---
product_id: 5414128
title: "Elephant Man, The"
brand: "anthony hopkinsjohn hurtdavid lynch"
price: "R2944"
currency: ZAR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/5414128-elephant-man
store_origin: ZA
region: South Africa
---

# Elephant Man, The

**Brand:** anthony hopkinsjohn hurtdavid lynch
**Price:** R2944
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

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- **What is this?** Elephant Man, The by anthony hopkinsjohn hurtdavid lynch
- **How much does it cost?** R2944 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/5414128-elephant-man)

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## Description

Elephant Man, The

## Images

![Elephant Man, The - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91CiJRA3L3L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A MASTERPIECE...pure and simple!
  

*by R***7 on Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2003*

As I sit down to write this review, my experiences with it from my youth came flooding back. I first saw it as a 17 year old high-schooler at my local movie theater, late one evening. I had seen, and enjoyed, the Broadway play a few months earlier, and wanted to see how the movie compared. The play, I should say, was very moving and had a certain spareness in its production design that was very effective. I had left the theatre with a moist eye and an interest in learning more about John Merrick, The Elephant Man (who had neurofibromatosis, NOT elephantitis, as is so often attributed to him).Anyway, when the movie concluded, the ENTIRE audience of 150 or so sat in its seats, numbed and unmoving. It was one of those experiences where you fight back your tears, because you're worried if you let go, you'll start bawling like a baby! The film was so profoundly moving to me and so artistically brilliant, that I went again the very next day, dragging reluctant friends with me. They were all stunned. I watched it AGAIN later that week.I've watched it on video a couple of times years ago, but until I rewatched it recently on DVD, it had been nearly 10 years since I'd seen it.The story is set in the early turn-of-the-twentieth-century London. John Merrick (John Hurt) is, for lack of a better word, enslaved as a sideshow freak.  He has the most hideous growths on his bones, which give him a frightening appearance.  His  head is probably three times bigger than a normal human, and the shape resembles a lumpy dirigible.  His limbs are mostly tangled messes.  Noted physician Dr. Treves (Anthony Hopkins) hears of this "elephant man" and is fascinated so greatly by his condition that he brings him to his hospital for study.  Everyone has always assumed this man must be a mute "idiot."  Turns out that Merrick is a gentle, thoughtful and almost unbearably forgiving soul.  The relationship that emerges between Treves and Merrick, as well as with Merrick and virtually everyone he encounters, is at the heart of this film.(Note of caution: The movie does not follow John Merrick's life terribly accurately...neither did the play. When I read the biography of Merrick that his doctor, Treves, wrote, I got his "true" story, which is just as moving in its own way.)David Lynch, we all know, is a "difficult" director, at least when it comes to narrative continuity. This movie, however, is his most accessible (along with THE STRAIGHT STORY, which doesn't even feel like a Lynch movie). It tells a straightforward story...no dancing dwarfs, no little people behind radiators, no Wizard of Oz references, etc. etc. No Laura Palmer. However, the touches he brings to it are pure Lynch, and they serve the movie profoundly.For example, the movie takes place in the midst of the early Industrial Revolution, when science was becoming more "popular" or "glorified" by the masses. It was also a time when London was awash in factories, and all the noise and pollution they wrought. If you've seen ERASERHEAD or DUNE, you know that Lynch likes to have lots of background noises of machinery. Often, those sounds are distracting. In ELEPHANT MAN, we are constantly aware, through these sounds, that we are in a very specific time and place, where the lifeblood of society was machinery, but big, dirty, unsubtle, dangerous machinery. This, coupled with the glorious black and white cinematography, truly create a mood that is unequaled.Also, there are some brief dream sequences in which Merrick sees his mother. She flits in and out of his dreams in a manner only Lynch can evoke. No one has ever been better at capturing on film the elusive nature of dreaming...that dreams are a crazy combination of good things and bad things happening all at once. These dreams are not a "device" but a window into Merrick's soul.Those of us who remember when the film first came out remember the constant rehashing of the "I am not an animal, I am a human being, I am a MAN!!" line that Merrick yells out when cornered in a train station. This howl of despair is one of the most gripping moments EVER put to film. I tear-up just thinking about it.The makeup is incredible. Having seen photos of the real Merrick, I can state that the makeup crew got it right! And the black and white helps to mask any imperfections. And underneath the makeup......is John Hurt, a fabulous actor in the role of his lifetime. He brings a delicacy and gentleness to the part that has to bee seen to be believed. I guarantee you'll be moved.Hurt is ably assisted by Anthony Hopkins in a role which calls for restraint, and he delivers, which is unusual for Hopkins, who can overact at the drop of a hat...I love him, but sometimes he can overdo it, you must admit.  The rest of the cast is full of familiar British character actors, as well as a brief but incandescent appearance by Anne Bancroft.  Everyone is at their very best.Initially, the film snags the viewer because of our fascination at seeing a human being so horrifically monstrous.  It holds a lurid fascination that fades into compassion and empathy.  If a person as horribly mistreated by his fellow man, as well as by fate, can find beauty, forgiveness, tenderness and love flowing from him and to him...well, the film leaves you to draw your own personal conclusions.I know that Lynch receives more ongoing accolades for his disturbing BLUE VELVET, and of course, for the groundbreaking TWIN PEAKS...but THE ELEPHANT MAN is the one I'm always drawn back to.I simply cannot recommend this film highly enough. Moviemaking doesn't get any more heartbreaking and effective than this masterpiece.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    An Insightful Experience That Everyone Should Have At Least Once
  

