David Lynch's moving 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.
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.
| role | name |
|---|---|
| John Merrick | John Hurt |
| Frederick Treves | Anthony Hopkins |
| Mrs Madge Kendal | Anne Bancroft |
| Carr Gomm | John Gielgud |
| Mothershead | Wendy Hiller |
| Bytes | Freddie Jones |
| Night porter | Michael Elphick |
| Mrs Treves | Hannah Gordon |
| Princess Alex | Helen Ryan |
| Fox | John Standing |
| Bytes's boy | Dexter Fletcher |
| Nora | Lesley Dunlop |
| Merrick's mother | Phoebe Nicholls |
| role | name |
|---|---|
| Director | David Lynch |
