History Film / CloudAtlas

* BigBad: Most characters played by Hugo Weaving. He's a murderous hitman in 1973, an oppressive battleaxe nurse in 2012, a politician who signs Sonmi's death warrant in 2144 and in 2321, he's literally the devil. Characters played by him that are not be big bads of their era are still villainous to a degree, being a slave trader in 1849 and a Nazi in 1936. The big bad for 1849 goes instead to the greedy Dr. Goose played by Tom Hanks, while in 1936 there is [[NoAntagonist no clear antagonist]] - most of the drama comes from the relationship between Frobisher and Sixsmith.

* AteHisGun: The first time we see Frobisher, he is employing this trope.

* '''Adam Ewing''' (Creator/JimSturgess, 1849): An American notary, returning by ship from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, who keeps a journal of his journey through the Pacific Ocean, accompanied by a Moriori stowaway. Ewing has been infected with a parasitic worm, of which Dr. Henry Goose is trying to cure him. A partial copy of the edited and published journal is found and read by...

* '''Luisa Rey''' (Creator/HalleBerry, 1973): A reporter for a fluffy media magazine in Northern California, when she crosses paths with the old Dr. Sixsmith. She starts investigating reports of ongoing corruption connected to the local nuclear power plant and winds up with Sixsmith's collection of letters. Her story is presented as a mystery novel manuscript, submitted to...

* GenreBusting[=/=]GenreRoulette: Each story is a completely different genre, including PeriodDrama, HistoricalFiction, {{Cyberpunk}}, FilmNoir, {{Adventure}}, {{Satire}}, {{Comedy}}, {{Dystopia}}, ScienceFantasy, SpaceOpera, RomanticComedy, {{Romance}}, SpyFiction, MysteryFiction, {{Tragedy}}, and about [[{{Troperiffic}} everything inbetween]].

* BadassGrandpa: Any of Keith David's characters, for sure. Several of Tom Hanks' are badass ''middle-aged'' guys.

In addition to the above, Creator/HugoWeaving, Creator/JamesDArcy, Creator/SusanSarandon, David Gyasi, Creator/JimBroadbent, Creator/KeithDavid, and Creator/HughGrant appear in supporting roles. Instead of being sequential, the film continually leaps back and forth between stories, with the actors playing multiple characters across time.

* '''Adam Ewing''' (Creator/JimSturgess, 1849): An American notary, returning by ship from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, who keeps a journal of his journey through the Pacific Ocean accompanied by a Moriori stowaway. Ewing has been infected with a parasitic worm, of which Dr. Henry Goose is trying to cure him. A partial copy of the edited and published journal is found and read by...
* '''Robert Frobisher''' (Creator/BenWhishaw, 1936): A tremendously snarky English musician and aspiring composer, formerly [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense Rich in Pounds, Poor in Sense]] and now penniless after a bad game. On the run, he charms his way into a job as an assistant to a retired composer, settling with his employer in Edinburgh, Scotland. He records his experiences in a series of letters, which he sends to his friend and lover Rufus Sixsmith. Much later in life, the letters are read by ...

A 2012 AnthologyFilm based on Creator/{{David Mitchell|Author}}'s [[Literature/CloudAtlas 2004 novel]], ''Cloud Atlas'' is a sweeping epic that connects wildly different genres and writing styles into a single narrative. It was written and directed by Creator/TheWachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The Wachowskis directed the 1849, 2144 and 2321 sequences, and Tom Tykwer directed the 1936, 1973 and 2012 sequences.

A 2012 film based on Creator/{{David Mitchell|Author}}'s [[Literature/CloudAtlas 2004 novel]], ''Cloud Atlas'' is a sweeping epic that connects wildly different genres and writing styles into a single narrative. It was written and directed by Creator/TheWachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The Wachowskis directed the 1849, 2144 and 2321 sequences, and Tom Tykwer directed the 1936, 1973 and 2012 sequences.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Frobisher suffers tremendously from bipolar disorder, but being from 1931, he has no idea that anything's wrong with him.

