A true story of courage and human dignity.
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.
- Bleak ending
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Character
Grave, earnest, contemplative and prestige.
- gravecomic
- earnestironic
- contemplativerelentless
- unpretentiousprestige
- rawmeticulous
Who loves it, who doesn't
17 profiled raters. Loved most by The Prestige Hunters.
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“Is this David Lynch's best work?”
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“Is The Elephant Man emotionally manipulative?”
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“Does it take too many liberties with the true story?”
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A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
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Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- CinemaSerfon TMDB · Jun 20238/10
Saw this, recently up-converted to 4K at the London Film Festival and, apart from the clear improvements to the quality and detail of the image, I was reminded of just how good it is. Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft play their roles with engaging sincerity - very ably supported by Sir John Gielgud and Dame Wendy Hiller. Prosthetics aside, John Hurt captures both the despair and optimism of Merrick with empathetic style; and Freddie Jones is just downright evil as "Bytes". His son Toby was at the screening and I couldn't help but wonder when he watched this portrayal by his father whether the pride in the performance must have been tempered by a disgust in the character, itself!! This film doesn't seem to do the rounds very often, nowadays, but it holds up very well after almost 40 years and is really a gem.
Read the whole review on TMDB - Wuchakon TMDB · Jul 20207/10
_**The ultimate outcast**_ In 1884 London, a doctor (Anthony Hopkins) meets Joseph Merrick, aka The Elephant Man (wrongly called John Merrick in the film) who was being exploited as a freak show attraction. Treves (Hopkins) tries to help Merrick (John Hurt) for the last six years of the latter’s life wherein he becomes cultured, but he inevitably remains an object of curiosity, to high society as well as low society. Anne Bancroft plays a winsome entertainer who is warm toward Merrick. Directed by David Lynch and shot in B&W, “The Elephant Man” (1980) is a melancholic biographical movie, and understandably so, but Merrick’s story is worth checking out despite the fact that it inspires pity. It calls into question the concept of beauty: Natural beauty is something one is born with and did nothing to acquire, but so is physical unattractiveness. Then there’s inner beauty. The charismatic actress (Bancroft) displays both. Of course there’s also inner ugliness, like the carnival huckster. A myth developed about Merrick’s disfigurement that his mother was raped by an elephant, probably started by sideshow hawkers. The opening conveys this in an artistic manner, but it’s not to be taken
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Cast
- Anthony HopkinsFrederick Treves
- John HurtJohn Merrick
- Anne BancroftMrs Kendal
- John GielgudCarr Gomm
- Wendy HillerMothershead
- Freddie JonesBytes
- Michael ElphickNight Porter
- Hannah GordonMrs Treves
- Helen RyanPrincess Alex
- John StandingFox
Crew
- David LynchDirector
- David LynchScreenplay
- Eric BergrenScreenplay
- Christopher De VoreScreenplay
- Freddie FrancisDirector of Photography
- John MorrisOriginal Music Composer
- Anne V. CoatesEditor
- Jonathan SangerProducer
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Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
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When They See Us 201972% alikeTelevision · Both grave, earnest.
The Secret History 199271% alikeBook · Both grave.
Often watched with
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