The Elephant Man (1982)

Directed by

Jack Hofsiss

Genre

drama film, biographical film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 30m

Rating

5.9 of 10 from 9 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This is a biographical TV film about John Merrick, a severely deformed man in 19th-century London who is taken in by a surgeon. It follows how Merrick is treated as a curiosity before finding a measure of dignity and human connection.

earnestsympatheticrestrainedhistoricalsomberemotionaltheatricalslow-paced

What happens

The Elephant Man is a 1982 American biographical television film directed by Jack Hofsiss loosely based on the 19th-century Englishman Joseph Merrick (known in this film as John Merrick). The script was adapted by Steve Lawson from the 1977 play of the same name by Bernard Pomerance. It was first broadcast by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on January 4, 1982. Playwright Pomerance's Broadway debut of The Elephant Man in 1977 was directed by Hofsiss, who became the youngest ever winner of a Tony Award for directing the play. In the film, Philip Anglim and Kevin Conway reprised their roles from the play as John Merrick and Frederick Treves, respectively. The film received four Emmy Award nominations in 1982; Penny Fuller won the award for 'Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Special'. At the 40th Golden Globe Awards, Philip Anglim was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film. Jack Hofsiss was nominated for a Directors Guild of America Award for 'Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials'. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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