* '''Adam Ewing''' (Creator/JimSturgess, 1859): An American notary, returning by ship from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, who keeps a journal of his journey through the Pacific Ocean accompanied by a Moriori stowaway. Ewing has been infected with a parasitic worm, of which Dr. Henry Goose is trying to cure him. A partial copy of the edited and published journal is found and read by...
* '''Robert Frobisher''' (Creator/BenWhishaw, 1931): A tremendously snarky English musician and aspiring composer, formerly [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense Rich in Pounds, Poor in Sense]] and now penniless after a bad game. On the run, he charms his way into a job as an assistant to a retired composer, settling with his employer in Edinburgh, Scotland. He records his experiences in a series of letters, which he sends to his friend and lover Rufus Sixsmith. Much later in life, the letters are read by ...

* '''Luisa Rey''' (Creator/HalleBerry, 1973): A reporter for a fluffy media magazine in Northern California, when she crosses paths with the old Dr. Sixsmith. She starts investigating reports of ongoing corruption connected to the local nuclear power plant, and winds up with Sixsmith's collection of letters. Her story is presented as a mystery novel manuscript, submitted to...

** Adam Ewing slowly comes to realize that social darwinism is wrong. Explicitly referenced in the film, when Reverend Horrox, to prove a point, asks the slave serving them at the time if he is happier here working on the plantation than being free amongst his people. The slave says [[BlatantLies yes]].

* VindicatedByHistory: In-universe. Sonmi's actions make her go from being the face of a rebellion to an outright god worshiped by Zachary and his tribe.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: All over. Just a ''few'' examples, more can be found here [[http://criticismsandpraise.blogspot.com/2014/06/connections-cloud-atlas.html]].

* '''Adam Ewing''' (Jim Sturgess, 1859): An American notary, returning by ship from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, who keeps a journal of his journey through the Pacific Ocean accompanied by a Moriori stowaway. Ewing has been infected with a parasitic worm, of which Dr. Henry Goose is trying to cure him. A partial copy of the edited and published journal is found and read by...

* '''Sonmi~451''' (Doona Bae, 2144): A fabricant, a genetically-engineered clone, employed at the Papa Song's diner chain. She lives in [[NewNeoCity Neo]] UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} in a dystopian near future. Fabricants have been created as slaves to a capitalist, totalitarian society -- and Sonmi had the misfortune of developing intelligence far beyond the limits of her genetic engineering. Her story is told in a final interview, during which she's allowed to tell an uncensored account of her entire life. The recording of this interview, called an orison, is viewed by...

* DinerBrawl: When a rowdy customer at Papa Song's gets a little too frisky with Yoona, he gets a punch to the head. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, Yoona's owner kills her on the spot a few moments later, however, as she tries to escape.]]

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: [[ZigZaggedTrope Played straight, subverted, invoked, played straight again, and discussed at length.]] Arguably, the degree of truth to this trope is the main theme of the novel.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters \ LoadsOfLoadsOfRoles: To show how HistoryRepeats, [[http://azsunblogger.blogspot.com.br/2013/06/cloud-atlas-study-guide.html?view=sidebar almost every actor has different roles in 2-6 stories]].

A film based on Creator/{{David Mitchell|Author}}'s [[Literature/CloudAtlas 2004 novel]], ''Cloud Atlas'' is a sweeping epic that connects wildly different genres and writing styles into a single narrative. It was written and directed by Creator/TheWachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The Wachowskis directed the 1849, 2144 and 2321 sequences, and Tom Tykwer directed the 1936, 1973 and 2012 sequences.

* '''Robert Frobisher''' (Creator/BenWhishaw, 1931): A tremendously snarky English musician and aspiring composer, formerly [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense Rich in Pounds, Poor in Sense]] and now penniless after a bad game. On the run, he charms his way into a job as an assistant to a retired composer, settling with his employer in Edinburgh, Scotland[[note]]the title is a carryover from the book, where he goes to Zedelghem, Belgium[[/note]]. He records his experiences in a series of letters, which he sends to his friend and lover Rufus Sixsmith. Much later in life, the letters are read by ...

A film based on {{David Mitchell|Author}}'s [[Literature/CloudAtlas 2004 novel]], ''Cloud Atlas'' is a sweeping epic that connects wildly different genres and writing styles into a single narrative. It was written and directed by Creator/TheWachowskis and Tom Tykwer. The Wachowskis directed the 1849, 2144 and 2321 sequences, and Tom Tykwer directed the 1936, 1973 and 2012 sequences.

