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The Elephant Man

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02:38

The Elephant Man

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• Documentary
• Drama

• 1980
• David Lynch
• 118 mins
• PG

Summary

David Lynch's dramatisation of the life of John Merrick, starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. 1884: an ambitious young London surgeon is intrigued by a sideshow freak billed as the "Elephant Man". But behind the appallingly disfigured and brutalised exhibit, he finds an intelligent and sensitive person whose rehabilitation he undertakes.

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IMDB

Review

A star rating of 5 out of 5.

John Ferguson

This stylish, poignant drama is probably the closest director David Lynch has got to the mainstream, outside of the unwieldy Dune. It's based on the true story of the profoundly disfigured John Merrick (a superb, unrecognisable John Hurt), who battled the prejudices of Victorian society. Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft and John Gielgud feature among the top-drawer supporting cast, while special mention should go to Freddie Francis for his striking black-and-white cinematography. Surprisingly, given its weighty tone, it was made by comic Mel Brooks's production company.

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8.2/10

How to watch

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Streaming

• Sky Store

Credits

Cast

rolenameJohn MerrickJohn HurtFrederick TrevesAnthony HopkinsMrs Madge KendalAnne BancroftCarr GommJohn GielgudMothersheadWendy HillerBytesFreddie JonesNight porterMichael ElphickMrs TrevesHannah GordonPrincess AlexHelen RyanFoxJohn StandingBytes's boyDexter FletcherNoraLesley DunlopMerrick's motherPhoebe Nicholls

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Crew

rolenameDirectorDavid Lynch

Details

Theatrical distributor

Studio Canal

Released on

2020-03-13

Languages

English | French

Guidance

Contains some violence.

Available on

video, DVD and Blu-ray

Formats

Black and white

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