Elephants amble over to U. for film shoot

Franklin Field has hosted many big stars in recent years -- but none as big as the four who gathered there yesterday. Four large elephants, in addition to several camera crews and animal trainers, came to Philadelphia this week to begin shooting Universal Studio's Twelve Monkeys. Directed by Terry Gilliam, a former member of the British comedy troup Monty Python, the film will star Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe. The movie, scheduled for release next year, is set in Philadelphia and will feature a scene in which the elephants walk through the arches outside of Franklin Field and amble across the South Street Bridge. "I think one of the reasons why we're here is because the arch here looks pretty dramatic," said Ernie Malik, the film's publicist. He added that Gilliam selected the Franklin Field location in order to include the Philadelphia skyline in the background as one of the elephants walked across the bridge. To protect the animals, University Police closed off sections of South Street in front of Franklin Field and the South Street bridge during the filming. Charles Spencer, a local shelter manager for The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, was also on hand to oversee the shoot. "I think it's going very well," he said. "The trainer and the owner have a genuine love of animals." He added that the animals have been housed at a "large facility" just outside the city. Although the film is set in Philadelphia, this scene will be the only one filmed at the University, according to University spokesperson Phyllis Holtzman. But Holtzman was still enthusiastic about the film. "It's really good for the city whenever a movie like this is made," she said. According to Malik, this particular scene was a "second unit shot" -- in which neither the principal actors nor the director were present. While onlookers appeared impressed by the sight of the elephants, some students were disappointed that the stars of the movie had not come along. "I was disappointed that there weren't any hot bodies," College sophomore Christie Pitzner said.

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