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THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS

What You Need To Know:

THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is a cool and elegant tale of a writer who strikes a Faustian bargain and emerges a wiser, more temperate man as a result. Andy Garcia plays Byron Tiller, a struggling novelist, who becomes desperate. Mick Jagger playing Luther Fox (read Lucifer) is the man from Elysian Fields, a refuge in Hades in Virgil’s “Aenid” and the name of Luther’s upscale escort service for lonely women. If Byron can get used to just taking women out for an evening, he’ll be able to support his family while he continues to write. When he escorts the wife of a famous author, to the opera, he slips into infidelity.

This movie is a parable about the attraction of sin and the wages thereof. With a sparkling script and slyly elegant directing, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is completely engaging. As a cautionary tale, it has immorality, profanity and nudity shown in pictures of the Kama Sutra lining Luther’s office walls. It’s for mature adult audiences only, but the moral, which the L.A. Times called “old fashioned” and “dryly amusing” is a Christian moral. Extreme caution is recommend for the sexual content.

Content:

(B, LL, SS, A, D) Morality tale set in a Christian allegorical worldview with too much foul content along the way; 12 obscenities and 2 profanities; 2 scenes of marital sex, 3 scenes of adultery, and graphic pictures of kama sutra; alcohol use; and, smoking.

More Detail:

THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is a cool and elegant tale of a writer who strikes a Faustian bargain and emerges a wiser, more temperate man as a result. Andy Garcia plays Byron Tiller, a struggling novelist, who lives in the poor section of Pasadena with a beautiful wife and son. Byron left a successful career in advertising to pursue his dream of writing.

After seven years, he published HITLER’S CHILD, based on the improbable premise that Hitler had a child that was raised in Argentina. While HITLER’S CHILD received glowing reviews, it sold poorly. Byron’s publisher is understandably reluctant to publish Byron’s second novel with an equally improbable premise.

Tingling with smart, witty dialogue that never bores, the movie takes you from Byron’s idyllic home life to his struggle to provide for his family. Unable to tell his wife that his second novel was rejected, nor to make the necessary overtures to please his wealthy father-in-law and secure a loan, Byron becomes desperate.

This is when Mick Jagger enters the scene, playing the man from Elysian Fields, Luther Fox (read Lucifer). Elysian Fields is a refuge in Hades for the virtuous in Virgil’s “Aenid” and is also the title of Luther’s upscale escort service for lonely women. It’s clear that Luther is a metaphor for the person of temptation himself, Satan. If Byron can get used to just taking women out for an evening, he’ll be able to support his family while he continues to write…. or so he tells himself. When he escorts Alycia Allcott, the wife of famous author Tobias Allcot, to the opera, he slowly slips into infidelity.

Even though both men commit abhorrent acts, the director is able to make both characters sympathetic. Byron Tiller hates what he’s doing but feels he has no choice. Luther Fox has only one client, played equally well by Angelica Huston. In a moment of clarity, Luther realizes he’s in love with her and proposes to this woman, who in turn, laughs at him. Clearly portrayed is this message: While sin offers us pleasure in the moment, it fails to provide any lasting fulfillment.

This movie is a parable about the attraction of sin and the wages thereof. With a sparkling script, dream cast, and slyly elegant directing, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS is completely engaging. As a cautionary tale, it has immorality and profanity. There is nudity shown in pictures of the Kama Sutra lining Luther’s office walls. There are scenes of men drinking through out the movie.

The movie is clearly for mature adult audiences only, but the moral, which the L.A. Times called “old fashioned” and “dryly amusing” is a Christian moral. As Luther Fox sums up in the movie’s last line; “I’d spent years learning to pleasure many women, but Byron had learned that life was about pleasing just one. Now, that’s something to write about.”

Extreme caution is recommend for the sexual content.

Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.


Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.

What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.

You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.

Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.