The Elephant in the Living Room (film)

Last updated
The Elephant in the Living Room
The Elephant in the Living Room (film) poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed byMichael Webber
Produced byMichael Webber
StarringTim Harrison
Terry Brumfield
CinematographyMichael Webber
Edited byJohn T. Adkins
Barry O'Brien
Music byDavid Russo
Production
companies
NightFly Entertainment
MainSail Productions
Distributed by Warner Bros.
National Geographic Wild
NightFly Entertainment
Level 33
Release dates
  • February 11, 2010 (2010-02-11)(Santa Barbara) [1]
  • April 1, 2011 (2011-04-01)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Elephant in the Living Room is an American documentary film about the topic of exotic pets kept in homes in the United States and about the controversy surrounding this topic. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

Praised by critics as one of the best films of the year, The Elephant in the Living Room takes viewers on a journey deep inside the controversial American subculture of raising the world's most dangerous animals as household pets. Set against the backdrop of a heated national debate, the documentary chronicles the extraordinary story of two men at the heart of the issue – Tim Harrison, an Ohio police officer whose friend was killed by an exotic pet, and Terry Brumfield, a big-hearted man who struggles to raise two African lions that he loves like his own family. In the first of many unexpected twists, the lives of these two men collide when Terry's male lion escapes his pen and is found attacking cars on a nearby highway.

Awards

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tippi Hedren</span> American retired actress (born 1930)

Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren is an American retired actress. Initially a fashion model, appearing on the front covers of Life and Glamour magazines, she became an actress after being discovered by director Alfred Hitchcock while appearing on a television commercial in 1961. Hedren achieved great praise for her work in two of his films, including the suspense-thriller The Birds (1963), for which she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year, and the psychological drama Marnie (1964). She performed in over 80 films and television shows, including Charlie Chaplin's final film A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), the political satire Citizen Ruth (1996), and the existential comedy I Heart Huckabees (2004). Among other honors, her contributions to world cinema have been recognized with the Jules Verne Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis Malle</span> French film director, screenwriter, and producer

Louis Marie Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made documentaries, romances, period dramas, and thrillers. He often depicted provocative or controversial subject matter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elephant in the room</span> English idiom of an obvious major problem that no one mentions

The expression "the elephant in the room" is a metaphorical idiom in English for an important or enormous topic, question, or controversial issue that is obvious or that everyone knows about but no one mentions or wants to discuss because it makes at least some of them uncomfortable and is personally, socially, or politically embarrassing, controversial, inflammatory, or dangerous. The metaphorical elephant represents an obvious problem or difficult situation that people do not want to talk about.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack Hanna</span> American zookeeper

Jack Bushnell Hanna is a retired American zookeeper and a director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. "Jungle Jack" was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His media appearances, particularly with David Letterman, James Corden, Good Morning America, and Maury Povich have made him one of the most notable animal experts in the United States. A 2021 documentary, The Conservation Game, alleged that Hanna participated in the mistreatment and private trade of exotic and endangered animals.

Terence Paul Nutkins was an English naturalist. He appeared in the UK children's programmes Animal Magic, The Really Wild Show, Brilliant Creatures and Growing Up Wild.

<i>George of the Jungle</i> (film) 1997 American comedy film

George of the Jungle is a 1997 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and based on Jay Ward and Bill Scott's 1967 American animated television series of the same name, which in turn is a spoof of the fictional character Tarzan, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Written by Dana Olsen and Audrey Wells, and starring Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Holland Taylor, Richard Roundtree and John Cleese. It tells the story of a young man raised by wild animals who falls for an heiress and contends with the heiress's spoiled and narcissistic fiancé. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and was released in theatres throughout the United States and Canada on July 16, 1997. It was later aired on Disney Channel in the United States on December 5, 1998. The film received mixed reviews and grossed $174 million worldwide. A sequel, George of the Jungle 2, was released direct-to-video on October 21, 2003.

<i>Earthlings</i> (film) 2005 US documentary film by Shaun Monson

Earthlings is a 2005 American documentary film about humanity's use of non-human animals as pets, food, clothing, entertainment, and for scientific research. The film is narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, features music by Moby, and was directed by Shaun Monson, executive produced by Libra Max and co-produced by Maggie Q. A sequel titled Unity was released in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis Awards</span>

The Genesis Awards are awarded annually by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. Presented by the HSUS Hollywood Outreach program, the awards show takes place every March in California. The awards have honored such well-known personalities as Michael Jackson, Aaron Sorkin, Anderson Cooper, Peter Gabriel, Ellen DeGeneres, Jane Goodall, David E. Kelley, Paul McCartney, Arthur Miller, Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Prince, Jacques Cousteau and Ian Somerhalder, as well as journalists, film and documentary writers and producers, print and broadcast news outlets in the United States.

