The Elephant Man (1980)

The Elephant Man rating: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic

IMDb8.2/10· 279K votes

Rotten Tomatoes91%

Metacritic78%

TMDb8/10· 4K votes

With 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, backed by 8.2/10 on IMDb and 78/100 on Metacritic, critical reception of this film has been very positive.

About The Elephant Man

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.

Cast of The Elephant Man

• 

  Anthony Hopkins

  as Frederick Treves

• 

  John Hurt

  as John Merrick

• 

  Anne Bancroft

  as Mrs Kendal

• 

  John Gielgud

  as Carr Gomm

• 

  Wendy Hiller

  as Mothershead

• 

  Freddie Jones

  as Bytes

• 

  Michael Elphick

  as Night Porter

• 

  Hannah Gordon

  as Mrs Treves

• 

  Helen Ryan

  as Princess Alex

• 

  John Standing

  as Fox

• 

  Dexter Fletcher

  as Bytes' Boy

• 

  Lesley Dunlop

  as Nora

The Elephant Man facts

Budget

$5M

Box office

$26M

Our take on The Elephant Man

David Lynch's 1980 drama tells the true story of Joseph Merrick, a severely disfigured man in Victorian London, rescued from a sideshow by a surgeon who discovers the intelligent, gentle person behind the frightening exterior. Shot in stark black and white, it trades Lynch's usual surrealism for restrained, deeply humane storytelling about dignity, cruelty and the way society treats those it finds monstrous. This is a slow, emotionally weighty film that rewards patience rather than delivering easy uplift. It suits viewers drawn to period drama and character study, and to anyone moved by quiet portraits of compassion. Expect sadness, tenderness, and a lingering meditation on what makes someone truly human.