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((Short description|1980 film directed by David Lynch))
((About||the 1982 television film|The Elephant Man (1982 film)|the unrelated 1977 play about Joseph Merrick|The Elephant Man (play)))

((Use mdy dates|date=May 2014))
((Infobox film
| name           = The Elephant Man
| image          = TheElephantManposter.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[David Lynch]]
| producer       = [[Mel Brooks]] (uncredited)<br>[[Jonathan Sanger]]
| screenplay     = ((unbulleted list|Christopher De Vore|[[Eric Bergren]]|David Lynch))
| based_on       = ((plainlist|
* ((basedon|''The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences''|[[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Frederick Treves]]))
*((basedon|''The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity''|[[Ashley Montagu]]))
))
| starring       = ((plainlist|
* [[Anthony Hopkins]]
* [[John Hurt]]
* [[Anne Bancroft]]
* [[Freddie Jones]]
* [[John Gielgud]]
* [[Wendy Hiller]]
))
| music          = [[John Morris (composer)|John Morris]]
| cinematography = [[Freddie Francis]]
| editing        = [[Anne V. Coates]]
| studio         = [[Brooksfilms]]
| distributor    = ((unbulleted list|[[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]–[[EMI Films|EMI]]–[[Warner Bros.|Warner Distributors]] (United Kingdom)|[[Paramount Pictures]] (United States)))
| released       = ((Film date|1980|10|03|New York City|ref1=<ref>((cite news|work=[[The Times]] |date=October 8, 1980 |page=9 |first= John |last=Higgins |title=The Elephant Man, which opens tomorrow at the ABC, Shaftesbury Avenue, is also likely to establish the reputation of its director, David Lynch.))</ref>|1980|10|10|United States))
| runtime        = 123 minutes<ref>((cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/elephant-man-1980 | title=''The Elephant Man'' | website=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805191842/https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/elephant-man-1980 | accessdate=November 8, 2022| archive-date=August 5, 2020 ))</ref>
| country        = United Kingdom<br/>United States<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/education-research/education/gothic-classroom/elephant-man-1980 |title=The Elephant Man (1980) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200910040510/https://www2.bfi.org.uk/education-research/education/gothic-classroom/elephant-man-1980 |archive-date=September 10, 2020 |website=BFI. |access-date=February 22, 2019))</ref>
| language       = English
| budget         = $5 million
| gross          = $26 million ((Small|((No wrap|(North America)))))<ref name="bom">((Cite web | title = The Elephant Man (1980) | work = [[Box Office Mojo]] | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=elephantman.htm | access-date =July 4, 2010))</ref>
))
'''''The Elephant Man''''' is a 1980 [[biographical drama film]] based on the life of [[Joseph Merrick]] (referred to as "John" in the film), a severely deformed man who lived in [[London]] in the late 19th century. The film was directed by [[David Lynch]], produced by [[Mel Brooks]] (who was uncredited, to avoid audiences anticipating the film being in the vein of his comedic works, although his company Brooksfilms is in the opening credits) and [[Jonathan Sanger]], and starred [[John Hurt]], [[Anthony Hopkins]], [[Anne Bancroft]], [[John Gielgud]], [[Wendy Hiller]], [[Michael Elphick]], [[Hannah Gordon]], and [[Freddie Jones]]. ''The Elephant Man'' is generally regarded as one of Lynch's more accessible and mainstream works, alongside ''[[The Straight Story]]'' (1999).

The screenplay was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore and [[Eric Bergren]] from [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Frederick Treves]]' ''The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences'' (1923) and [[Ashley Montagu]]'s ''The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity'' (1971). It was shot in [[black-and-white]] and featured make-up work by [[Christopher Tucker]].

''The Elephant Man'' was a critical and commercial success with eight [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]], and [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]]. After receiving widespread criticism for failing to honour the make-up effects, the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] was prompted to create the [[Academy Award for Best Makeup]] the following year. The film also won the [[BAFTA Awards]] for [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]], [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|Best Actor]], and [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]] and was nominated for [[Golden Globe]] awards. It also won a French [[César Award]] for Best Foreign Film.

