Film Analysis - Big Fish

Big Fish  
During our lesson, we watched 'Big Fish', a 2003 American fantasy drama film, based on the novel of the same name. The film centers on the character Edward Bloom and his seemingly failed relationship with his estranged son, Will. Edward and Will fell out because Edward continued to tell exaggerated stories about his life, which are depicted throughout the film through storytelling or memory sequences. However, in the period the film is set, Edward is on his deathbed and Will has returned to his family home to reconcile with his father.

Metaphors and Symbolism
Throughout the film, themes are established and symbolised through the use of metaphors. There are so many things throughout the film that could be interpreted as a symbol of something else.

A symbol I picked up on during the film is the constant reference to the fish itself. During the title sequence, Edward Bloom is seen tackling the biggest fish in the lake, where he retrieves his ring from its mouth. The fish is later on seen at the end of the film, where Edward takes his ring off, notably with his mouth like the fish from the beginning, and is lowered into the water before becoming that exact fish. This fish symbolises Edward Bloom himself, as it refers to the common phrase, 'Big fish in a small pond', which means someone is a big shot and could be seen as too 'heroic' to be in such a small or unimpressive place, such as the town of Ashton where Edward comes from. This idea is challenged when Edward moves on from Ashton and arrives at the circus. The circus owner tells him, 'you were a big fish in a small pond, but this here is the ocean', suggesting that Edward is a nobody. However, before he departs from the circus, he changes the circus owner's mind, therefore proving that Edward is, in fact, a hero, despite having been unseen or unheard of before. This sets up the idea that Edward Bloom has extraordinary things ahead of him. Before Edward leaves Ashton, the witch tells him, 'the biggest fish in the river gets that way by never being caught', which suggests why Edward leaves the seemingly perfect town of Spectre later on; he wants to explore the world before staying put in one place - he doesn't want to be 'caught'. Edward marries Sandra and, after returning from the army, his life becomes more mundane and average. Despite having unusual run-ins, he's no longer the big shot hero he once was. This implies that he has been caught, his marriage and family life has made him settle down and therefore he is no longer a 'big fish', just like the witch said. This idea is further reinforced when Edward dies, his body is lowered into the water and he becomes the big fish after returning his wedding ring. His stories lived on after his death, therefore his fame lived on, therefore after his death, he became the 'big fish' once more because he's no longer 'caught'.

The title may also reference the idea that as a story gets told more often, it is slightly exaggerated each time. For example, a fisherman tells the story of the time he caught a fish in the river and each time the story is told, the fish in the story gets larger every time. This is because the story is exaggerated each time, and when that story is told through many generations later, the story is far from the original. This just means that the story is made better or more relevant every time it is told, for example, Edward told the story of the big fish so many times throughout Will's life, and then eventually at his wedding. At the end of the story, Edward somehow relates the story to Will's wedding by talking about 'catching an uncatchable woman', which shows how a story can be tweaked to be applied in a relevant situation. This helps the viewers understand the creativity in storytelling, and that incorporating the truth or logic isn't necessary regarding a story, even if the story teaches a lesson that can be applied to reality. Will, in the film, is a realist and is very cynical towards his father's story-telling as there is no logic within his stories, however by the end he realizes that his father used these stories to make his life seem more magical than it is. This made his father memorable, and he truly became a 'big fish' because the stories are what made him so powerful. It taught Will to see things from different perspectives and allow people to live their life how they wanted to, even if it was complete fantasy or not. I believe this is symbolic to the audience because the whole film represents how people should see how other's live their lives and allow them to live their lives how they wish. My first thought regarding the evolution of storytelling reminded me of common stories within our culture, such as the story of Troy or Robin Hood. It seemed rather silly that Will was so against Edward's stories because there were so many esteemed stories like these in modern culture. If nobody else created stories for future generations then the only stories we would have been told were from centuries ago and not from this era.

Another metaphor I picked up through the film was the constant presence of water. Running water is often associated with movement, which I think is symbolic of Edward's stories of his life and how he is never properly grounded or 'caught', as the witch described. This is backed up by Edward saying he's always been 'thirsty', hence he always needs water. This shows that he longs for the adventure and movement that is described within his stories, which is perhaps the reason Edward masks his mundane life with inconceivable, spectacular stories because it represents how he wishes his life was. Contrariwise, water may be restless at times, but in other situations may be calm and consistent. I believe this represents Will. Will has a logical method of perceiving things, however, his dad is more wild and imaginative, but they are still members of the same collective body- they're still family despite their obvious differences.

Another interpretation of the presence of water could be that it is symbolic of the evolution through the film. Water changes, it can go from being calm to being restless, or even the idea of movement could represent progression. I believe this is symbolic of perspectives being changed or evolved, for example, the way Edward saw Spectre at one part of his life as opposed to another part of his life. Although depicted in the film as the evolution of the town, I think it isn't the town changing at all, but in fact just how Edward saw the town.

This brings us to the town of Spectre. Spectre could be interpreted in many different ways. When Edward first arrives in Spectre it is seemingly perfect and all a man could wish for, it is rather reminiscent of Heaven - perhaps why nobody had ever left? There are so many features that resemble the afterlife, for example, the checklist with people's names on and the general light colored, heavenly appeal to the whole location, it just doesn't seem real.

Edward Bloom with young Jenny in the town of Spectre

I believe Spectre represents what every man eventually wants in life, to settle down at the end of his life. This is why Edward left when he arrived too 'early', it suggests how he prioritizes his needs, the need to explore comes before the need to be grounded. The town is what Edward had been hoping to find, however, he found it too early, as he still had ambition. The poet, Norther Winslow, had stumbled upon Spectre too, however, he had decided to stay. Norther left Ashton ambitious and hopeful, however, when Edward found him in Spectre, he had no ambition and was rendered unable to write poetry. I think this is because Spectre is what somebody wants at the end of their life, once they had fulfilled their aspirations, Norther had been blinded by the beauty of Spectre and had settled there instead of following his true dreams. Hence, Norther later left Spectre in order to become a rich man once Edward had changed his perspective on Spectre.

When Edward returned to Spectre, it was run down and broken, it was not how he remembered. I think this represents how Edward's desires have changed, Spectre was no longer what he wanted at this stage in his life, which is why he was 'too late' according to Jenny because his opinion had changed in the meantime.

Another thing Spectre could represent is success. When Spectre was heavenly and seemingly perfect, the road to get there was almost impossible to follow, it was painful. When Spectre had been ruined, there was a simple road there, I believe this is a metaphor for how to gain success, by working hard. When you take the easy road, what you gain at the end isn't as rewarding as when you take the hard road.

Sandra - Edward's wife

Another symbol I picked up on was the girl in the river, when he first saw her I believe that was Edward's sexual awakening, as when he ventured further than Spectre the next step in his life was finding his love. When he returned to Spectre, he saw the girl in the river again, which was foreshadowing his near-affair with the now older Jenny. At the end of the film, he calls his wife, Sandra, 'my girl in the river', because Sandra is the only woman he desires. I believe the girl in the river represents Edward's sexual desires. The fact Sandra is his 'girl in the river', shows that she is her only desire, which is further supported when Jenny tells Will that in his father's eyes, 'there are only two women, your mother and everyone else'. This symbolises his desire and love for Sandra.

In conclusion, it's clear to see there are many different interpretations of the symbols depicted in the film. Almost too many to go into.

Thanks for reading

-WM