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| Anthony Hopkins | ... | Frederick Treves | |
| John Hurt | ... | John Merrick | |
| Anne Bancroft | ... | Mrs. Kendal | |
| John Gielgud | ... | Carr Gomm | |
| Wendy Hiller | ... | Mothershead | |
| Freddie Jones | ... | Bytes | |
| Michael Elphick | ... | Night Porter | |
| Hannah Gordon | ... | Mrs. Treves | |
| Helen Ryan | ... | Princess Alex | |
| John Standing | ... | Fox | |
| Dexter Fletcher | ... | Bytes' Boy | |
| Lesley Dunlop | ... | Nora | |
| Phoebe Nicholls | ... | Merrick's Mother | |
| Pat Gorman | ... | Fairground Bobby | |
| Claire Davenport | ... | Fat Lady | |
| Orla Pederson | ... | Skeleton Man | |
| Patsy Smart | ... | Distraught Woman | |
| Frederick Treves | ... | Alderman | |
| Stromboli | ... | Fire Eater | |
| Richard Hunter | ... | Hodges | |
| James Cormack | ... | Pierce | |
| Robert Lewis Bush | ... | Messenger (as Robert Bush) | |
| Roy Evans | ... | Cabman | |
| Joan Rhodes | ... | Cook | |
| Nula Conwell | ... | Nurse Kathleen | |
| Tony London | ... | Young Porter | |
| Alfie Curtis | ... | Milkman | |
| Bernadette Milnes | ... | 1st Fighting Woman | |
| Brenda Kempner | ... | 2nd Fighting Woman | |
| Carol Harrison | ... | Tart (as Carole Harrison) | |
| Hugh Manning | ... | Broadneck | |
| Dennis Burgess | ... | 1st Committee Man | |
| Fanny Carby | ... | Mrs. Kendal's Dresser | |
| William Morgan Sheppard | ... | Man In Pub (as Morgan Sheppard) | |
| Kathleen Byron | ... | Lady Waddington | |
| Gerald Case | ... | Lord Waddington | |
| David Ryall | ... | Man With Whores | |
| Deirdre Costello | ... | 1st Whore | |
| Pauline Quirke | ... | 2nd Whore | |
| Kenny Baker | ... | Plumed Dwarf | |
| Chris Greener | ... | Giant | |
| Marcus Powell | ... | Midget | |
| Gilda Cohen | ... | Midget | |
| Lesley Scoble | ... | Siamese Twin (as Lisa Scoble) | |
| Teri Scoble | ... | Siamese Twin | |
| Eiji Kusuhara | ... | Japanese Bleeder | |
| Robert Day | ... | Little Jim | |
| Patricia Hodge | ... | Screaming Mum | |
| Tommy Wright | ... | First Bobby | |
| Peter Davidson | ... | Second Bobby | |
| John Rapley | ... | King In Panto | |
| Hugh Spight | ... | Puss In Panto | |
| Teresa Codling | ... | Princess In Panto | |
| Marion Betzold | ... | Principal Boy | |
| Caroline Haigh | ... | Tree | |
| Florenzio Morgado | ... | Tree | |
| Victor Kravchenko | ... | Lion / Coachman | |
| Beryl Hicks | ... | Fairy | |
| Michele Amas | ... | Horse | |
| Lucie Alford | ... | Horse | |
| Penny Wright | ... | Horse | |
| Janie Kells | ... | Horse | |
| Lydia Lisle | ... | Merrick's Mother | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Eric Bergren | ... | Lyra Box Player #1 (uncredited) | |
| Adam Caine | ... | Kid at Train Station (uncredited) | |
| Christopher De Vore | ... | Lyra Box Player #2 (uncredited) | |
| Harry Fielder | ... | Police man (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| David Lynch | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Christopher De Vore | (screenplay) & | |
| Eric Bergren | (screenplay) & | |
| David Lynch | (screenplay) | |
| Sir Frederick Treves | book "The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences" and | |
| Ashley Montagu | book "The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity" | |
Produced by | |||
| Stuart Cornfeld | .... | executive producer | |
| Jonathan Sanger | .... | producer | |
| Mel Brooks | .... | executive producer (uncredited) | |
Original Music by | |||
| John Morris | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Freddie Francis | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Anne V. Coates | |||
Casting by | |||
| Maggie Cartier | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Stuart Craig | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Robert Cartwright | (as Bob Cartwright) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Hugh Scaife | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Patricia Norris | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Paula Gillespie | .... | hairdressing | |
| Stephanie Kaye | .... | hairdressing | |
| Beryl Lerman | .... | makeup artist | |
| Michael Morris | .... | makeup artist | |
| Wally Schneiderman | .... | makeup application: 'Elephant Man' | |
| Wally Schneiderman | .... | makeup supervisor | |
| Christopher Tucker | .... | makeup creator: 'Elephant Man' | |
| Christopher Tucker | .... | makeup designer: 'Elephant Man' | |
Production Management | |||
| Terence A. Clegg | .... | executive in charge of production | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Gerry Gavigan | .... | second assistant director | |
| Anthony Waye | .... | assistant director | |
Art Department | |||
| Reg Richards | .... | construction manager | |
| Terry Wells | .... | property master | |
| John Roberts | .... | set designer (uncredited) | |
| Adrian Start | .... | chargehand painter (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Robin Gregory | .... | sound mixer | |
| Peter Horrocks | .... | sound editor | |
| John Iles | .... | engineer: Dolby | |
| David Lynch | .... | sound designer | |
| Alan Splet | .... | sound designer | |
| Alan Splet | .... | special sound effects | |
| Doug E. Turner | .... | dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner) | |
