The Elephant Man poster

The Elephant Man (1980)

Film · 2h 4m · Rated PG

Drama

A Victorian surgeon discovers a man of intelligence and sensitivity behind a monstrous facade, revealing an intimate, bleak history.

Melancholy. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is devastating. Based on true events.

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The Elephant Man parents guide

Moderate sex and nudity, and light gore, which is more than most PG titles carry. Beyond that, mild language and nothing scary.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Some violence
Some fighting or peril.
Sex and nudity
Moderate
Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.
Language
Mild
Mild words like damn, hell or crap.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

How gory is The Elephant Man?
Light gore and some violence.
What is The Elephant Man rated, and is it OK for kids?
It is rated PG, but it runs warmer than that: moderate sex and nudity. Know your kid.

What is The Elephant Man about?

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.

Cast and crew

Directed byDavid Lynch
StarringAnthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.