A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, inte... Read allA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
- Nominated for 8 Oscars
- 11 wins & 22 nominations total
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie was executive produced by Mel Brooks, who was responsible for hiring writer and director David Lynch, and obtaining permission to film in black-and-white. He deliberately left his name off of the credits, as he knew that people would get the wrong idea about the movie if they saw his name on the movie, given his fame as a satirist.
- GoofsIn the film, Joseph Merrick befriends Dr. Treves before he is kidnapped and taken to Belgium. In real life, Merrick never met Dr. Frederick Treves until he was rescued by police from a train station in London as was shown in the film.
- Quotes
John Merrick: I AM NOT AN ELEPHANT! I AM NOT AN ANIMAL! I AM... A HUMAN BEING! I... AM... A... MAN!
- Crazy creditsClosing disclaimer: This has been based upon the true life story of John Merrick, known as The Elephant Man, and not upon the Broadway play of the same title or any other fictional account.
- SoundtracksAdagio for Strings, Op. 11
Composed by Samuel Barber
Performed by London Symphony Orchestra
Conducted by André Previn
Featured review
Cuts Deep
There have been many films made dealing with an individual who's outer appearance is completely at odds with their inner character. Some of these films are quite good but this is by far and away the very best. This is probably one of the most perfect films ever made. It succeeds on every level. Visually it transports one into a dark, grey, industrial nightmare of a world. It's within this world that we come to discover true beauty. It lies within one hideously deformed, abused and unfortunate soul who is being kicked around in this hellish existence. The screenplay, acting, direction all come together to create this extraordinary viewing experience. You really feel like you get inside this man and his tortured existence. The ending is one of the most effective and completely engrossing I've ever seen. Rarely does a film find a way to leave us with such a sense of closure and lingering fascination. The thing that really makes this film truly great is it changes the way people see themselves, other people and the world. I can still remember the palpable air of silence and awe over the audience when leaving the theater both times I saw it on the big screen. There's a transforming quality about it. You only need to read the many other user comments to see how people were moved and changed by this film. If you haven't seen it, it's a must!
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- Cheetah-6
- Jul 20, 2001
- How long is The Elephant Man?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $26,010,864
- Gross worldwide
- $26,028,672
- Runtime2 hours 4 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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