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The Elephant Man

1980

David Lynch

Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud ...

8.1

43,557

Drama John Merrick (John Hurt) is a hideously deformed individual dubbed the Elephant Man during his years in a circus freak show in Victorian England. After suffering for years at the hands of his circus "master", the eloquent, soft spoken Merrick is "rescued" by compassionate surgeon Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), who allows him to live at the hospital where he works. Merrick becomes a social celebrity when he meets a popular stage ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Vincent Canby The New York Times	"A study in genteelness that somehow suppressed all rage. That is the quality that illuminates this film and makes it far more fascinating than it would be were it merely a portrait of a dignified freak."	POS
United Kingdom	Peter Bradshaw The Guardian	"John Hurt’s performance gives this biopic a poignancy that marks it apart from the rest of director’s work (...) [A] beautiful, measured and rather atypical movie (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Roger Ebert rogerebert.com	"I kept asking myself what the film was really trying to say about the human condition as reflected by John Merrick (...) The film's technical credits are adequate. John Hurt is very good (…) Rating: ★★ (out of 4)"	NEU
United Kingdom	Martin Chilton Telegraph	"Hurt is brilliant as Merrick (...) The story is painful and affecting (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Kim Newman Empire	"The central performances are astonishingly subtle (...) It’s a very rich film (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Almar Haflidason BBC	"It would take a heart of stone not be moved by 'The Elephant Man' (...) A glimpse into a nightmare from which a beacon of humanity clearly shines out (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	John Ferguson Radio Times	"[A] stylish, poignant drama (...) A superb, unrecognisable John Hurt (...) Excellent playing from a top-drawer cast (…) Rating: ★★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Tom Milne Time Out	"A marvellous movie, shot in stunning black-and-white by Freddie Francis."	POS
United States	Dave Kehr Chicago Reader	"Lynch revives ancient avant-garde mannerisms (...) and makes them work again, brilliantly; he's less successful in the light of day, where the film bogs down in stagy, high-minded dialogue sequences."	NEU
United States	Variety	"David Lynch has created an eerily compelling atmosphere (...) Hopkins is splendid (...) The center-piece of the film, however, is the virtuoso performance by the almost unrecognizable John Hurt."	POS

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