==Plot==
<!-- PER WP:FILMPLOT, PLOT SUMMARIES FOR FEATURE FILM ARTICLES SHOULD BE BETWEEN 400 AND 700 WORDS. -->
The film begins with wild [[African elephant]]s striking down Merrick's mother on an uncharted African island, followed by the wailing of a baby ([[Little Albert experiment|Little Albert Experiment]] with a rat, rabbit, dog, monkey, seal fur coat, and Santa Claus mask) or [[tortoise]] in the smoke.

Frederick Treves, a [[surgeon]] at the [[Royal London Hospital|London Hospital]], finds John Merrick in a [[Victorian era|Victorian]] [[freak show]] in London's [[East End of London|East End]], where he is kept by Mr. Bytes, the brutish ringmaster. His head is kept hooded, and his "owner", who views him as [[Intellectual disability|intellectually disabled]], is paid by Treves to bring him to the hospital for examination.

Treves presents Merrick to his colleagues and highlights his deformed skull, which forces him to sleep with his head on his knees, since if he were to lie down, he would [[asphyxia]]te. On Merrick's return, he is beaten so badly by Bytes that he has to call Treves for medical help. Treves brings him back to the hospital.

Merrick is tended to by hospital matron Mrs. Mothershead, as the other nurses are too frightened of him. Mr. Carr Gomm, the hospital's Governor, is against housing Merrick, as the hospital does not accept "incurables".

To prove that Merrick can make progress, Treves trains him to say a few conversational sentences and part of the [[Psalm 23|23rd Psalm]]. Carr Gomm sees through this ruse, but as he is leaving, Merrick begins to recite the whole of the Psalm. Merrick tells the doctors that he knows how to read, and has memorized the 23rd Psalm because it is his favorite. Carr Gomm permits him to stay, and Merrick spends his time practicing conversation with Treves and building a model of a cathedral he can see from his window.

Merrick has tea with Treves and his wife, and is so overwhelmed by their kindness that he shows them his mother's picture. He believes he must have been a "disappointment" to his mother, but hopes she would be proud to see him with his "lovely friends". Merrick begins to take guests in his rooms, including the actress [[Madge Kendal]], who gives him a copy of ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''; they play some lines from it and Kendal kisses Merrick.

Merrick quickly becomes an object of curiosity to high society, and Mrs. Mothershead expresses concerns that he is still being put on display as a freak. Treves begins to question the morality of his own actions. Meanwhile, a night porter named Jim starts selling tickets to locals, who come at night to gawk at the "Elephant Man".

The issue of Merrick's residence is challenged at a hospital council meeting, but he is guaranteed permanent residence by command of the hospital's royal patron, [[Queen Victoria]], who sends word with her daughter-in-law [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra]]. However, during one of Jim's raucous late-night showings Merrick is kidnapped by Bytes. A witness reports this to Treves, who confronts Jim about what he has done; Jim is then fired by Mothershead.

Bytes takes Merrick on the road as a circus attraction once again. During a "show" in Belgium, Merrick, who is weak and dying, collapses, causing a drunken Bytes to lock him in a cage at night with some [[ape]]s and leave him to die. Merrick is released by his fellow freakshow attractions.

Upon returning to London, he is harassed through [[Liverpool Street station]] by several young boys and accidentally knocks down a young girl. Merrick is chased, unmasked, and cornered by an angry mob. He cries "I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I&nbsp;... am&nbsp;... a&nbsp;... man!" before collapsing.

Policemen return Merrick to the hospital and Treves. He recovers some of his health, but is dying of [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]]. Treves and Mothershead take Merrick, accompanying Princess Alexandra, to see a magical [[pantomime]]. Kendal comes on stage afterwards and dedicates the performance to him, and a proud Merrick receives a standing ovation from the audience.

Back at the hospital, Merrick thanks Treves for all he has done, and completes his cathedral model. Saying "It is finished", he lies down on his back in bed and dies. He is consoled by a vision of his mother, who quotes [[Alfred, Lord Tennyson|Lord Tennyson]]'s "Nothing Will Die".

