The Elephant Man: The StudioCanal Collection

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The Elephant Man
Review added by
Stuart McLean

Certificate: PG
Running Time: 123 Mins
Retail Price: £24.99
Release Date: 28/09/09
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
David Lynch brings his own dreamlike style to the heartbreaking yet somehow uplifting story of John Merrick (John Hurt), 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 performer (Anne Bancroft), but he must continue to fight for his dignity with those who still choose to view him as a freak. Meanwhile, Treves begins to question whether his supposed act of humanity has been just as exploitative as Merrick's former caretaker's.

Lynch's follow-up to his 1978 cult classic ERASERHEAD is a striking blend of art and entertainment, which earned the film eight Academy Award nominations in 1980. Freddie Francis's breathtaking black-and-white cinematography combines with John Morris's score to re-create Victorian England with a deeply haunting beauty. It is the compassionate performances of Hurt and Hopkins that lift THE ELEPHANT MAN to a more emotional level, however, bringing an inspired sadness to Lynch's striking vision.

Special Features:
• Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man Featurette
• The Air Is On Fire': Interview with David Lynch
• John Hurt Interview
• David Lynch Interview
• Interview with David Lynch by Mike Figgis