The film consists of six nested stories, each set in a different place and era, moving forwards in time from the 19th century all the way to the future AfterTheEnd. Each story and style is a {{pastiche}} of the most recognizable examples of the genre, and lovingly combines old clichés with new twists. A comet-shaped birthmark appears in each story on the protagonist, and the characters reference names, places, and experiences from other stories. In chronological order, the six stories are:

* ''The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing'' (1859): An American notary, returning by ship from the Chatham Islands of New Zealand, keeps a journal of his journey through the Pacific Ocean accompanied by a Moriori stowaway. Ewing has been infected with a parasitic worm, of which Dr. Henry Goose is trying to cure him. A partial copy of the edited and published journal is found and read by Robert Frobisher...
* ''Letters from Zedelghem'' (1931): Robert Frobisher is a tremendously snarky English musician and aspiring composer, formerly [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense Rich in Pounds, Poor in Sense]] and now penniless after a bad game. On the run, he charms his way into a job as an assistant to a retired composer, settling with his employer in Zedelghem, Belgium.[[note]]In the film, he goes to Edinburgh, Scotland, potentially rendering the title confusing to those who haven't read the book.[[/note]] He records his experiences in a series of letters, which he sends to his friend and lover Rufus Sixsmith. Much later in life, the letters are read by Luisa Rey...
* ''Half-Lives: The First Luisa Rey Mystery'' (1973): Luisa Rey is a reporter for a fluffy media magazine in Northern California, when she crosses paths with the old Dr. Sixsmith. She starts investigating reports of ongoing corruption connected to the local nuclear power plant, and winds up with Sixsmith's collection of letters. Her story is presented as a mystery novel manuscript, submitted to Timothy Cavendish...
* ''The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish'' (2012): Cavendish is an old, glum British vanity press publisher who gets in trouble with a client and ends up trapped by his brother in a retirement home in a rather undignified KafkaKomedy. His experience forms the basis of a film, which is later seen by Sonmi~451...
* ''An Orison of Sonmi~451'' (2144): Sonmi is a fabricant, a genetically-engineered clone, employed at the Papa Song's diner chain. She lives in [[NewNeoCity Neo]] UsefulNotes/{{Seoul}} in a dystopian near future. Fabricants have been created as slaves to a capitalist, totalitarian society -- and Sonmi had the misfortune of developing intelligence far beyond the limits of her genetic engineering. Her story is told in a final interview, during which she's allowed to tell an uncensored account of her entire life. The recording of this interview, called an orison, is viewed by Zachry...
* ''Sloosha's Crossin' an' Ev'rythin' After'' (2321): Zachry is the elder of a tribe in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, 106 years [[AfterTheEnd after the Fall]], when most of humanity has died out. The tribesmen regard Sonmi as their god, and meet Meronym, a member of Earth's last advanced civilization. In his old age, Zachry narrates his experiences around a camp-fire.

Instead of being sequential, the film continually leaps back and forth between stories.

* TheSecretOfLongPorkPies: [[spoiler: The Soap that the Fabricants drink? It's made from them. And if we are also going by the book, the food at Papa-Song's is essentially Film/SoylentGreen as well.]]

* YourCheatingHeart: In the film's "Ghastly Ordeal", [[spoiler:this along with all the unpaid loans is Denny's motivation for shutting up Timothy in Aurora House -- Timothy had slept with Denny's wife]]. In the book, Cavendish wonders whether this is the case, but it's left ambiguous.

* FantasticRacism: Against fabricants -- just look at Sonmi's attempt to attend a university lecture. By her time, however, actual racism is completely gone.

* {{Dystopia}}: Nea So Copros/Neo Seoul. How dystopic? Sonmi refers to other dystopian authors as "optimists".

* CantStopTheSignal: Sonmi's revelations somehow escape to reach all of Neo Seoul / Nea So Copros, and are passed down word-for-word until they are regarded as sacred texts.

* AxCrazy: Bill Smoke, Henry Goose, Dermot Hoggins, and the entire [[ImAHumanatarian Kona]] tribe.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Cloud_Atlas_Poster_477.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:295:Trust us--there are [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters far more characters]].[[note]][[ActingForTwo Not as many more actors though.]][[/note]]]]

* BuryYourGays: Frobisher, as seen in his first appearance.

* DrivenToSuicide: Frobisher, as depicted in his very first scene.

* GayngstInducedSuicide: Robert Frobisher is the only named character to commit suicide, which he does after having his career and reputation ruined by being outed as homosexual.