==Cast==
* [[Anthony Hopkins]] as [[Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet|Frederick Treves]], a doctor who takes John from the freakshow to work in the hospital
* [[John Hurt]] as [[Joseph Merrick|John Merrick]], an intelligent, friendly, kindhearted man who is feared by most people in his society because of his severe deformity.
* [[Hannah Gordon]] as Ann Treves
* [[Anne Bancroft]] as [[Madge Kendal]]
* [[John Gielgud]] as Francis Carr Gomm
* [[Wendy Hiller]] as Mrs. Mothershead
* [[Freddie Jones]] as Mr. Bytes, the evil ringmaster (based on [[Tom Norman]]<ref>((cite news|last=von Tunzelmann|first=Alex|title=The Elephant Man: close to the memoirs but not the man|date=10 December 2009|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/dec/10/the-elephant-man-reel-history|access-date=29 April 2015))</ref>)
* [[Frederick Treves (actor)|Frederick Treves]] (great nephew of Dr Frederick Treves) as Alderman
* [[Michael Elphick]] as Jim, the dishonest night porter
* [[Dexter Fletcher]] as Bytes' boy
* [[Helen Ryan]] as [[Alexandra of Denmark|Alexandra, Princess of Wales]]
* [[John Standing]] as Fox
* [[Lesley Dunlop]] as Nora, Merrick's nurse
* [[Phoebe Nicholls]] (picture)/Lydia Lisle (footage) as Mary Jane Merrick
* [[W. Morgan Sheppard|Morgan Sheppard]] as man in pub
* [[Kenny Baker (English actor)|Kenny Baker]] as plumed dwarf
* [[Pat Gorman]] as Fairground Bobby
* [[Pauline Quirke]] as prostitute 
* [[Nula Conwell]] as Nurse Kathleen, one of Merrick's nurses

==Production==

===Development===
Producer [[Jonathan Sanger]] optioned the script from writers Christopher De Vore and [[Eric Bergren]] after receiving the script from his babysitter.<ref name="AFI" /> Sanger had been working as [[Mel Brooks]]' assistant director on ''[[High Anxiety]]''.<ref name=":0" /> Sanger showed Brooks the script, whereupon he decided to help finance via Brooksfilms, his new company. Brooks' personal assistant, Stuart Cornfeld, suggested [[David Lynch]] to Sanger.<ref name=FSR>((cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/27/42|title= 'How does a guy known for fart jokes make The Elephant Man?'|website= [[The Guardian]]|date= July 26, 2008|accessdate= December 28, 2021))</ref><ref name=":0">((cite web|url=https://filmschoolrejects.com/mel-brooks-david-lynch-and-the-elephant-man/|title= A Brief History of Mel Brooks, David Lynch and 'The Elephant Man'|website= Film School Rejects|date= June 28, 2021|accessdate= December 29, 2021))</ref>

Sanger met Lynch and they shared scripts they were working on (''The Elephant Man'' and Lynch's unrealized ''[[Ronnie Rocket]]''). Lynch told Sanger that he would love to direct the script after reading it, and Sanger endorsed him after hearing Lynch's ideas. However, Brooks had not heard of Lynch at the time. Sanger and Cornfeld set up an ''[[Eraserhead]]'' viewing at a [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] screening room; Brooks loved it and enthusiastically agreed for Lynch to direct.<ref name=":0" /> By his own request, Brooks was not credited as executive producer to ensure that audiences would not expect a comedy after seeing his name attached.<ref name="Potton">((cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-elephant-man-1980-review-8dj3gzzf0 |title= The Elephant Man (1980) review |date=14 June 2019  |last=Potton |first=Ed |work=The Times |access-date=5 February 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190614142040/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/the-elephant-man-1980-review-8dj3gzzf0 |archive-date=June 14, 2019 |url-status=live))</ref>

