Despite the two answers you have already received to the contrary, yes the character eli in the book of eli was blind. Jan 15, 2010 in fact, faith is the only semisatisfying explanation for eli s ability. Throughout the movie, eli shot animal s for food including a flying bird with a bow, and defended himself with blade and gun, and yet was blind the entire time. The audience doesnt get to know a lot about eli s past. Despite employing his beautiful stepdaughter solara as a decoy, he does not.
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. He s guided by a voice in his head that told him that he must protect this book and he is personally lives by the message of the bible, basically to do more for others than for yourself as he puts it. Spoilers every clue in the book of eli that explains the. Jesus and the book of eli part 1 worldviews, worship. That prompts the surviving members of his family to flee into a nearby forest. They made their first short film, how to be a burglar shortly after freshman year.
A man of few words and many brave and horrible actions is what eli is. Their next work, uncensored videos was broadcast on. Filled with blind rage, jack and his band of villainous rogues kill rick in a matter of mere moments. When eli failed to rein in the abusive behavior of his sons, yahweh promised to punish his family. Unlike the road, the book of eli does not linger on the bleak, morose and desolate dying earth. So were led to believe at the end that eli is blind. Also when hes leaving after spending the night in the town, he is going to pick up his radio that was charging, when he gets there the guy has it plugged up still and eli points to the 2 cables, and tells the store man to take them off that he has to go now 5. He is played by actor denzel washington, who also portrayed lincoln rhyme, john creasy and robert mccall. He gets out of unspeakably dangerous scrapes and when some of carnegies men shoot at him, the bullets misssomething.
Various men then come out and surround him, with one shoving him. Around him, this empire crumbles since he lost most of his men while fighting more than once eli for the vary book he cant read. 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 does not notice the car with the skeleton until he hears the sound of rattling metal. A 2010 postapocalyptic film starring denzel washington, gary oldman, and mila kunis directed by the hughes brothers. Eli warns the man that he wont get his hand back if he does that again, and proceeds to chop that off with one quick slice of his blade with bloody results and views of the stump and severed hand. His dangerous and often selfsacrificial mission, inspired by god and rooted in a deepseated personal faith, is certainly inspiring. Back in town, carnegie tries to open the bible but realizes that he didnt take elis key to the book flap. Realizing eli is a literate man like himself, carnegie forces him to stay the night under guard. My problem is that eli did not behave like a blind person. The second shot, he took his time, gripped his pistol properly, aimed, fired and if you notice he hit eli in his backpack. His perverse view of the holy book is solidified when he explains that it was used to rule people in the past. 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.
The book of eli is a little like the popcorn version of john hillcoats adaptation of cormac mccarthys postapocalyptic novel. Eli is, as in the book of eli, carrying the last king james bible on him in the apocolyptic future. Described as a warrior by necessity, eli seeks peace. Whatever caused this apocalypse is undisclosed, but it becomes clear that religion was blamed and holy books the. The story revolves around eli, a nomad in a postapocalyptic world, who is told by a voice to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe location on the west coast of. However, instead of the land he was wandering in the book of eli, he is wandering australia, the same land where the road warrior is set. Although this new one has its comicbook qualities, good and bad, the hugheses have stanched the blood in the book of eli, making it easier to pay attention to what else is happening on screen. Hes hunted, fought off multiple men at a time, memorized the entire bible, and. Jan 18, 2010 but this weekend, james camerons titanic bluehued blockbuster had a bit just a bit of competition from denzel washingtons the book of eli, which slid into the no.
I make light of it, but thats almost the way i looked at it. The book of eli dvd 2009 this is probably one of the most highly underrated movies of 2010 due to the overwhelming surge of 3d films brought on by avatar which was out around the same time of this film. In the movie the book of eli was eli blind the entire. We learn that a voicea voice he takes for godsled him to the book and told him to take it west, and that hed be protected along the way. He has honed his hearing to allow him with echolocation clicking of his tongue when needed to be able to tell where a shooter is, he knows approximately how many men hes against. If you watch the movie for a second time you can catch on. Their parents divorced when they were two years old, and they began making movies at age 12. Jesus and the book of eli part 1 remember the book of eli. There are many many clues as to eli s character being blind throughout the entire movie.
