Elephant

Elephant (2003)

Timing: 1:21 (81 min)

7.026/10
2081

6.36/10
31340

7.1/10
104000

All about film

Video 3

Photo 79

Actors and characters

Release date

2003-09-20

Country

United States

Production

HBO Films, Blue Relief Productions, Meno Films

Genre

Crime, Drama

Budget

$3 000 000

Revenue

$10 012 022

Website

Director

Gus Van Sant

Actors

Alex Frost, Eric Deulen, John Robinson, Elias McConnell, Jordan Taylor, Carrie Finklea, Nicole George, Brittany Mountain, Alicia Miles, Kristen Hicks
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Dany Wolf, Diane Keaton, Bill Robinson

Operator

Harris Savides

Composer

Artist

Audition

Mali Finn, Danny Stoltz

Editing

Gus Van Sant, Jen Wall
All team (59)

• The film featured non-professional actors.
• The film is the second part in the Jerry/Elephant/Last Days trilogy.
• Filming began on October 23, 2002, at John Adams High School in Portland, Oregon, and wrapped in early 2003. The school was already closed at the time of filming, and the building itself was demolished in 2007.
• Van Sant titles the film as a tribute to Alan Clarke's 1989 film of the same name, which depicts gangs and violence in Northern Ireland. The films are similar in their minimalist shooting style and the overall idea of the "elephant in the room" regarding public indifference.
• The English idiom "elephant in the room" (also found as "elephant in the corner," "elephant on the coffee table," etc.) is used in cases of ignoring an obvious truth. It is based on the fact that it is impossible and foolish to pretend you haven't noticed a whole elephant in the middle of the room. Thus, the film's title refers to a society pretending not to notice an existing problem.
• With the title of the film, Van Sant pays homage to Alan Clarke's 1989 film of the same name, which depicts gangs and violence in Northern Ireland. The films are similar in their minimalist shooting style and the overall idea of an "elephant in the room" regarding public indifference.
• The English idiom "elephant in the room" (also found as "elephant in the corner," "elephant on the coffee table," etc.) is used in cases of ignoring an obvious truth. It is based on the fact that it is impossible and foolish to pretend you haven't noticed a whole elephant in the middle of the room. Thus, the title of the film refers to a society pretending not to notice an existing problem.