The Elephant Man
(1980)
★ 8.1 IMDb · 4,047 votes
Year: 1980
Runtime: 123 мин
Country: United States of America
Director: Дэвид Линч
Cast: Энтони Хопкинс, Джон Хёрт, Anne Bancroft, Джон Гилгуд, Уэнди Хиллер, Фредди Джонс, Майкл Элфик, Hannah Gordon, Helen Ryan, Джон Стэндинг
Plot
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.
In Victorian London, Dr. Frederick Treves with the London Hospital comes across a circus sideshow attraction run by a man named Bytes. In actuality, the creature on display is indeed a man called "The Elephant Man", 21-year-old John Merrick, who has several physical deformities, including an oversized and disfigured skull, and an oversized, disfigured right shoulder. Bytes, his "owner", only wants whatever he can get economically by presenting Merrick as a freak. Treves manages to bring Merrick under his care at the hospital, not without several of its own obstacles, including being questioned by those in authority since Merrick cannot be cured. Treves initially believes Bytes' assertion that mute Merrick is an imbecile, but ultimately learns that Merrick can speak and is a well-read and articulate man. As news of Merrick hits the London newspapers, he becomes a celebrated curiosity among London's upper class, including famed actress Mrs. Kendal. Merrick is being treated much more humanely, but are Treves' actions a further exploitation of him? And as he becomes more famous, others try to get their two-cents'-worth from him; he remains a curiosity and a freak to most, including Bytes, who has since lost his meal ticket.