The Elephant Man
The tragic life story of John Merrick, a deformed man who was known in Victorian London as The Elephant Man and exploited as a fairground attraction.
The young surgeon Frederick Treves provides Merrick with shelter in a hospital and starts to examine him. Merrick seems unable to think or speak, but with great patience Treves manages to teach him a few words.
The second film by David Lynch is an oddity in his oeuvre: a conventional, linear story. The film features an outstanding performance by John Hurt in the greatest role of his career. Despite wearing prosthetics and makeup that rendered him unrecognizable, Hurt was nominated for an Academy Award. THE ELEPHANT MAN was nominated for eight Academy Awards, though it didn’t win any.
David Lynch, USA, UK, 1980, 124 min. English spoken, Dutch subtitles.
With Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller.