The Elephant Man
The Elephant Man is a 1980 historical drama film loosely based on the life of Joseph Merrick (named "John" in the film), a severely deformed man who lived in London in the late 19th century. A co-production between the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was directed by David Lynch, produced by Jonathan Sanger, and executive produced by Mel Brooks (who was uncredited, to avoid audiences anticipating the film being in the vein of his comedic works, although his company Brooksfilms is in the opening credits). It stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones.
Plot
Frederick Treves, a surgeon at the London Hospital, finds John Merrick in a Victorian freak show in London's East End, where he is kept by Mr. Bytes, the brutish ringmaster. Merrick's head is kept hooded outside of shows, and Bytes, who views him as intellectually disabled due to his muteness, is paid by Treves to have him brought to the hospital for examination.