*by C***S on Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2020*

The Elephant Man is a 1980 British-American historical drama film about Joseph Merrick (whom the script calls John Merrick), a severely deformed man in late 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones. Hopkins stars as Mr. Treves, a pronounced surgeon who provides medical attention to John and establishes an unlikely friendship with him soon after.The screenplay for this film was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore, and Eric Bergren from Frederick Treves's 'The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences' (1923) and Ashley Montagu's 'The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity' (1971); considering a majority of Merrick's life preceding the point at which this film start has not been knowingly documented, this is a fairly accurate representation of the true story it is based off of. 'The Elephant Man' s concise in that it summarizes the "high points" of Merrick's life in a way that is not mundane and maintains the amount of dignity and respect this particular story is more-than-deserving of.Ironically enough, the works this movie is based off are regularly criticized for the way in which Treve's is presented in them. The claims are that Treves' is made to have an immense amount of "heroic appeal" despite ultimately doing not much more than treating Merrick with what is now an expected amount of compassion. In this film, however, more is done to introduce some amount of complexity and social commentary regarding the role Treves ultimately played in the years he was accompanied by Mr. MInnick. This is best demonstrated by one scene in particular where the surgeon asks another colleague out loud whether he is ultimately a good man or bad man since the amount of attention Mr. Minnick receives in the hospital is directly influenced by the perception other cast members have of the affect Mr. Treves has on Joseph's quality of life. This is a very good way to encourage an audience to think critically about their actions - even if they are good intending - and examine the role they play in the lives of marginalized individuals.If I had one complaint, I would say this movie would have benefit from bridging the gap between the emotional and professional investment Treves has in keeping Mr. Minnick in his company. I am overjoyed by the message that individuals with disabilities need not  perform or act specific ways to be treated with kindness - but at the end of the day, Mr. Treves is still a medical professional and will naturally make observations or have questions about him that your average joe might not. What conclusions about the structure of MInnick's brain can Treves make by knowing he can talk and understand language that is spoken to him? By what means is he not "curable"? Was there any attempt on his part to "understand" this condition in an effort to educate others about it? I want to say yes, but since I am not sure I have to bring this up as an attribute that may lead to a potential point of conjecture for another viewer.My criticism aside - this is a fantastic biographical account that captures the true essence and power that simple acts of positive affirmations and empowerment can mean to individuals that need them the most: I would recommend!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Movie
  

*by C***E on Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2023*

Great but sad movie

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*Product available on Desertcart South Africa*
*Store origin: ZA*
*Last updated: 2026-03-31*