The Elephant Man (1980)

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.

Director:

David Lynch

Writers:

Christopher De Vore (screenplay), Eric Bergren (screenplay),

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft

Top 250 #118 | Nominated for 8 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Frederick Treves
John Hurt	...	John Merrick
Anne Bancroft	...	Mrs. Kendal
John Gielgud	...	Carr Gomm
Wendy Hiller	...	Mothershead
Freddie Jones	...	Bytes
Michael Elphick	...	Night Porter
Hannah Gordon	...	Mrs. Treves
Helen Ryan	...	Princess Alex
John Standing	...	Fox
Dexter Fletcher	...	Bytes' Boy
Lesley Dunlop	...	Nora
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Merrick's Mother
Pat Gorman	...	Fairground Bobby
Claire Davenport	...	Fat Lady

Storyline

John Merrick (whose real name was Joseph, as this is based on a true story) is an intelligent and friendly man, but he is hated by his Victorian-era English society because he is severely deformed. Once he is discovered by a doctor, however, he is saved from his life in a freak show and he is treated like the human being that he really is.

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Plot Keywords:

freak | hospital | curiosity | deformity | actress | 

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Taglines:

I am not an animal! I am a human being! I...am...a man!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hombre elefante

Filming Locations:

Broadgate, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

SEK 2,253,306 (Sweden)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Brooksfilms

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director David Lynch originally tried to do the makeup for the Elephant Man himself but simply wasn't able to.

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Goofs

When Frederick Treves is bring up the oatmeal to John Merrick and Carr Gomm startles him he puts the oatmeal behind his back as to hide it from him. In the next shot he has the oatmeal in front of him and puts it behind his back again while he is walking towards Carr Gomm.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Skeleton Man: Get rid of them! I don't want to see them!
Fat Lady: Darling, don't be difficult! Let's take our sweet lovely children on an outing.

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Crazy Credits

Closing disclaimer: This has been based upon the true life story of John Merrick, known as The Elephant Man, and not upon the Broadway play of the same title or any other fictional account.

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Connections

Spoofed in Muchachada nui: Episode #3.12 (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Adagio For Strings"
By Samuel Barber
Played by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by André Previn (as Andre Previn)

User Reviews

i'm speechless

I just watched this movie last night and i must say... it touched me in a way no other movie has... some of the scenes even brought me to tears, which has never happened to me before.... John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins are simple incredible, and this movie is just filled with unforgettable scenes....

but like some people have mentioned here before, it is an incredibly hard movie to watch, especially after you realize what a sweet, kind, smart and innocent man John Merrick was, it is often painful to watch the way he's treated by some people, and like Hopkins says after he sees him for the first time "I pray to god that he's an idiot", sadly, he is everything but that...

10/10, no question