Other Sellers on Amazon
98% positive over last 12 months
Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- Sorry, this item is not available in
- Image not available
- To view this video download Flash Player
The Elephant Man (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Return this item for free
Free returns are available for the shipping address you chose. You can return the item for any reason in new and unused condition: no shipping charges
Learn more about free returns.- Go to your orders and start the return
- Select the return method
- Ship it!
Purchase options and add-ons
Genre | Drama, Documentary/Biography |
Format | Blu-ray, Subtitled |
Contributor | David Lynch, John Standing, Freddie Jones, Jonathan Sanger, Anne Bancroft, Helen Ryan, John Gielgud, John Hurt, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, Anthony Hopkins See more |
Language | English |
Runtime | 123 minutes |
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may ship from close to you
- Eraserhead (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]Jack NanceBlu-rayFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
- Wild at Heart - Collector's Edition [Blu-ray]Nicolas CageBlu-ray35% offLimited time dealFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
- Blue Velvet (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]Isabella RosselliniBlu-rayFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
- The Magician (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]Max von SydowBlu-rayFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).
- David Lynch: The Art Life (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]David LynchBlu-rayFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
- Barry Lyndon (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]Ryan O'NealBlu-rayFREE Shipping on orders over $35 shipped by AmazonGet it as soon as Sunday, Mar 31
From the manufacturer
John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins star in David Lynch’s heartrending, visionary second feature
Newly restored and now on Blu-ray
With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well.
As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship.
Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch’s reputation as one of American cinema’s most visionary talents.
Director-Approved Special Edition Features
- New 4K digital restoration
- Director David Lynch and critic Kristine McKenna reading from "Room to Dream"
- Archival interviews with Lynch, actor John Hurt, producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger, and more
- Audio recording with Lynch at the American Film Institute
- And more
Product Description
With this poignant second feature, David Lynch brought his atmospheric visual and sonic palette to a notorious true story set in Victorian England. When the London surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) meets the freak-show performer John Merrick (John Hurt), who has severe skeletal and soft tissue deformities, he assumes that he must be intellectually disabled as well. As the two men spend more time together, though, Merrick reveals the intelligence, gentle nature, and profound sense of dignity that lie beneath his shocking appearance, and he and Treves develop a friendship. Shot in gorgeous black and white and boasting a stellar supporting cast that includes Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, and Wendy Hiller, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Academy Awards, cementing Lynch’s reputation as one of American cinema’s most visionary talents. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES • New 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack • Director David Lynch and critic Kristine McKenna reading from Room to Dream, a 2018 book they coauthored • Archival interviews with Lynch, actor John Hurt, producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger, director of photography Freddie Francis, stills photographer Frank Connor, and makeup artist Christopher Tucker • Audio recording from 1981 of an interview and Q&A with Lynch at the American Film Institute • The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed, a 2001 documentary about the film • Trailer and radio spots • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • More • PLUS: A booklet featuring excerpts from an interview with Lynch from the 2005 edition of filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s book Lynch on Lynch, and an 1886 letter to the editor of the London Times concerning Joseph Merrick, the “elephant man,” by Francis Culling Carr Gomm, chairman of the London Hospital at the time.
Product details
- MPAA rating : PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
- Product Dimensions : 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 3.53 ounces
- Audio Description: : English
- Item model number : BR3188
- Director : David Lynch
- Media Format : Blu-ray, Subtitled
- Run time : 123 minutes
- Release date : September 29, 2020
- Actors : Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt
- Subtitles: : English
- Producers : Jonathan Sanger
- Studio : The Criterion Collection
- ASIN : B08B8C9QMY
- Country of Origin : USA
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,892 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #362 in Drama Blu-ray Discs
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
Videos for this product
1:52
Click to play video
The Elephant Man - clip
The Criterion Collection
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Lynch is a master filmmaker who knows how to use the power of cinema to convey the inner lives of his characters in a way that few can match. He begins with the now-disproven theory of maternal impression, which Merrick’s mother blamed for his condition. Though a fallacy, it represents both her psychological state and sets up the concept of duality, with pseudoscience balanced against Treves’ more humanistic and compassionate methods. Similarly, the black-and-white photography captures the highs and lows of Victorian England, a culture of great progress that came at great expense, such as the machine accident that Treves treats early on. Merrick himself exposes this duality when he proclaims, “I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human begin! I am a man!”
Like all Criterion Collection features, this includes extensive bonus features such as Lynch and Kristine McKenna reading from a book they co-authored, archival interviews, a 2001 documentary about the film, a 2005 documentary about Joseph Merrick, and a booklet with extensive production notes.
Performances are wonderful, particularly those of Sir Anthony Hopkins and the late, great John Hurt in the title role. Also look for a great supporting performance from Anne Bancroft, wife of In Cognito Executive Producer Mel Brooks.
This is probably one of the better films by David Lynch. While he couldn't resist putting his surrealist touches at the beginning and end as bookends, the majority of the film is much more comprehendable than his other films. He brings out great performances and does a great job portraying the East End of London during the latter half of the 19th century.
Criterion did another excellent job with the Blu-ray release. Although the film is in Black&white, the contrast is excellent and picture is incredibly sharp. No flecks or scratches anywhere. Sound is really good too. There are no Chapter breaks in the film, but that is at the insistence of the director, Lynch. Nice behind the scenes features as well.
Highly recommend this Blu-ray release. Both for the film itself and the presentation.
Nothing I've read about David Lynch's "The Elephant Man," however - including in these reviews on amazon - has ever seemed to address the ambiguity of the moving ending, which has baffled and nagged at me now for four decades. In short, did John Merrick commit suicide at the end by deliberately asphyxiating himself upon lying on his back and his heavy head, having experiencing the ultimate happiness he thought he could attain? Or was it purely an accident, in a moment of blissful forgetfulness after an enchanting evening?
What do other viewers think?