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IMDbPro

The Elephant Man

  • 19801980
  • PGPG
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
244K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,474
395
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
1,474
395
    • 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
    8/10
    A heartbreaking expose of society
    Nobody but Lynch could have directed this movie and made it the masterpiece that it is. Where other people would have gone for fake sentimentality and/or gruesome imagery; Lynch just presents the story how it is. The film is never gratuitous, and that is much to it's credit. It is, however, utterly repulsive. The black and white cinematography enforces this. There is nothing pleasant about The Elephant Man; it is as ugly as it's title character, and that is the way that this story needs to be. On the surface, it is ugly and repulsive; but just like it's title character; the movie has a hidden depth that is ultimately touching and heartbreaking. The movie sets itself up for this early on; the scene in which the Elephant Man is introduced is most of the most gut wrenching ever committed to film. As the doctor (Anthony Hopkins) sees the freak rise up and realises the extent of his deformity...a tear slowly form and rolls down his cheek. From this, you can see the pity that he feels for this man who has drawn the lot of a lowly circus freak; just from that one shot of a tear, David Lynch shows us the sorrow and the pity, and that's all he needs. Where some directors would have piled the sentimentality on, David Lynch is economic; that's all it needs, so that's all it gets. And that is the mark of a great director. Something that David Lynch most certainly is.

    The film is also ironic. Aside from it's visuals that link to the title character, it also observes how society is not unlike a circus. The good doctor has taken the Elephant Man away from the glares and the scowls of the circus audience, the exploitation that he's had to face, and put him a kinder and more loving environment; only now the scowls and stares come not from the circus audience, but from society's upper crust, who want to exploit the Elephant Man themselves for their own selfish reasons - to impress their friends. The Elephant Man is not merely a horror story of the life of a very unfortunate man; it's a story of love, a story of acceptance. Despite being taken from one circus to another, the Elephant Man is happier and more fulfilled than he ever was; he doesn't care about the looks and the exploitation, he merely wants to be loved. By 'normal' people, this is taken for granted; but The Elephant Man shows us that love and acceptance isn't something that can be taken for granted. As one doctor notes in the film, "we can't imagine the life he's had". We can't.

    David Lynch also succeeds in making voyeurs out of his audience. Just like the various audiences in the film; we too want to see the Elephant Man, and yet are utterly repulsed and disgusted by him. With this, David Lynch makes a mockery out of today's society, without ever making a mockery out of the character upon which this film is based. The Elephant Man himself is a perfectly balanced example of how pathos can be achieved. Not only is this man seen as a monster, but his character is pathetic also. With The Elephant Man, Lynch is saying to the world that it is society that is the monster, not the freaks that live within it.

    To put it simply: David Lynch has taken a story that could have easily been told simply and expanded it to take in themes that are outside of the central premise. This small story of one unfortunate man has been moulded into a striking comment on society. And all in all; it's a masterpiece.
    helpful•20
    2
    • The_Void
    • Dec 22, 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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