===Filming===
The budget was $5 million, $4 million of which was raised from [[Fred Silverman]] of [[NBC]].<ref name="AFI" /> The remainder came from [[EMI Films]].<ref>((cite news|title=At the Movies: Seriously, Folks, There's a Serious Mel Brooks|last=Ryan |first=Desmond|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=3 Nov 1985|page=L.2))</ref>

For his second feature and first studio film, albeit one independently financed,<ref name="TimeOutInterview" /> Lynch provided the musical direction and sound design. Lynch also tried to design the make-up himself, but the design didn't work.<ref name="AFI">((cite web |title=The Elephant Man (1980) |url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/56402 |website=[[AFI Catalog of Feature Films]]))</ref><ref>((Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Rory |date=June 25, 2018 |title=David Lynch: As a father and husband 'you gotta be selfish' |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/david-lynch-as-a-father-and-husband-you-gotta-be-selfish-1.3542802 |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=The Irish Times |language=en))</ref> The makeup, now supervised by [[Christopher Tucker]], was based on direct casts of Merrick's body, which had been kept in the [[Royal London Hospital]]'s private museum. The makeup took seven to eight hours to apply each day and two hours to delicately remove.<ref name="AFI"/> [[John Hurt]] would arrive on set at 5am and shoot his scenes from noon until 10pm. After his first experience of the inconvenience of having to apply the makeup and perform with it, he called his girlfriend, saying, "I think they have finally managed to make me hate acting."<ref name="Vincent">((cite news |last1=Vincent |first1=Alice |title=When John Hurt broke the mould: the story behind The Elephant Man's radical make-up |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/john-hurt-broke-mould-story-behind-elephant-mans-radical-make/ |work=The Telegraph |date=31 March 2020))</ref>

Because of the strain on the actor, he worked alternate days.<ref name="AFI"/> Lynch originally wanted [[Jack Nance]] for the title character. "But it just wasn't in the cards," Lynch says; the role went to Hurt after Brooks, Lynch and Sanger saw his performance as [[Quentin Crisp]] in ''[[The Naked Civil Servant (film)|The Naked Civil Servant]]''.<ref>((cite magazine|last=Potter|first=Maximillian|title=Erased|date=August 1997|magazine=[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]|url=http://www.lynchnet.com/absent/nancepre.html))</ref>

The film is bookended with [[surrealism|surrealist]] sequences centred around Merrick's mother and her death. Lynch used [[Samuel Barber]]'s ''[[Adagio for Strings]]'' to underline the climax and Merrick's own death. Composer [[John Morris (composer)|John Morris]] argued against using the music, stating that "this piece is going to be used over and over and over again in the future... And every time it's used in a film it's going to diminish the effect of the scene."<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/28/obituaries/john-morris-composer-for-mel-brookss-films-dies-at-91.html|title=John Morris, Composer for Mel Brooks's Films, Dies at 91|first=Richard|last=Sandomir|date=January 29, 2018|access-date=January 29, 2018|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]))</ref>

===Post-production===
Following their return from England with a print, Lynch and Sanger screened ''The Elephant Man'' for Brooks, who suggested some minor cuts but told them that the film would be released as they had made it.<ref name=FSR/>

==Lawsuit==
A [[West End theatre|West End]] [[The Elephant Man (play)|play of the same name]] was enjoying a successful Broadway run at the time of the film's production. The producers sued Brooksfilms over the use of the title.<ref>((cite news|title=Title Fight for 'Elephant Man'|last=Schreger |first=Charles|work=Los Angeles Times|date=Aug 22, 1979|page=f10))</ref><ref name="AFI" />

==Release==
===Box office===
''The Elephant Man'' was a box office hit, grossing $26 million in the United States.<ref name="bom"/><ref name=AFI/> In Japan, it was the second highest-grossing foreign film of the year with [[theatrical rental]]s of ¥2.45 billion, behind only ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]''.<ref>((cite magazine|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=7 March 1984|title=All-Time Foreign Grossers In Japan|page=89))</ref>

