The Elephant Man
London, late 19th century: at a freak show in the East End, surgeon Frederick Treves becomes interested in one of the freaks on display: John Merrick, a man with severe physical deformities. The show's operator, Mr Bytes, is willing, for a fee of course, to lend what he considers a retarded Merrick to Treves for examination and treatment. Treves discovers that Merrick is far from retarded: he is an intelligent and kind man. The hospital director initially opposes Merrick's stay at the hospital, but revises his opinion once he has spoken to Merrick. To the dismay of Bytes, who wants his freak back.
In the late 1970s, David Lynch was little known, but some had been impressed by his bizarre 1977 film Eraserhead. Comedian/film producer Mel Brooks was one of them and he asked Lynch to film this story based on true events. The film, shot in beautiful black-and-white, was a huge success. With Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.
