John Hurt stars as John Merrick, the hideously deformed 19th century Londoner known as "The Elephant Man". Treated as a sideshow freak, Merrick is assumed to be retarded as well as misshapen because of his inability to speak coherently. In fact, he is highly intelligent and sensitive, a fact made public when one Dr. Frederick Treves ( Anthony Hopkins ) rescues Merrick from a carnival and brings him to a hospital for analysis. Alas, even after being recognized as a man of advanced intellect, Merrick is still treated like a freak; no matter his station in life, he will forever be a prisoner of his own malformed body. Unable to secure rights for the famous stage play The Elephant Man , producer Mel Brooks based his film on the memoirs of Frederick Treves and a much later account of Merrick's life by Ashley Montagu . The film is lensed in black and white by British master cinematographer Freddie Francis . Though nominated for a dozen Academy Awards, the film was ultimately shut out in every category. — Hal Erickson
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Anthony Hopkins | Dr. Frederick Treves |
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John Hurt | John Merrick |
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Anne Bancroft | Mrs. Kendal |
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John Gielgud | Carr Gomm |
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Wendy Hiller | Mothershead |
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Freddie Jones | Bytes |
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Michael Elphick | Night Porter |
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Hannah Gordon | Mrs. Treves |
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Helen Ryan | Princess Alex |
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John Standing | Fox |
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Dexter Fletcher | Bytes' Boy |
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Lesley Dunlop | Nora |
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Phoebe Nicholls | Merrick's Mother |
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Pat Gorman | Fairground Bobby |
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Claire Davenport | Fat Lady |
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Orla Pederson | Skeleton Man |
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Patsy Smart | Distraught Woman |
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Frederick Treves | Alderman |
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Stromboli | Fire Eater |
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Richard Hunter | Hodges |
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James Cormack | Pierce |
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Robert Lewis Bush | Messenger |
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Roy Evans | Cabman |
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Joan Rhodes | Cook |
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Nula Conwell | Nurse Kathleen |
| Director | David Lynch |
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| Writer | Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergren, David Lynch, Frederick Treves, Ashley Montagu | |
| Producer | Mel Brooks, Stuart Cornfeld, Jonathan Sanger | |
| Musician | John Morris | |
| Photography | Freddie Francis | |
| Edition | Criterion |
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| Packaging | Keep Case |
| Nr Discs | 1 |
| Screen Ratios | Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) |
| Audio Tracks | PCM Stereo [English] |
| Subtitles | English |
| Distributor | Criterion |
| Layers | Single side, Single layer |
| Edition Release Date | Sep 29, 2020 |
| Regions | Region A |