Trivia: There were rumors right up until the release that the film was a prequel to the 2004 superhero movie "Hellboy" - in no small part because both films feature an amphibious man played by actor Doug Jones as one of the lead characters, and both films were also directed by Guillermo del Toro. Despite the widespread speculation, del Toro consistently denied any plot or character associations between "The Shape of Water" and the Hellboy films.
Trivia: Director Guillermo del Toro had worked on the film for some years before it entered production. He stated that part of the inspiration was seeing the movie "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" as a child, and how he felt the film was incredibly tragic due to it having a sad ending for the creature, whom was ultimately innocent and just acting on instinct.
Trivia: Director Guillermo del Toro considers the film to be one of his most personal works, alongside "The Devil's Backbone" and "Pan's Labyrinth." In fact, he has stated that the film was so personal to him, if it had flopped, he was considering retiring from filmmaking altogether to focus on smaller projects. The film, which cost less than $20 million, has grossed nearly $200 million, making it a massive hit in comparison to its relatively tiny budget.
Trivia: Guillermo del Toro wrote the parts of Elisa and Strickland specifically for Sally Hawkins and Michael Shannon. Giles was written for Ian McKellan, who was unavailable, but Richard Jenkins, whom got the part, was del Toro's second choice for the role.
Trivia: The movie was meant to be filmed in Black and White as an ode to its inspirations, including the horror classic "Creature from the Black Lagoon." However, as Black and White is a more niche market for modern films, it ironically ended up being cheaper and more proficient to film the movie in color and turn it B&W during post production. Director Guillermo del Toro fell in love with the look of it, and ultimately decided to keep the color after all instead of post-processing the film to Black and White in editing.
Answer: IMDB often has a "connection" section that has some of these trivia facts. "The Story of Ruth" (1960) was playing in the theater. But so far that's the only old movie played that is listed. "Mardi Gras" (1958) was seen on the marquee.
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