The Elephant Man (DVD)

Out-of-print in the U.S. David Lynch, creator of Twin Peaks and acclaimed director of Eraserhead, Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, directs this bizarre but true story of courage and human dignity. John Hurt gives the performance of a lifetime as John Merrick, the worst "freak" known to Victorian medical science, a man whose body is hideously distorted into a grotesque parody of an elephant. Rescued from a travelling freak show by Sir Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), Merrick gradually reveals himself to be a strangely sweet and gentle man, remarkably unembittered by the degradation and torment he suffered at the circus. Beautifully shot by Freddie Francis and with an excellent supporting cast including Sir John Gielgud, Anne Bancroft and Dame Wendy Hiller, the Elephant Man is a compelling, moving and enchanting story. NTSC/Region 0.