The Elephant Man (film) The Elephant Man (film) The Elephant Man is a 1980 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. It was produced by Jonathan Sanger and Mel Brooks, the latter of whom was intentionally left uncredited to avoid confusion from audiences who possibly would have expected a comedy. The screenplay was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore, and Eric Bergren from
Elephant (2003 film) second film in Van Sant's "Death Trilogy"—the first is "Gerry" (2002) and the third "Last Days" (2005)—all three of which are based on actual events. "Elephant" was generally praised by critics and received the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, in which Patrice Chéreau was the head of the jury. The film was controversial for its subject matter and allegations of influence on the Red Lake shootings. Mr. McFarland is driving erratically down a residential street on the way to drop off his son John. John notices damage to the car and realizes that his father is drunk,