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IMDbPro

The Elephant Man

  • 19801980
  • PGPG
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
244K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,869
129
John Hurt in The Elephant Man (1980)
Watch Official Trailer
Play trailer1:01
3 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDrama
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, inte... Read allA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
244K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,869
129
    • David Lynch
  • Writers
    • Christopher De Vore(screenplay)
    • Eric Bergren(screenplay)
    • David Lynch(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • John Hurt
    • Anne Bancroft
    • David Lynch
  • Writers
    • Christopher De Vore(screenplay)
    • Eric Bergren(screenplay)
    • David Lynch(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Anthony Hopkins
    • John Hurt
    • Anne Bancroft
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 475User reviews
    • 165Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #155
    • Nominated for 8 Oscars

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:01
    Watch Official Trailer
    'The Elephant Man' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:22
    Watch 'The Elephant Man' | Anniversary Mashup
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 5
    Video 29:11
    Watch Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 5

    Photos176

    John Hurt in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins and Michael Elphick in The Elephant Man (1980)
    John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins, and Lesley Dunlop in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt in The Elephant Man (1980)
    John Gielgud, Anthony Hopkins, Juba Kennerley, Helen Ryan, Ian Selby, Guy Standeven, and George Holdcroft in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins, Dexter Fletcher, and Freddie Jones in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Wendy Hiller in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anne Bancroft in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Freddie Jones in The Elephant Man (1980)
    Anthony Hopkins in The Elephant Man (1980)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anthony Hopkins
    Anthony Hopkins
    • Dr. Frederick Treves
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • John Merrick
    Anne Bancroft
    Anne Bancroft
    • Mrs. Kendal
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Carr Gomm
    Wendy Hiller
    Wendy Hiller
    • Mothershead
    Freddie Jones
    Freddie Jones
    • Bytes
    Michael Elphick
    Michael Elphick
    • Night Porter
    Hannah Gordon
    Hannah Gordon
    • Mrs. Treves
    Helen Ryan
    Helen Ryan
    • Princess Alex
    John Standing
    John Standing
    • Fox
    Dexter Fletcher
    Dexter Fletcher
    • Bytes' Boy
    Lesley Dunlop
    Lesley Dunlop
    • Nora
    Phoebe Nicholls
    Phoebe Nicholls
    • Merrick's Mother
    Pat Gorman
    Pat Gorman
    • Fairground Bobby
    Claire Davenport
    • Fat Lady
    Orla Pederson
    Orla Pederson
    • Skeleton Man
    Patsy Smart
    Patsy Smart
    • Distraught Woman
    Frederick Treves
    Frederick Treves
    • Alderman
      • David Lynch
    • Writers
      • Christopher De Vore(screenplay)
      • Eric Bergren(screenplay)
      • David Lynch(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This movie was executive produced by Mel Brooks, who was responsible for hiring writer and director David Lynch, and obtaining permission to film in black-and-white. He deliberately left his name off of the credits, as he knew that people would get the wrong idea about the movie if they saw his name on the movie, given his fame as a satirist.
    • Goofs
      In the film, Joseph Merrick befriends Dr. Treves before he is kidnapped and taken to Belgium. In real life, Merrick never met Dr. Frederick Treves until he was rescued by police from a train station in London as was shown in the film.
    • Quotes

      John Merrick: I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in Sneak Previews: Hopscotch/It's My Turn/Loving Couples/The Elephant Man/Motel Hell (1980)
    • Soundtracks
      Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
      Composed by Samuel Barber

      Performed by London Symphony Orchestra

      Conducted by André Previn

    User reviews475

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    a perfect film
    If one was to turn on David Lynch's The Elephant Man midway through, without knowing what it was, one might be startled at the appearance of the main character. One might even be tempted to make fun of the character. But if one was to watch the film from the beginning, one's sympathy with John Merrick (John Hurt), 'The Elephant Man,' would be strong enough to deny that the former situation was ever a possibility. Lynch does not allow his audience to glimpse Merrick sans mask until his appearance has been built up substantially. When we the audience are at our zenith of anticipation, we see him-no dramatic music, no slow motion; a simple cut and he's there. There he is. And it's no big deal.

    This is the beauty of Lynch's direction. We are led through our morbid curiosity at the same rate the characters in the film are. We develop alongside them. More specifically, we develop alongside Frederick Treeves, played with an astounding sublimity of emotion by Anthony Hopkins. Next to Treeves we pity Merrick, respect him, pity him again, and then ask ourselves with him, 'is he just a spectacle to me? Am I a bad person?'

    Lynch certainly doesn't let us bypass this question easily. Are we bad people for being intrigued or are we good people for pitying? Certainly there is a mix of intrigue and pity with every character who first meets John, and we are not excluded. However, as with almost every character who truly comes to know John and confer with him, we learn to respect him as a human being and not as a spectacle. Nonetheless, this issue never finds close in the film, nor do I feel it ever can be closed in actual life. Hopkin's Treeves is never fully sated in how he feels about this dilemma, and so, neither can we be.

    Technically, The Elephant Man is a beautifully shot film. In crisp black and white, the film recalls the cinematic technique of American cinema circa the 1930's. The scenes dissolve into one another; there is no brisk editing. The lighting is kept low-key during dark scenes, balanced during daytime scenes-this is standard film-making of the era. The one digression from this form are the distinctly Lynchian surrealities-pseudo-dream-sequences of commendably original imagery that break up the film and serve as distinct mood-setters for the audience. These are, for the most part, fairly intimidating sidenotes. We as an audience are caught off-guard because in these tangents we are not identifying with Treeves, we are put instead into Merrick's shoes. It is unsettling.

    But Lynch has never been a director to flinch at unsettling prospects. We must watch Merrick beaten, abused, harassed, humiliated, and tormented. We may feel a surge of happiness when he finally stands up for himself, but by that point we still have to cope with what we've already, what he's already, experienced. I suppose that is the greatest and most devastating aspect of the film-empathy. Every moment is heartbreaking. Yet no matter how hard it gets, and how much better it then turns, there is always the threat of another jab. And those jabs only get more and more painful.

    The Elephant Man is a perfect film. It is sorrowful but it apologizes not at all for it. It is a film about where our empathy stems from, a film that asks you to feel sorry but rebukes you for your blind pity. It asks you to respect Merrick, not cry for him. But you can't help crying. The Elephant Man is a film that treks you through despair and asks for your hope in the end. It asks you to hate humanity but to love the humane. It asks you to look at a man who appears sad and know that inside, he's okay.
    helpful•429
    25
    • Bastian Balthazar Bux
    • Nov 6, 2004

    FAQ1

    • Did everything happen to Merrick just like in the film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 10, 1980 (United States)
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Butler's Wharf, Shad Thames, Southwark, London, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Brooksfilms
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 2 hours 4 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Dolby Stereo

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