| | | | Mask
(1985) |
f ever the saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover" can be used and back up its message, it would be for the title character in the film "Mask"....
Initially, when the viewer learns that the main character suffers from a disease dubbed "Lionitis" which distorts the face and reminds one of "The Elephant Man", they tend to assume that the inflicted person must lead a miserable, disabled life. In the case of Roy "Rocky" Dennis, this assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
Rocky Dennis (Eric Stoltz of "Some Kind Of Wonderful") is by most means a normal 16 year old A-student who lives in the suburban city of Azusa in Los Angeles County with his mother Rusty (Cher of numerous albums and films), a biker-type woman who although beautiful and maternal, battles some drug co-dependency issues.
This Peter Bogdanovich directed film takes us through the everyday occurences of a boy who struggles with such issues as raising money to take a trip to Europe, adjusting to new schools, getting a girls attention (particularily the attention of Diana, a sweet blind girl played by Laura Dern), and dealing with horrible migrains because of his disease.
The main premise of this very touching film is to demonstrate the true story of a young boy from Southern California, who aside from his disease, is a perfectly normal guy. He just happens to be a teenage with a handicap, and the viewer accepts him completely.
"What's the matter?
-You never seen anyone from the planet Vulcan before?" |
In my opinion, the most captivating role in the film is that of Rockys mom, Rusty, played by Cher. Rocky is an incredible person, but because he succeeds so well at being a "normal" teenager, it's his mother, who is not "normal", that the viewer tends to focus on.
Rusty is an unemployed mother who is very straightforward about her lifestyle and even tells her son to butt out of her business when he asks her to stop spending so much time with biker gang members and drugs. However, early on in the film she starts to become disenchanted with her promiscuous ways, and is relieved when the man she really is in love with, Gar (Sam Elliott) comes back home from a road trip. She also supports Rocky on all of his endeavors, and even stops abusing drugs when he asks her to.
This film takes you through all of the emotions of life, good and bad, without being melodramatic. It comes across as very sincere and heartwarming, demonstrating high spirits, hope, and an abundence of courage.
 Don't forget that Mask is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
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I cannot stress enough how much I love this film. No matter how many times it comes on cable, I can watch it over and over, and always cry at the ending. The film never drags and always keeps you interested.
I always wish I could have known the real Rocky. My dad had a friend who went to highschool with the real Rocky Dennis, however I don't remember the name of the highschool (I'll have to ask my dad to see if he remembers). Azusa is a great city in L.A.. I have several friends who are going to Azusa Pacific ( my highschool in Orange County was a private school and Azusa Pacific is also a private college, hence the reason a few of my friends decided to go there)
I really really recommend this film to anyone who has yet to see it, and even if you've seen it countless times its worth it to own it.
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Cher won Best Actress for the film at the Cannes Film Festival. 
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Florence "Rusty" Tullis, the mother of Rocky Dennis, sadly passed away on November 11, 2006, at age 70 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident on October 14. -Thanks to Kara Victoria
The name of Rocky's disease is craniodiaphyseal dysplasia. It causes calcium deposits on the skull that forces the face out of shape. It mercifully only occurs in 1 in 22 million births.
Cher was diagnosed with dyslexia at the age of 30, and her video for "If I Could Turn Back Time" was the first video to be banned by MTV.
I believe Eric Stoltz used to date Cher. This should come as no surprise considering Cher's love of younger men. -Thanks to Eliisa
Estelle Getty from Golden Girls fame played Cher's mom in the movie.
In one scene, in the carnival funhouse mirror, when Rocky sees his face and the crazy mirror distorts it to make him look almost normal, you can see a reflection of Eric Stoltz with less severe make up on and can almost recognize it's Stoltz. -Thanks to John
The greatest cajun singer plays a great role in "Mask" but he only says one line and that is at the carnival. "Look at what Dozer won for you." -Thanks to William Jaenecke
Director Peter Bogdanovich was nominated for a Golden Palm for the film.
Cher was nominated for a Golden Globe for the film for Best Performance by an Actress.
Anna Hamilton Phelan's screenplay for the film was nominated for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.
Eric Stoltz earned a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Rocky Dennis. He was originally cast as Marty McFly in "Back To The Future" but was fired because he supposedly didn't act enough like a teenager.
