Directed by:
David LynchCinematography:
Freddie FrancisComposer:
John MorrisCast:
Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Hannah Gordon, Michael Elphick, John Standing, Dexter Fletcher (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well. As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship. Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch’s reputation as one of American cinema’s most visionary talents. (Criterion)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1981 - Best Motion Picture of the Year
- 1981 - David Lynch (Best Achievement in Directing)
- 1981 - John Hurt (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role)
- 1981 - Christopher De Vore, David Lynch, Eric Bergren (Best Adapted Screenplay)
- 1981 - Best Achievement in Film Editing
- 1981 - John Morris (Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Score))
- 1981 - Best Achievement in Production Design
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1981 - Best Film
- 1981 - John Hurt (Best Leading Actor)
- 1981 - Best Production Design
- 1981 - David Lynch (Best Director)
- 1981 - Christopher De Vore, David Lynch, Eric Bergren (Best Screenplay)
- 1981 - Freddie Francis (Best Cinematography)
- 1981 - Best Editing
César Awards
- 1982 - Best Foreign Film
Golden Globes
- 1981 - Best Motion Picture – Drama
- 1981 - David Lynch (Best Director)
- 1981 - Eric Bergren (Best Screenplay)
- 1981 - John Hurt (Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama)
Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival
- 1981 - David Lynch (Grand Prize)