Lautrec by the use of camera angles, makeup,  costume, concealed pits and platforms and short body doubles. Ferrer  also used a set of special knee pads of his own design which allowed  him to walk on his knees with his lower legs strapped to his upper  body. He suffered extreme pain and could only use them for short  periods of time. The cane he used in most of his scenes was of  absolute necessity. This fact was covered in a LIFE magazine story  in 1952.