Michael Westmore & Zoltan Elek won an Oscar for the film for Best Make-Up. -Thanks to Stephanie
Even though there was a cemetary scene in Mask, the body of Roy L. 'Rocky' Dennis was donated to the University of California in Los Angeles for medical research. -Thanks to Anita
One of Rocky's teachers is played by Marsha Warfield, whom we're all familiar with from her role as bailiff Roz Russell on the classic 80s sitcom "Night Court". -Thanks to John Edward Kilduff
Reportedly, the real life Rusty Dennis still battles with drug and alcohol problems.
The real life Rocky Dennis also had problems with his sight and hearing because of his disease - a circumstance conveniently ignored in the movie. The most complete scoop available on the real life Rocky is the March 17, 1985 edition of "People Weekly" -Thanks to Jan
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check out this list: ..... Outsiders ..... Elephant Man ..... Rain Man ..... Drugstore Cowboy ..... Stand By Me ..... Wall Street ..... Amadeus ..... Full Metal Jacket ..... Witness ..... Breakfast Club ..... Glory ..... Platoon ..... Scarface ..... Six Weeks ..... Urban Cowboy .....[More]
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The completely convincing makeup for the real life character of Rocky Dennis was done by makeup artist Michael Westmore.
Rob Lowe was nearly cast as Rocky Dennis. -Thanks to Dominic
Rusty and I used to hang around together around '87, going to biker events and appearing on television together. The club in the film is really a composite of several clubs, as are some of the characters. The only person who actually wears those colors is Rusty herself, by special permission of the leading club in the country. The character of Gar is a composite of 3 of her ex-husbands and the character of Bulldozer is a fictional creation, though he reminds me of several friends. There is no love lost between Rusty and Cher, though Cher did nail the character pretty well. Last time I talked to her, she was working as a telephone psychic. -Thanks to Jeremy &Quot;Joker&Quot; Brent
Sam Elliot, the tough chopper riding star of the movie, actually did not know how to ride a chopper. Eddie Paul of Customs By Eddie Paul, the builder of all the bikes used in Mask, personally gave Elliot riding lessons for this movie. -Thanks to Brian
The camp that Rocky went to to "get away from it all" for a while was "Camp Bloomfield, Foundation for the Junior Blind" located near Malibu, California on 40 acres in the Santa Monica mountains, about two miles off of the ocean. -Thanks to Michele L. V.
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|  |  |  | | Mask
Locations |
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The cemetary scene at the end was filmed in Boyle Heights, California, just east of Los Angeles at the old evergreen cemetary. The cross streets are Evergreen St. and Cesar Chavez Blvd. [Thanks to Gabriel]
Taft High School in Los Angeles (Encino or Reseda) is the High School he attended in the movie. [Thanks to Erick]
Gar's motorcycle shop was filmed at a real motorcyle shop in the City of Bell Gardens, CA. It's a corner location on Eastern Ave.Caddie corner from the Allen Funeral Home. [Thanks to Curly]
A house on Grand Avenue in Monrovia was also used. Can anyone confirm which one/what for? [Thanks to Nancy]
Can you help? Do you know any of the Monrovia, S. California filming locations used for Mask? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[STEREO or SURROUND]](dd2.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette |
| Our
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| | ![[Letterbox -NOT 16:9 Enhanced]](lbx.gif) | | --- |
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The rare soundtrack featured songs from such artists as Gary U.S. Bonds, Steely Dan, Steppenwolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd and more... [Thanks to Jan]
Songs by Bob Seger were substituted in place of those by Bruce Springsteen shortly before the films release after failure to reach agreement with Springsteen.
«
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Soundtrack Available:
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| | "Sometimes the most unlikely people become heroes"
| |  | | Cher & Eric Stoltz star |
 | | . |
 | | . |
Year:
| 1985 | Studio:
| Universal | Director:
| Peter Bogdanovich | Starring:
| Cher,
Eric Stoltz, Sam Elliott, Laura Dern, Kelly Minter,
Dennis Burkley, Estelle Getty, Lawrence Monoson | | - | - | Genre:
| Drama / Historic | | | | + | Wonderful acting, very realistic, great makeup effects, good music. | - | I honestly cannot think of any weaknesses. |
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The best links we've found for Mask.
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This site has info on where many celebrities are buried, and includes a pic of the real Rocky Dennis as a little boy
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