{2jtab: Movie Review}

There’s a dangerous sense of urgency that outlines the case for first-time director Michael Webber’s The Elephant in the Living Room.  In spite of its playful and clever title, this is one documentary that is deadly serious about its subject of taking on exotic animals as household pets.  Sound far-fetched?  It’s not.  Just turn on the local evening news and listen, this isn’t just a controversial subculture of folks living in the extremes of America, it’s nation-wide and more of a common occurrence than you’d probably like to know.  Yet, even the extremes have their side and presented here, there is a rational mind at work on either side of the issue.

First-time director Webber positions his camera around the actions of Tim Harrison, the authority figure responsible for handling the dangerous situations that arise from people keeping exotic animals as household pets.  The narrative follows him around from emergency to emergency and has him returning time and time again to Terry Brumfield, a man with strong emotional ties to his pet African lion.

Brumfield, on the advice of others, has nurtured this relationship with his pet lions as a means to overcome depression and, in doing so, has developed some pretty deep feelings about taking care of lions.  Harrison, who lost a friend due to the captivity and hostility of an exotic animal kept as a pet, is concerned for the public and the animals – which makes his position an interesting one.

Often intriguing and never dull, Webber’s camera documents real world occurrences – mixing news reports with interviews - that should welcome classroom and social debates in the years to come.  Even the hidden-camera excursions are interesting and shocking, revealing more than just a passing interest in exotic animals for some.  There’s also a sense of danger that underscores those segments, making the documentary feel all the more real.

There’s really not much common sense working when a child is allowed to take a baby alligator home – especially when the parents know it will grow – rather quickly – into an eight-foot animal.  The whole exotic animal black market is larger than most people even know about, but presented here – in The Elephant in the Living Room – people get to stare open-mouthed and in awe at a side of America not often seen.

Presented factually and without opinion, Webber gives the viewer an objective documentary that plays to the heart of the situation.  To say that the subject matter is topical is certainly an understatement.  While situated in Ohio, this is highly-charged material and, delivered in such a way that never condemns one side or the other, certainly welcomes a public forum on the matter.

By design, The Elephant in the Living Room won’t soothe the savage beast, but it will make you notice him.

{2jtab: Film Details}

MPAA Rating: This film not rated by the MPAA.
Director: Michael Webber
Writer: Michael Webber
Cast: Tim Harrison, Terry Brumfield and Russ Clear
Genre: Documentary
Tagline: A movie too big to ignore.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I'm on 23 and there's a lion in the road"
Distributor: NightFly Entertainment
Official Site: www.theelephantinthelivingroom.com
Release Date: April 1, 2011 (select cities)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: Not yet available

Synopsis: Winner of four Best Documentary Awards, The Elephant in the Living Room explores the controversial American subculture of raising the deadliest and most exotic animals on earth as common household pets. The story follows the journey of two men at the heart of the issue. One, Tim Harrison, an Ohio police officer whose friend was killed by an exotic pet, and the other, Terry Brumfield, a big-hearted man who struggles to keep two pet African lions that he loves like his own family.

{2jtab: Blu-ray Review}

Blu-ray Details:

Component Grades Movie Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray Experience

Available on Blu-ray - August 23, 2011
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: Closed Caption
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Discs: 50GB Blu-ray Disc; Single disc (1 BD)
Playback: Region Free

Though documentaries like this one don't particularly benefit visually or aurally from the typical high-definition blu-ray treatment, the real benefit of experiencing this one on blu-ray comes from the director's commentary, supplemental material and special features that are almost as interesting as the documentary itself.

The Elephant in the Living Room certainly looks remarkably clean and vibrant in its HD presentation. There's just not a lot that can be done with personal interviews, news footage and home videos of people and their exotic animals, but Webber's documentary comes to life during one particularly chilling scene in which the roar of Brumfield's lions is captured full-on. Reminds us of the majesty these animals wield and reinforces our understanding of why they're "wild" animals.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Producer/director Michael Webber is joined by co-producer John Adkins as they provide a scene-by-scene commentary filled with fascinating tidbits of additional information as well as some interesting insight into the making of the documentary. Particularly intriguing is how the background stories of Terry and Tim, two of the film's main subjects, are so similar. Again, we'd almost recommend watching the film with commentary "on" as as the information we're given during the discussion is almost as interesting as the film itself.

Special Features:

There's a wealth of extras scattered around the disc, including a mesmerizing question/answer introduction session with Webber, Harrison and Russ Clair in which they discuss the genesis of the film, and answer some questions such as how these people afford to feed their lions, whether these wild animals ever get aggressive towards their owners, and what represented the greatest danger during shooting the film. Several deleted scenes, a hidden Easter egg, and the film's theatrical trailer round out the goodies on the disc. They are as follows:

• Introduction
  • A Story that Had to Be Told
  • Feeding Pet African Lions
  • Lambert Turns on Terry
  • The Surprise Birth
  • An Accident Caught on Tape
  • Stuck in a Trailer
  • Tim and the Dog Snare
  • Going Under Cover
  • Tips on Raising a Pet Cougar
  • The Elusive Mountain Lion
  • An Unseen Danger
  • Sophie's Story
  • Terry's Time to Go

• Deleted Scenes
  • Lambert Turns on Terry
  • Feeding Lions
  • Cougar Advice
  • Sophie Goes to Vet

The special features also include an Easter Egg which, when accessed, unlocks some additional deleted footage that is unquestionably the most disturbing of the missing scenes. It follows Terry as he orders a Giboon Viper and a Rhino Viper (two of the world's most deadly snakes) from the internet and picks up the deadly cargo at the Cincinnati airport. A couple of interesting notes: it's against the law to sell/buy little red-eared slider pet turtles, and the back of Terry's t-shirt bears the Snakes on a Plane movie logo. A welcome bit of ironic humor amidst the madness.

Following is how to access the hidden scene:

1. Navigate to the Deleted Scenes menu
2. Click down to the scene at the bottom right
3. Click once more to the right to reveal a paw print
4. Click to unlock the hidden scene.

{2jtab: Trailer}

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