John Merrick: I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!
Happy 70th birthday to director, David Lynch!!!
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The Elephant Man was a 1980 movie based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London. It starred John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. The movie was shot in black-and-white, and was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Actor in a Leading Role (John Hurt), but did not win any.
The film was produced by Mel Brooks and directed by David Lynch. Brooks made sure that his name was not used in the marketing and promotion of the film because he did not want fans to expect that the film would be a comedy. He was so impressed with David Lynch’s first film Eraserhead, that he had him direct The Elephant Man.
Another interesting fact about the movie is that John Hurt’s makeup was made from casts of Merrick’s body, which had been preserved in the private museum of the Royal London Hospital. The Academy had refused to give a special award to the makeup artist, Christopher Tucker. They then received a barrage of complaints, so they went on to to create a new category for Best Make-up for the Oscars.
Here is the movie trailer:
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