> A CITY IN DISGUISE

Good luck finding Toronto’s most recognizable landmark while watching The Shape of Water. The Guillermo del Toro-directed film, which leads the 2018 Oscar nominations, was filmed here, though it can be hard to tell. Local special effects outfit Mr. X performed a masterful job of erasing the city’s distinctive features — including the ever-present CN Tower — from the frame. A climactic scene filmed in front of the Keating Channel in the Port Lands is unmistakably Toronto, with the Gardiner Expressway and, behind it, the CN Tower. But with the tower removed, it becomes a generic industrial waterfront. One location that remains undisguised in the film is the historical Elgin Theatre, which features in several scenes and where the Toronto-based Mexican director del Toro introduced the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last September. Star staff