===Critical response===
On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], it has an approval rating of 92% based on 63 reviews, with an average score of 8.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "David Lynch's relatively straight second feature finds an admirable synthesis of compassion and restraint in treating its subject, and features outstanding performances by John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins."<ref>((cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1006527-elephant_man |title=The Elephant Man (1980) |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=October 10, 2023))</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on 16 critic reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".<ref>((cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-elephant-man |title=The Elephant Man Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=October 28, 2020))</ref>

[[Vincent Canby]] wrote: "Mr. Hurt is truly remarkable. It can't be easy to act under such a heavy mask&nbsp;... the physical production is beautiful, especially Freddie Francis' black-and-white photography."<ref>((cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/03/archives/elephant-man-study-in-genteelness.html | title='Elephant Man,' — Study in Genteelness | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | first=Vincent |last=Canby | author-link=Vincent Canby | date=October 3, 1980 | access-date=January 29, 2018))</ref>

A small number of critics were less favourable. [[Roger Ebert]] gave it 2/4 stars, writing: "I kept asking myself what the film was really trying to say about the [[human condition]] as reflected by John Merrick, and I kept drawing blanks."<ref>((cite web|date=1 January 1980|title=The Elephant Man|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-elephant-man-1980|access-date=September 12, 2012|website=[[RogerEbert.com]]))</ref> In the book ''The Spectacle of Deformity: Freak Shows and Modern British Culture'', Nadja Durbach describes the work as "much more mawkish and moralising than one would expect from the leading postmodern surrealist filmmaker" and "unashamedly sentimental". She blamed this mawkishness on the use of Treves' memoirs as source material.<ref name="Durbach35" />

''The Elephant Man'' has since been ranked among the best films of the 1980s in [[Time Out (magazine)|''Time Out'']] (where it placed 19th)<ref>((Cite news |date=June 25, 2015 |title=The 30 best '80s movies |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/movies/the-30-best-80s-movies#tab_panel_2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628194244/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/movies/the-30-best-80s-movies#tab_panel_2 |archive-date=2015-06-28 |access-date=2017-11-21 |work=Time Out New York |language=en))</ref> and [[Paste (magazine)|''Paste'']] (56th).<ref>((Cite news |date=October 24, 2012 |title=The 80 Best Movies of the 1980s |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/best-movies/the-80-best-movies-of-the-1980s |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027212816/https://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2012/10/the-80-best-movies-of-the-1980s.html?p=3 |archive-date=2012-10-27 |access-date=2017-11-21 |work=[[Paste Magazine]] |language=en))</ref> The film also received five votes in the 2012 ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' polls.<ref>((Cite web|title=Votes for The Elephant Man (1980)|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd1e475/sightandsoundpoll2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170425043330/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bd1e475/sightandsoundpoll2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 25, 2017|access-date=2017-11-21|website=[[BFI]]))</ref>

===Accolades===
((Main|List of accolades received by The Elephant Man))
''The Elephant Man'' was nominated for eight [[Academy Awards]],<ref>((Cite web|title=David Lynch – Chapter 2: The Elephant Man and Dune – An Auteur In Hollywood|url=http://www.britishfilm.org.uk/lynch/elephant_man_dune.html|access-date=2017-11-23|website=The British Film Resource))</ref> tying ''[[Raging Bull]]'' at the [[53rd Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Actor in a Leading Role]] (Hurt),<ref>((Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/02/18/movies/elephant-man-and-bull-up-for-8-oscars-each.html|title='Elephant Man' and 'Bull' Up for 8 Oscars Each|last1=Harmetz|first1=Aljean|date=February 18, 1981|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 23, 2017|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331))</ref> [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Art Direction-Set Decoration]] ([[Stuart Craig]], [[Robert Cartwright]], [[Hugh Scaife]]), [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Music: Original Score]], and [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Writing: Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium]].<ref name="NY Times">((cite web |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/15593/The-Elephant-Man/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412175700/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/15593/The-Elephant-Man/awards |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 12, 2009 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2009 |title=The Elephant Man |access-date=December 31, 2008))</ref> However, it did not win any.