The twist that the book was braille was brilliant, and the symbolism of carnegie being himself blind to the word is just great writing. The director is acutely aware that gary oldmans character is much more interesting than eli, and the focus of the film substantially shifts for the better to what he wants the. My father and i saw the book of eli a few months ago, a post apocalyptic thriller starring denzel washington. Eli started the gemstone family ministry with his wife, aimee leigh, back in the 1980s, when televangelists ruled the airwaves. Eli is a traveler on a mission who must protect the last remaining copy of the bible from those would like to dispose of it or even worse pervert its meaning and use it as a tool to govern with complete authority. Eli is a wanderer, but the film does not center on his life. Now it may seem a little harsh, but i believe that i would rather be blind than obese. The book of eli is the hughes brothersa follow up film to from. There is an aura of calm and assurance about this outsider that intrigues carnegie. Eli has in his possession the last surviving bible in the world, and he is on a mission he believes was given to him by god, to head west to where it will be safe. But when he cracks open the clasp that holds it closed, he discovers that its written in braille. The book of eli works, even if the preservation of christianity isnt high on your personal postapocalypse bucket list. He s hunted, fought off multiple men at a time, memorized the entire bible, and. He finds an abandoned house and searches it for anything that can be useful.
Eli survives the gunshot and makes his way west with solaras help. Hannahs eventual child, samuel, was raised by eli in the tabernacle. Jan 15, 2010 carnegie takes the bible back to town. Think a live action adaptation of the fist of the north star mangaanime with a race lifted kenshiro, or fallout 3 with christianity instead of the american dream in the nottoodistant future, some 30 years after the final war, a solitary man walks across the. He sends solara mila kunis, the comely daughter of his blind lover claudia jennifer beals, to get the book. Eli was protected by god, because he sought only to follow and act upon his faith.
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. America has suffered a catastrophic destruction and civilization and law have disappeared. The book of eli is an oldfashioned western dressed up in postapocalyptic rags. Thebook of eli cant have a sequel actress mila kunis speaks about her forthcoming gary oldman, denzel washington starrer. Ill be honest with you, the book of eli panel at last summers san diego comiccon garnered little attention, despite having stars denzel washington, gary oldman, and mila kunis in. Eli was, according to the books of samuel, a high priest of shiloh. And it came to pass at that time, when eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see. Eli has been traveling for about thirty to thirty one years, during that time he has formed many survival skills most of which allow him to do things that would be near impossible for a man his age believed to be late forties to earlymid fifties. Im at a loss for words, so let me say these right away. He asks the man to get out paper and write what he says. A soldier had returned through the back gate and given the news of the battle to the people. According to imdb faq, yes he was possibly partially blind. As eli is quoting scripture to the scribe the camera moves in closer to his eyes.
The book of eli 2010 is both underappreciated and a secret. The first being when he was in the house at the start where the body is, he bumps into the table. The book of eli is a movie set in a post apocalyptic world about a guy named eli, played by denzel washington. He obviously struggles with his own personal failings, but, for the most part, acts according to the book he defends so vehemently. The script was conceived by english screenwriter gary whitta and then subsequently rewritten by american screenwriter. Eli was blind, if you didnt understand at the end of the movie, there may have been some parts that didnt make that clear. And we learn that eli is blind and apparently has been for 30 years. 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. There was a dead man hanging that dropped as he entered. Christianity and the book of eli believe it or not. After looking around i saw that im not the only one who questions whether or not he is. After watching the book of eli, i started to wonder if eli was actually blind the whole time.
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 with its ashladen wastelands and crazed cannibals. Avatar dominance aside, ill be really interested in how the rrated eli does in the days and weeks to come. For that matter, eli is something of a modernday elijah. It fantasizes a world in which everything has been. The book of eli was directed by twins, albert and allen hughes. A woman pleads for elis help, but he recognizes its a trap and calls it as such.
In the movie the book of eli, was the character played by. In the bible, the high priest eli was blind, and some might say that there are several scenes which may indicate that in the. On a side note, remember eli the priest from the book of 1 samuel. 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. There are moments where you could construe he was blind only after you decided he was. Perhaps its the freshness of that movie, and the popularity and respect afforded mccarthys book, that will make the road so prevalent in any evaluation of the hughes bros. Hes just going from point a to point b, and plowing through obstacles. Solara sees eli has a book, and he offers to share his food, saying grace before they eat. With denzel washington, mila kunis, ray stevenson, gary oldman. It grips your attention, and then at the end throws in several wtf.
It makes him wonder if perhaps eli might possess the book. Dec 17, 2014 but the book of eli s screenwriter gary whitta attached to write an upcoming star wars entry, and a tried and true one of us type nerd builds a fairly defined world in which to tell eli s story of a mission from god. 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. For example, a blind person would not be able to judge someone on their outward appearance. A man travels across a wasteland, carrying a mysterious and powerful book. 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. Denzel washington in a world where it pays to be a loner. Eli came out in 2010, just a year after the road starring vigo mortensen. Eli lives a fairly simple and repetitive life, with the occasional violent encounter thrown in for good measure.