| Terry Sharratt | .... | boom operator (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Graham Longhurst | .... | special effects | |
| Neil Corbould | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Paul Corbould | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
| Martin Gutteridge | .... | special effects supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Garth Inns | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Frank Connor | .... | still photographer | |
| Jim Dawes | .... | dolly grip | |
| Jerry Dunkley | .... | camera operator | |
| Roy Larner | .... | gaffer | |
| Wick Finch | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
| John Matthews | .... | best boy (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Tiny Nicholls | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Patrick Moore | .... | assistant editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Jack Hayes | .... | orchestrator | |
| John Morris | .... | conductor | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Brian Hathaway | .... | transportation | |
| Gerry Turner | .... | transportation | |
Other crew | |||
| Randy Auerbach | .... | researcher | |
| Ceri Evans | .... | continuity | |
| Graham Ford | .... | location manager | |
| Loretta Ordewer | .... | production secretary | |
| John Trehy | .... | production accountant | |
| Ellen Adolph | .... | manager of production accounting (uncredited) | |
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| The Elephant Man | From Hell | Johnny Got His Gun | Dead Ringers | Edvard Munch |
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If one was to turn on David Lynch's The Elephant Man midway through, without knowing what it was, one might be startled at the appearance of the main character. One might even be tempted to make fun of the character. But if one was to watch the film from the beginning, one's sympathy with John Merrick (John Hurt), 'The Elephant Man,' would be strong enough to deny that the former situation was ever a possibility. Lynch does not allow his audience to glimpse Merrick sans mask until his appearance has been built up substantially. When we the audience are at our zenith of anticipation, we see him-no dramatic music, no slow motion; a simple cut and he's there. There he is. And it's no big deal.
This is the beauty of Lynch's direction. We are led through our morbid curiosity at the same rate the characters in the film are. We develop alongside them. More specifically, we develop alongside Frederick Treeves, played with an astounding sublimity of emotion by Anthony Hopkins. Next to Treeves we pity Merrick, respect him, pity him again, and then ask ourselves with him, 'is he just a spectacle to me? Am I a bad person?'
Lynch certainly doesn't let us bypass this question easily. Are we bad people for being intrigued or are we good people for pitying? Certainly there is a mix of intrigue and pity with every character who first meets John, and we are not excluded. However, as with almost every character who truly comes to know John and confer with him, we learn to respect him as a human being and not as a spectacle. Nonetheless, this issue never finds close in the film, nor do I feel it ever can be closed in actual life. Hopkin's Treeves is never fully sated in how he feels about this dilemma, and so, neither can we be.
Technically, The Elephant Man is a beautifully shot film. In crisp black and white, the film recalls the cinematic technique of American cinema circa the 1930's. The scenes dissolve into one another; there is no brisk editing. The lighting is kept low-key during dark scenes, balanced during daytime scenes-this is standard film-making of the era. The one digression from this form are the distinctly Lynchian surrealities-pseudo-dream-sequences of commendably original imagery that break up the film and serve as distinct mood-setters for the audience. These are, for the most part, fairly intimidating sidenotes. We as an audience are caught off-guard because in these tangents we are not identifying with Treeves, we are put instead into Merrick's shoes. It is unsettling.
But Lynch has never been a director to flinch at unsettling prospects. We must watch Merrick beaten, abused, harassed, humiliated, and tormented. We may feel a surge of happiness when he finally stands up for himself, but by that point we still have to cope with what we've already, what he's already, experienced. I suppose that is the greatest and most devastating aspect of the film-empathy. Every moment is heartbreaking. Yet no matter how hard it gets, and how much better it then turns, there is always the threat of another jab. And those jabs only get more and more painful.
The Elephant Man is a perfect film. It is sorrowful but it apologizes not at all for it. It is a film about where our empathy stems from, a film that asks you to feel sorry but rebukes you for your blind pity. It asks you to respect Merrick, not cry for him. But you can't help crying. The Elephant Man is a film that treks you through despair and asks for your hope in the end. It asks you to hate humanity but to love the humane. It asks you to look at a man who appears sad and know that inside, he's okay.