Industry experts were appalled that the film was not going to be honoured for its make-up effects when the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]] announced its nominations at the time. A letter of protest was sent to the academy's Board of Governors requesting to give the film an honorary award. The academy refused, but in response to the outcry, they decided to give the make-up artists their own category. A year later, the [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Academy Award for Best Makeup]] category was introduced with ''[[An American Werewolf in London]]'' as its first recipient.<ref name="AFI"/><ref>((cite news | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | title=The Elephant Man | first=Roger |last=Clarke | date=March 2, 2007 | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3735317.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104010345/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3735317.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 4, 2012))</ref>

It won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film]], and other [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA Awards]] for Best Actor (Hurt) and Best Production Design, and was nominated for four others: Direction, Screenplay, Cinematography and Editing.

The film is recognized by [[American Film Institute]] in these lists:
* 2005: [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes]]:
** John Merrick: "I am not an animal! I am a human being. I am a man." – Nominated<ref>((cite web |title=AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees |url=http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110313150620/http://www.afi.com/Docs/100Years/quotes400.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2011 |access-date=2016-07-30 |website=American Film Institute))</ref>

===Home media===
The film has been issued many times on [[VHS]], [[Betamax]], [[Capacitance Electronic Disc|CED]], [[LaserDisc]] and [[DVD]]. The first DVD was released on December 11, 2001, by Paramount Home Entertainment.<ref>((cite web|first=Enrique|last=Rivero|url=http://www.hive4media.com/news/html/Product_article.cfm?article_id=1844|website=hive4media.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011030154706/http://www.hive4media.com:80/news/html/Product_article.cfm?article_id=1844|title=Extras-Packed 'Almost Famous,' 'Elephant Man' Coming to DVD|archive-date=October 30, 2001|date=September 27, 2001|access-date=September 7, 2019))</ref> The version released as part of the David Lynch ''Lime Green Box'' includes several interviews with Lynch and Hurt, and a Joseph Merrick documentary.<ref>((cite web|url=http://www.studiocanalcollection.com/en/collection/show/8-The_Elephant_Man|title=The Elephant Man on StudioCanal Collection|access-date=August 1, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120726003100/http://www.studiocanalcollection.com/en/collection/show/8-The_Elephant_Man|archive-date=July 26, 2012|df=mdy-all))</ref> This material is also available on the exclusive treatment on the [[Blu-ray Disc Region Code|European market]] as part of [[StudioCanal UK|Optimum Releasing]]'s StudioCanal Collection.<ref>((cite web |title=The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray |url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Elephant-Man-4K-Blu-ray/261631/ |access-date=February 5, 2024 |website=blu-ray.com))</ref> The film has been available on [[Blu-ray]] since 2009 throughout Europe and in Australia and Japan but not in the US (however the discs will play in both region A & B players).<ref>((Cite web|title=Elephant Man (The) (Blu-ray) (1980)|url=http://www.dvdcompare.net/comparisons/film.php?fid=15180#overall|access-date=2020-08-23|website=www.dvdcompare.net))</ref>
 
A 4K restoration (created from the [[original camera negative]], supervised by Lynch) was carried out for the film's 40th anniversary, and was released in a director-approved special edition in both Blu-ray and DVD formats from [[The Criterion Collection]] in the United States on September 29, 2020.<ref>((Cite web|title=The Elephant Man (1980)|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/29677-the-elephant-man|access-date=2020-08-23|website=The Criterion Collection|language=en))</ref> The restoration was also released on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]] (including a remastered Blu-ray) in the UK in April 2020.<ref>((Cite web|last=Brook|first=David|date=2020-04-05|title=The Elephant Man – Studiocanal Blu-ray|url=http://blueprintreview.co.uk/2020/04/the-elephant-man-studiocanal/|access-date=2020-08-23|website=Blueprint: Review|language=en-US))</ref>

A tie-in novelization by [[Lucy Gordon (writer)|Christine Sparks]] was published by [[Ballantine Books]] in 1980.<ref>((cite book |last=Sparks |first=Christine |author-link=Lucy Gordon (writer) |date=1980 |title=The Elephant Man: A Novel |location=New York City |publisher=[[Ballantine Books]] |isbn=0-345-34513-4))</ref>

==Soundtrack==
The musical score of ''The Elephant Man'' was composed and conducted by [[John Morris (composer)|John Morris]], and it was performed by the [[National Philharmonic Orchestra]]. In 1980, the company [[20th Century Fox Records]] published this film's original musical score as both an [[LP record|LP]] album and as a [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] in the United States. Its front cover artwork features a masked John Merrick against a backdrop of smoke, as seen on the advance theatrical poster for the film.

