Rent The Elephant Man (1980)
4.1 of 5 from 305 ratings
1h 58min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- John Merrick (John Hurt) is the elephant man, forced into circus sideshows and spurned by society because of the disfiguring disabilities he was born with. Rescued by a well meaning surgeon (Anthony Hopkins), he tries to escape a life of prejudice and cruelty as he tries to fit into the world ruled by Victorian sensibilities.
- Actors:
- Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, Helen Ryan, John Standing, Dexter Fletcher, Lesley Dunlop, Phoebe Nicholls, Pat Gorman, Claire Davenport, Orla Pederson, Patsy Smart, Frederick Treves, Stromboli, Richard Hunter
- Directors:
- David Lynch
- Producers:
- Jonathan Sanger
- Writers:
- Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergren, David Lynch, Frederick Treves, Ashley Montagu
- Others:
- Freddie Francis, John Morris, Anne V. Coates, Stuart Craig, Patricia Norris, Hugh Scaife, Bob Cartwright, Christopher DeVore
- Studio:
- Optimum
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama
- Collections:
- 10 Films to Watch if You Like The Magic Box, A History of British Queens in Film, Acting Up: British Actors at the Oscars, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2023, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, Films to Watch If You Like..., Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: Jack Nicholson, Getting to Know: Renée Zellweger, Oscar Nominations Competition 2024, The Film Highlights of 1980, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide to: Mel Brooks, Top 10 Best Picture Follow-Ups, Top 10 Films By Year, Top Films
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 28/09/2009
- Run Time:
- 123 minutes
- Languages:
- Castilian Spanish DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono
- Subtitles:
- Castillian, Danish, Dutch, English Hard of Hearing, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- Bonus:
- 'Joseph Merrick: The real elephant man': Documentary on the true story of The elephant man
- 'The air is on fire': Interview with David Lynch as a painter by Lynch expert, Michel Chion
- Interview with John Hurt
- Interview with David Lynch
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 06/04/2020
- Run Time:
- 123 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- DVD Regions:
- Region 0 (All)
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- (0) All
- Bonus:
- New: Photographing 'The Elephant Man' - Interview with Frank Connor
- New: BFI Q&A with Jonathan Sanger
- Interview with David Lynch
- Behind the Scenes Stills Gallery
- Interview with John Hurt
- Mike Figgis Interviews David Lynch
- The Air is on Fire: Interview with David Lynch at Cartier Foundation
- Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man
- The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature
- Disc 2:
- This disc includes special features
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Reviews (3) of The Elephant Man
Pure Brilliance - The Elephant Man review by KP
Everything about this picture is pure mastery. Shot in black and white, it draws the viewer into a Victorian world where a humble man is scorned and shamefully treated. Every character is well cast and the acting is beyond compare. My favourite film of all time. BRAVO!
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Poor Elephant - The Elephant Man review by Cherry
A sad film, but one to watch. It's interesting to see how people lived in Victorian times.
0 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
Superb Historical Drama - A Real Emotional Ride too - The Elephant Man review by GI
Based on a true story although most of the events in the film are fictional, this is a wonderful historical drama and I have to say one of the most emotional films I've seen and it certainly bought a tear to my eye. Renowned for his surreal and enigmatic narratives this is one of David Lynch's most accessible films, indeed his first commercial film, but his style including the bookending of two nightmarish sequences , and his recreation of the 'dark, satanic mills' of industrial Victorian London are superb and add to the overall atmosphere of suspense, even dread, that pervades the narrative even when it appears to be turning into a happy conclusion. Lynch tricks you here as this story of John Merrick (played wonderfully by John Hurt) is a story of intolerance and of the fear of difference. His vision of a polluted city with it's smoke, dust and pumping machinery shot in an authentic black and white adds to the sense of disease and bodily corruption that is the focus of the story. Merrick is a grotesquely deformed man rescued from a freak show carnival and a violently abusive man, Bytes (Freddie Jones) by surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins). Given sanctuary in Treves' hospital Merrick reveals himself to be a young man of intelligence and gentleness despite his horrible deformities and the terrible abuse he has suffered. Befriended by a famous actress (Anne Bancroft) Merrick becomes the talk of the town until abuse returns in the form of the nasty Bytes and a lowly hospital caretaker (Michael Elphick) who makes money by allowing drunks to view him at night. With a superb cast including John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Dexter Fletcher and Hannah Gordon this is a tearjerker that shows the benefits of human kindness contrasted with the violence shown towards those that don't fit or look different. Even though Merrick's case is an extreme one this is still a film that thematically resonates today. A fantastic film and one that you should see.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.