He has a higher being guiding some of his actions and speaking through him which explains why he has the entire book in his head. Eli has to feel the feet to see if there are boots on the skeleton. All believable, albeit maybe a little bit of a stretch. The book of eli 2010 frequently asked questions imdb. The story revolves around eli, a nomad in a postapocalyptic world, who is told by a voice to deliver his copy of a mysterious book to a safe.
The book of eli is a 2010 american postapocalyptic neowestern action film directed by the. He heard a voice in his head to carry the worlds last bible west, and. If eli was blind through out the movie then the movie is of the same genre as godzilla just plain camp, because ive known quite a few blind people with heightened senses and washington didnt. They make everything in the entire movie impossible and incomprehensible but, hey, wtf. If you havent heard of it yet are interested then continue if you dont mind the plot being told though i recommend you see it first, good movie. However, theres visual evidence that he is not blind, like the fact that he looks at things.
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. After carnegies blind mistress claudia brings eli food and water, carnegie orders her daughter solara to seduce eli, but he rebuffs her. In the midst of his journey, eli comes across a robber baron of sorts, named carnegie gary oldman and his partners daughter, solara mila kunis, changing his life. He looks out the window the next day, moving his eyes to and fro to take in the situation. The book of eli, sometime in the future a lone warrior eli denzel washington is on a mission surrounding the presumed last remaining bible. Jan, 2010 he s got one of those knives that makes a snickersnack noise all by itself, and is a oneman army. Establishing its storytelling rules clearly and well, the film simply is. He is heading west, and everyone is after the book. Eli was worried about gods holy box, so he was sitting there waiting and watching.
He puts eli up for the night and sends his blind, commonlaw wife. 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. Eli wears dark sunglasses, as blind people often do. As the jimmy swaggarts and the jim and tammy faye bakers of the world fell into sin and cultural oblivion, the gemstones stood strong or, at least, their popularity did. Eli walks through the abandoned road in a postapocalyptic 2043. Eli bumps the car door with his bag to gauge exactly where it is. At this point eli turned around and a shootout with carnegies men ensued. 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. Redridge fired one shot at eli with his pistol and by the sounds of it, completely missed.
Thirty years after a nuclear apocalypse, eli travels on foot toward the west coast of the former united states. He finds a small town ruled by a ruthless man, who attempts to take the book. After carnegies blind mistress claudia brings eli food and water, carnegie. Eli is the main protagonist in the 2010 dystopian postapocalyptic thrillerdrama film the book of eli. A postapocalyptic tale, in which a lone man fights his way across america in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. Yes, there are clues that he is blind, like overdeveloped smelling. Later in the film, solara asks eli to read some passages from the bible to her, so he recites several passages that he has memorized, and the beauty of the words. Washington and the hughes brothers do a good job of establishing this man and his world, and at first, the book of eli seems destined to be solemn. Your thoughts on the movie if you have not yet seen the movie and dont want it to be spoilt for you then wait until you have seen it before you read any further. This actually sets the pace and tone of the book of eli, which has unfortunately and misleadingly been marketed as an actionpacked carnival of carnage.
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. As for obesity, i cant find anything beneficial about it. When he was hunting for food in the very beginning and he shot that stray cat. A selfassured solara returns to her sweet blind mother building an. Theres this whole issue, without giving it away, is he blind, is he not. The book of eli believable except for this one small thing. There are several examples throughout the film of him looking at things and people at the very beginning of the film he looks out and around to observe his environment, he aims with his gun, he is able to block incoming swings of silent objects, he looks into the eyes of people he s talking to. Eli passes through a town and encounters the big dog in charge a man named carnegie played by gary oldman. He was practically feeling his way around using his other senses. Loving your neighbors is only the second greatest commandmentthe first is to love the lord your god with all your heart, soul, and mind. He tries to fill his canteen with water, but the taps dont work. Jan 15, 2010 he walks, he hunts, he eats he reads and he sleeps.
See more ideas about the book of eli, denzel washington and movies. Eli, who talks at one juncture about how he walks by faith, not by sight, is blind. Then the benjamite man came into shiloh and told the bad news. Eli follows what he believes to be good and right, seeking a place to properly. Now, the remaining members of the family, siblings sophie, jimmy, annalee, eli and faith must band together, despite their differences, and fight to save their lives.
632 368 1018 259 1096 657 17 243 1401 77 944 796 1061 265 308 1279 38 1137 737 1112 849 502 79 1091 645 1372 153 1109 1310 661 1164 201 611 876 796 210 1069