Taglines: I am not an animal! I am a human being! I… am… a man!
The Elephant Man movie storyline. John Merrick (whose real name was Joseph, as this is based on a true story) is an intelligent and friendly man, but he is hated by his Victorian-era English society because he is severely deformed. Once he is discovered by a doctor, however, he is saved from his life in a freak show and he is treated like the human being that he really is.
The Elephant Man is a 1980 American historical drama film about Joseph Merrick (whom the script calls John Merrick), a severely deformed man in late 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon and Freddie Jones. It was produced by Jonathan Sanger.
The screenplay was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren from Frederick Treves’s The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences (1923) and Ashley Montagu’s The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity (1971). It was shot in black-and-white and featured make-up work by Christopher Tucker.
The Elephant Man was a critical and commercial success with eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor. After receiving widespread criticism for failing to honor the film’s make-up effects, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was prompted to create the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling the following year. The film also won the BAFTA Awards for Best Film, Best Actor and Best Production Design and was nominated for Golden Globe awards. It also won a French César Award for Best Foreign Film.
The Elephant Man (1980)
Directed by: David Lynch
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Hannah Gordon, Lesley Dunlop
Screenplay by: Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergren
Production Design by: Stuart Craig
Cinematography by: Freddie Francis
Film Editing by: Anne V. Coates
Production Design by: Stuart Craig
Music by: John Morris
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: October 10, 1980
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