Mask (1985)

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writer:

Anna Hamilton Phelan (written by)

Release Date:

8 March 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

They told 16-year-old Rocky Dennis he could never be like everyone else. So he was determined to be better.

Plot:

A boy with a massive facial skull deformity and biker gang mother attempts to live as normal a life as possible under the circumstances.

Plot Keywords:

Biker Gang | Biker | Deformity | Prejudice | Sport Card

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Cher	...	Florence 'Rusty' Dennis
Sam Elliott	...	Gar
Eric Stoltz	...	Roy L.'Rocky' Dennis
Estelle Getty	...	Evelyn
Richard Dysart	...	Abe
Laura Dern	...	Diana Adams
Micole Mercurio	...	Babe
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Red
Dennis Burkley	...	Dozer
Lawrence Monoson	...	Ben
Ben Piazza	...	Mr. Simms
L. Craig King	...	Eric
Alexandra Powers	...	Lisa
Kelly Jo Minter	...	Lorrie (as Kelly Minter)
Joe Unger	...	1st Boyfriend

Also Known As:

Peter Bogdanovich's Mask (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

120 min | USA:127 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (f) | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-10 | France:U | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Netherlands:AL

Filming Locations:

Azusa, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

According to Peter Bogdanovich, on Sunday, 14 March 2004, in a talk at the Cleveland Public Library (Ohio), he has secured the rights for the Bruce Springsteen songs and the print will be re-released with the music chosen the first time around. There was a possible snag when the studio told Bogdanovich that the negative of the film had been lost - they only had positive prints - but the negative hadn't really been lost - Bogdanovich had removed it from the studio some years prior.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the beginning of the film, Rocky has two Steve Garvey cards. Red gives him another one, making him have three Steve Garvey cards. A little bit later, Rocky gives one of his Steve Garvey cards to Ben, leaving him again with two Steve Garvey cards. When Rocky and Rusty have their fight about Rusty going out all the time, she rips one, which should only leave him with one whole card left. But when he goes and finds the other cards that match the ripped one, he has a total of three. Since he gave one away to Ben and his mother ripped another one, he should only have a total of two Steve Garvey cards (the ripped and the whole).

Quotes:

[after Rocky gave impressive speech on how Trojan War started]
Eric: That wasn't bad, Dennis. How about you tutor me?
Rocky Dennis: Tutor you?
Eric: Yeah. Cooley almost failed me last year.
Rocky Dennis: Ok. But it will cost you $3 an hour.
Eric: Three bucks?
[classroom falls silent and looks back at the two because of the sudden outburst]
Eric: [kinda tense] It's a deal.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Family Guy: Petarded (#4.6)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Moog And Me

Very underrated!

This is an excellent film with an excellent story played by an excellent cast! Rocky, a teenager with a horribly disfigured skull tries to fit in. His mother, ably played by Cher, portrays a biker babe who loves her son but little else. Sam Eliot plays her biker boyfriend but also has a soft spot for Rocky. Rocky loves a blind girl, played wonderfully by Laura Dern. All in all, this is a touching, but not overly sappy film! This one is worth a watch.