Best Friends Animal Society, (BFAS) founded in its present form in 1993, is an American nonprofit 501(c)(3) animal welfare organization based in Kanab, Utah with satellite offices in Atlanta, Georgia, Bentonville, Arkansas, Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, California, New York City, and Salt Lake City, Utah. It also has a partnership network with shelters, rescue groups and members in all 50 states and Washington, DC, to promote pet adoption, no-kill animal rescue, and spay-and-neuter practices. Best Friends has a 4-star 'Give With Confidence' rating from Charity Navigator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ming of Harlem</span> Tiger kept in New York City

Ming was a tiger that was found living in an apartment in Harlem, New York City, in October 2003, when he was approximately three years old. Ming lived semi-openly with his owner, Antoine Yates, in a room of Yates' five-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a large public housing complex in Harlem. Several other normal and exotic pets were found in the apartment, including an alligator named Al in another bedroom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golden Bear</span> Highest prize awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival

The Golden Bear is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palm d’Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic animal of Berlin, featured on both the coat of arms and flag of Berlin.

<i>Shelter Dogs</i> 2003 American documentary film

Shelter Dogs is a 2003 documentary film directed and produced by Cynthia Wade about animal welfare in the United States and the ethics of animal euthanasia. Following a particular Upstate New York animal shelter and its staff over a three-year time span, Wade gives her audience a complex, honest look at the situations that arise when it comes to homeless animals and some of the difficult, controversial decisions that must be made within them.

<i>Room and Bird</i> 1951 film

Room and Bird is a 1951 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on June 2, 1951, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Hodges</span>

Gary Hodges is a British artist and publisher much admired internationally for his graphite pencil wildlife art. His original drawings and limited edition prints have sold widely in the UK and throughout the world and is collected by large numbers of ordinary citizens, many not previously seeing themselves as "art collectors". During his career he has sold over 110,000 limited edition prints from 130 editions. His popularity has influenced and encouraged many other artists to develop intricate styles with pencil. He has a close connection to various environmental and wildlife conservation groups for whom he provides considerable financial support.

"Elephant in the room" or "elephant in the living room" is an idiom referring to an obvious truth that is ignored, and may also refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karlsruhe Zoo</span> Zoo in Karlsruhe, Germany

The Karlsruhe Zoo is a city garden with a zoo in the southwest of Karlsruhe, Germany. It also encompasses the outer area; Tierpark Oberwald in the southeast of the city. The main area totals 22 hectares, and the Oberwald Zoo has an area of 16 hectares. A total of around 3000 animals of over 240 species live at the Zoologische Stadtgarten Karlsruhe. The city garden is located north of the Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof and south of the Karlsruhe Congress between the Karlsruhe districts of Südstadt and Südweststadt. The zoo was opened in 1865, making it one of the oldest zoos in Germany. The city garden and zoo form a common, enclosed area and cannot be visited separately.

Vanessa Schulz is a South African born documentary filmmaker, director, producer, writer, editor, photographer and political activist. In 1998, she established 21paradigm.com; her projects include the award-winning Cull of the Wild and Cost of Freedom.

<i>The Witness</i> (2000 film) 2000 film by Jenny Stein

The Witness is a 2000 documentary film about animal rights directed by Jenny Stein. It was produced by James LaVeck. LaVeck and Stein's non-profit organization is Tribe of Heart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naresh Bedi</span> Indian filmmaker

Naresh Bedi is an Indian filmmaker, the eldest of the Bedi Brothers and a member of the second generation of three generations of Wildlife photographers and filmmakers. He is the first Asian to receive a Wildscreen Panda Award and the first Indian to receive a wildlife film nomination for the British Academy Film Awards. He was honoured by the Government of India in 2015 with Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildlife smuggling in southern Africa</span>

The wildlife trafficking network in southern Africa involves the illicit extraction, transportation and transaction of wildlife within and across the nations of Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Eswatini. Involvement in the illegal trading network can be divided into three general roles: poachers, traffickers and intermediaries, and consumers. There are a wide range of motives depending on an individual's role in the network. Some motivations include profit, sustenance, and reducing human-wildlife conflict.

References

  1. https://www.facebook.com/notes/outreach-for-animals/ofa-is-proud-to-present-the-award-winning-documentary-film-the-elephant-in-the-l/273781258535/ [ user-generated source ]
  2. "The Elephant in the Living room" . Retrieved 2012-06-22.
  3. Laufer, Peter (2011-10-18). No Animals Were Harmed: The Controversial Line between Entertainment and Abuse. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN   978-0-7627-7718-1.
  4. Pierce, Jessica (2016-05-06). Run, Spot, Run: The Ethics of Keeping Pets. University of Chicago Press. ISBN   978-0-226-20989-0.