In 1994, the first [[compact disc]] (CD) issue of the film score was made by the company [[Milan Records|Milan]], which specializes in [[film score]]s and [[soundtrack]] albums.<ref>((Cite web |title=The Elephant Man Soundtrack (1980) |url=https://www.soundtrack.net/album/the-elephant-man/ |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=www.soundtrack.net))</ref>

'''Track listing for the first U.S. release on LP'''

'''Side one'''
#"The Elephant Man Theme" – 3:46
#"Dr. Treves Visits the Freak Show and Elephant Man" – 4:08
#"John Merrick and Psalm" – 1:17
#"John Merrick and Mrs. Kendal" – 2:03
#"The Nightmare" – 4:39

'''Side two'''
#"Mrs. Kendal's Theater and Poetry Reading" – 1:58
#"The Belgian Circus Episode" – 3:00
#"Train Station" – 1:35
#"Pantomime" – 2:20
#"Adagio for Strings" – 5:52
#"Recapitulation" – 5:35

==In popular culture==
[[Michael Jackson]] used excerpts from the film in his song "Morphine" from the 1997 remix album ''[[Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix]]''.<ref>Jackson, Michael. ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'' booklet. Sony BMG. p. 4.</ref>

[[The Jam]]'s former bassist [[Bruce Foxton]] was inspired strongly by the film, and in response wrote the song "[[Freak (Bruce Foxton song)|Freak]]" with the single's cover making a reference to the film.<ref>((cite web|url=http://nostalgiacentral.com/music/music-by-decade/1970s-music/jam/|title=Jam, The – Nostalgia Central|website=nostalgiacentral.com|date=July 5, 2014 |access-date=January 29, 2018))</ref>

Actor [[Bradley Cooper]] credits watching the film with his father as a child as his inspiration to become an actor. Cooper played the character in a Broadway revival of [[The Elephant Man (play)|''The Elephant Man'' play]] in 2014.<ref>((cite web |date=October 21, 2014 |title=Bradley Cooper on 'The Elephant Man:' It's why I wanted to become an actor |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/bradley-cooper-elephant-man-its-why-i-became-actor-1d80231082 |access-date=February 5, 2024 |website=TODAY.com))</ref>

In [[The Simpsons (season 3)|season 3]], episode 21 of ''[[The Simpsons]]'', "[[Black Widower]]", [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] daydreams of [[Patty and Selma|Aunt Selma]]'s new boyfriend as the Elephant Man.<ref>((cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |author-link=Matt Groening |editor1-first=Ray |editor1-last=Richmond |editor1-link=Ray Richmond |editor2-first=Antonia |editor2-last=Coffman |title=[[The Simpsons episode guides#The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family|The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family]] |edition=1st |year=1997 |location=New York |publisher=[[HarperPerennial]] |lccn=98141857 |ol=433519M |oclc=37796735 |isbn=978-0-06-095252-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/simpsonscomplete00groe/page/86 86] |ref=((harvid|Richmond & Coffman|1997)) )).</ref>

The 1992 film ''[[Batman Returns]]'' parodies the iconic line "I am not an animal. I am a man." In one scene, [[Oswald Cobblepot (Batman Returns)|the Penguin]], after being called Oswald, angrily yells "I am not a human being! I am an animal!"<ref>((cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Jim |last2=Matthews |first2=J. Clive |date=2002 |title=Tim Burton |location=London |publisher=Virgin Books |page=113 |isbn=0-7535-0682-3))</ref>

