The Elephant Man

In Victorian London, the surgeon Frederick Treves comes across John Merrick, a man whose severe deformities have left him on display as a fairground attraction and at the mercy of a brutal proprietor. Treves takes Merrick into the London Hospital, initially to study his condition, and discovers that behind the startling appearance is a thoughtful, articulate and sensitive man. Merrick’s efforts to live with dignity, and the relationships he forms with those around him, become the heart of the story. The film is based on the life of Joseph Merrick, called John in the film.

David Lynch directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Bergren and Christopher De Vore; it was his fourth feature in a directing career that now numbers seventeen films, following Eraserhead and preceding Dune. Anthony Hopkins plays Treves and John Hurt plays Merrick, with Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller and Freddie Jones in supporting roles. Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger produced.

Made for about five million dollars, the film took roughly twenty-six million worldwide. On IMDb it holds 8.2 out of 10 from around 281,000 votes, and on TMDB 8.1 from about 4,000. A critics’ rating of 8.6 from sixty-five reviews places it somewhat above those audience scores.