jungle location of Tikal, Guatemala and the films Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) and The Holy Mountain (1973).

[bernice]

Darren Aronofsky did not shave his beard till production was finished, a tradition he started while shooting Pi (1998).

[ruby]

The film draws from Jewish Kabbalah, Mayan mythology, space travel and brain surgery research.

[phyllis]

When the first version of the script was shelved, and production was halted Darren Aronofsky rewrote the script, and re-envisioned the film. The first version of the script was turned into a graphic novel illustrated by Kent Williams, and released as a soft-cover and limited edition hardback book. The final version of the film, with its reduced budget and new leading cast, made extensive use of unique non-CGI visual effects to save on production costs, and give the picture a more "organic" feel.

[ray]

The film opens with the Biblical phrase Genesis 3:24, which states that the Tree of Life is guarded by a cherub wielding a flaming sword. The Mayan high priest in the movie also guards the tree of life, wielding a flaming sword.

[melinda]

In early 2002, Darren Aronofsky cast Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in the central leads of Tom and Izzi with a budget of 75 million dollars. During pre-production, Pitt and Aronofsky were having major creative differences, so Pitt left to film Troy (2004) instead, and the film was shut down, and the sets and props built in Australia were auctioned off. In early 2004, with a smaller budget of 35 million dollars, Aronofsky cast Hugh Jackman as Tom and Rachel Weisz replaced Blanchett as Izzi. Warner Bros., who had invested 20 million dollars in the canceled version, agreed to finance the new, cheaper version.