#1051: LYNCH, David: The Elephant Man (1980)
LYNCH, David (United States)
The Elephant Man [1980]
Spine #1051
Blu-ray
Blu-ray
With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft-tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well. As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship. Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch's reputation as one of American cinema's most visionary talents.
123 minutes
Black & White
Black & White
Stereo
2:35:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writers
Screenplay by Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergren, and David Lynch.
Lynch was 34 when he directed The Elephant Man.
The Film
Other Lynch films in the Collection:
#725: Eraserhead (1977)
#977: Blue Velvet (1986)
#898: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
#1152: Lost Highway (1997)
#725: Eraserhead (1977)
#977: Blue Velvet (1986)
#898: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)
#1152: Lost Highway (1997)
The Film
A
Film Rating (0-60):
The Booklet
Forty-page booklet featuring an interview with Lynch from the 2005 edition of filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s book Lynch on Lynch, and an 1886 letter to the editor of the London Times concerning Merrick by Francis Culling Carr Gomm, chairman of the London Hospital.
Commentary
None.
Lynch
And critic Kristine McKenna reading from Room to Dream, a 2018 book they coauthored.
Interviews
With Lynch, actor Hurt, producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger, DP Freddie Francis, stills photographer Frank Connor, and makeup artist Christopher Tucker.
Audio recording
From 1981 of an interview and Q&A with Lynch at the American Film Institute.
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
A 2005 program featuring archivist Jonathan Evans.
Trailer and radio spots
Extras Rating (0-40):
60
The ExtrasThe Booklet
Forty-page booklet featuring an interview with Lynch from the 2005 edition of filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s book Lynch on Lynch, and an 1886 letter to the editor of the London Times concerning Merrick by Francis Culling Carr Gomm, chairman of the London Hospital.
Commentary
None.
Lynch
And critic Kristine McKenna reading from Room to Dream, a 2018 book they coauthored.
Interviews
With Lynch, actor Hurt, producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger, DP Freddie Francis, stills photographer Frank Connor, and makeup artist Christopher Tucker.
Audio recording
From 1981 of an interview and Q&A with Lynch at the American Film Institute.
The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed
A 2005 program featuring archivist Jonathan Evans.
Trailer and radio spots
Extras Rating (0-40):
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