What the authors can learn from the incredible story behind the movie THE ELEPHANT MAN

Movies, like books, sometimes have a humble beginning.

Do you remember the movie The Elephant Man? It was a true story about a secondary phenomenon from the 19th century that was saved by a doctor portrayed in the film by Anthony Hopkins.

THE ELEPHANT MAN, played by the late John Hurt, remains a gold standard for ingenious cinematographic creativity today. The film is from Oscar-winning film producer Jonathan Sanger.

How did this movie come about? Was it a speech from an agent? Not.

Was it an award-winning script? Not.

Did experienced scriptwriters create this masterpiece? Not.

Was it adopted from a book? Not.

Recently my company Westwind Book Marketing hosted a book signing and special big screen screening of The elephant Man at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood. Jonathan Sanger introduced the film to several hundred people, where he re-told the incredible story of how this film came about based on his new book: MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN: THE MEMORY OF A PRODUCER.

Where did the script come from?

Your babysitter gave it to you to read! That’s right, your babysitter. Sanger took the script and said that he had read it and quickly put it aside … for about a year. Then one day when he returned from a trip, he opened his desk drawer and there he was … looking at him as an obligation.

What did he do? He read it, and he loved it!

His book “Making the Elephant Man: A Producer’s Memoir” gives us an insider’s look at the making of one of the first independent films and a blockbuster, as well as a glimpse into the early careers of film greats David Lynch. Mel Brooks and Anthony Hopkins.

If you want to turn your book into a movie, this book will help you understand the intricacies of the myriad aspects of making a movie. Sanger takes his experience as a producer of THE ELEPHANT MAN and opens a powerful discussion on the evolution of cinema, from how he ‘discovered’ the script written by ‘strangers’ Christopher DeVore and Eric Bergren to find that “it was exactly the kind of story I would want. do, a historical biography about a wretched soul who, nevertheless, had lived an extraordinary life “- the true story of the severely deformed 19th century John Merrick, known as the Elephant Man who works in a sideshow in London and who was treated by a kind Dr. Treves.

“When I wrote this, I was teaching an independent film course and using my experience with this film to teach,” says Sanger. “I realized that it would be great to write these stories and put them in a book.” For each movie he makes, Sanger keeps a notebook about the team, the schedules, what they ordered for lunch, and other details. He was able to tap into notes from 30 years ago that brought the whole process fresh to his mind, including the strong emotions that washed over him the first time he read the script.

Brooklyn-born Jonathan Sanger is a highly respected producer and director of major movies, television series, and stage productions, having garnered twenty and three Oscar nominations.

In 1976, Sanger moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Lorimar Television on network television series. The blue knight Y Eight is enough. In 1978 he was deputy editor of Mel Brooks at High anxiety, which led to a long professional association. For Brooks’s wife, Anne Bancroft’s feature directorial debut Fat, Sanger served as associate producer. During this period, Sanger had acquired the rights to the script from The elephant Man – his first production which led to a successful career in both film production and directing – films like Frances, No Limits, Vanilla Sky, The Navigator’s Flight, The Producers, Y Code name: Esmeralda.

The bottom line: Access your friends, family, extended network and don’t be embarrassed that your written work is delivered to the right person. Make a “who you know” list and check it out!

MAKING THE ELEPHANT MAN: THE MEMORY OF A PRODUCER, paperback and Kindle is available on Amazon or on the author’s website www.JonathanSangerProductions.com

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