British TV presenter [[Karl Pilkington]] often has cited it as his favourite film. Pilkington's love for the film brought many new features to his various podcasts and radio shows.<ref>((Cite web |date=2012-09-21 |title=Ricky Gervais Explains The Mind Of Karl Pilkington |url=http://teamcoco.com/video/ricky-gervais-explains-the-mind-of-karl-pilkington |access-date=2015-09-26 |website=TeamCoco.com))</ref>

Musician [[Michael Stipe]] loves the film and cites it as an inspiration for the [[R.E.M.]] song "Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars)".<ref>((Cite web |date=2009-10-25 |title=The Story Of R.E.M. Without The Greatest Hits |url=https://www.npr.org/transcripts/114117204 |access-date=2021-03-08 |website=npr.org))</ref> Another R.E.M. song, "[[New Test Leper]]", quotes the line "I am not an animal."<ref>((Cite web |date=3 March 2022 |title=R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Craft Recordings) |url=https://bigtakeover.com/recordings/REMNewAdventuresinHiFiWarnerBros |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=The Big Takeover |language=en))</ref>

Musician [[Nicole Dollanganger]] featured a sample of the film in her 2012 song "Cries of the Elephant Man Bones".<ref>((Cite web |date=July 25, 2023 |title=Meaning of "Valley of the Dead" by Nicole Dollanganger |url=https://www.songtell.com/nicole-dollanganger/valley-of-the-dead |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=www.songtell.com |language=en))</ref>

Musician [[Mylène Farmer]]'s song "[[Allan (song)#B-side: "Psychiatric"|Psychiatric]]" from the 1991 album ''[[L'autre...]]'' is a tribute to the film and [[John Hurt]]'s voice is sampled throughout the song, repeating several times: "I'm a human being, I'm not an animal".<ref>((cite book |title=Le Dictionnaire des Chansons de Mylène Farmer |last=Cachin |first=Benoît |year=2006 |publisher=Tournon |language=French |page=211 |isbn=2-35144-000-5))</ref>

The 2019 comedy TV series ''[[Year of the Rabbit (TV series)|Year of the Rabbit]]'' features Merrick as a character, reimagined as a confident, somewhat sassy, and decidedly camp theatrical performer, who has become independently wealthy through managing his own freak show (of which he is the star attraction).<ref>((Cite web |date=2019-06-10 |title=Year of the Rabbit review: Matt Berry in superb form as drunken copper |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/year-of-the-rabbit-review-tv-matt-berry-channel-4-the-sweeney-a8952631.html |access-date=2024-02-05 |website=The Independent |language=en))</ref>

==See also==
* [[The Elephant Man (play)|''The Elephant Man'' (play)]]
* [[The Elephant Man (1982 film)|''The Elephant Man'' (1982 film)]]

==References==
((Reflist|refs=
<ref name=TimeOutInterview>((Cite web | last = Huddleston  | first = Tom  | title = David Lynch: interview  | newspaper = [[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] | year = 2010  | url = http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/5443/david-lynch-interview.html | access-date = June 16, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100604001455/http://www.timeout.com/film/features/show-feature/5443/david-lynch-interview.html | archive-date = June 4, 2010 | url-status=dead | df = mdy-all  ))</ref>
<ref name=Durbach35>[[#Durbach|Durbach (2009)]], p. 35</ref>
))

==Further reading==
* ((cite book|first1=Shai |last1=Biderman |first2=Assaf |last2=Tabeka |chapter=The Monster Within: Alienation and Social Conformity in ''The Elephant Man'' |title=The Philosophy of David Lynch |page=207 |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2011 |isbn=978-0813129914))
* ((Cite book  | last = Durbach  | first = Nadja |chapter = Monstrosity, Masculinity, and Medicine: Reexamining ''The Elephant Man'' | title = The Spectacle of Deformity: Freak Shows and Modern British Culture |location = Berkeley | publisher = [[University of California Press]]  | year = 2009  | isbn = 978-0-520-25768-9 |oclc=314839375 | ref = Durbach))

== External links ==
((wikiquote))
* ((IMDb title|0080678|The Elephant Man))
* ((Rotten Tomatoes))
* ((AllMovie title))

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