The Elephant Man (film) use of the title. "The Elephant Man" was met with critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds a 90% rating, based on 42 reviews, with an average score of 8.4/10. The site's 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." Vincent Canby wrote: "Mr. Hurt is truly remarkable. It can't be easy to act under such a heavy mask ... the physical production is beautiful, especially Freddie Francis's black-and-white photography." A small number of critics were less
The True History of the Elephant Man exhibitions. Monagu's book inspired numerous dramatic works about Merrick, notably a 1979 play by Bernard Pomerance and a 1980 film by David Lynch. Between these two works, Michael Howell and Peter Ford published their "True History". In a book review for "Medical History", medical historian Roy Porter called the book "well-researched and level-headed — easily the best offering in this year of the elephant man." and noted the new material on the topic introduced by the authors. Reviewing for "Postgraduate Medical Journal", M. J. Arnold praised the book, calling it "a comprehensive account ... of the complex interrelationships between Joseph