Director David Lynch's striking black-and-white drama tells the emotional true story of John Merrick (named Joseph in real life), whose monstrous skull and hideous deformities cast him as a freak known as "the Elephant Man" in Victorian London. John Hurt shines in the title role, and Anthony Hopkins is the compassionate doctor who helps Merrick to be seen as the kind and intelligent man he truly is. With Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller. 123 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack English. Two-disc set. Region Free