Based on: Frederick Trevess The Elephant Man And Other Reminiscences (1923) and Ashley Montagus The Elephant Man: A Study In Human Dignity (1971) A tragic and eye-opening story so extraordinary that it's sometimes hard to take as fact, The Elephant Man details the life of Joseph Merrick (referred to as John in the film), a severely deformed man that is discovered being treated as a virtual slave by a travelling Victorian freak show. London surgeon Frederick Treve's comes across Merrick and, after realising his own mistreatment, eventually offers him shelter and a better, more respectable life. Other than the unflattering name and the hilariously absurd rumours you may know the man for (Michael Jackson didn't buy his bones), David Lynch's film tells the very true story of a man who, through no fault of his own, was treated as sub-human purely because of his appearance. A brilliant film by any means, David Lynch's work is bolstered considerably by a career-defining performance from John Hurt as Merrick, and you owe it to yourself to watch it if you haven't already. What other feature film adaptations of non-fiction do you adore that aren't listed here? Let us know in the comments below!
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
