Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 13 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
The Elephant Man
1980
· Movie
· 124 min
A
MEANRANK
84/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #166
- IMDb #150
- Google retired #826
- Rotten Tomatoes #338
- Metacritic #350
- Letterboxd #101
+9 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #927
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #234
- Metacritic Critics #837
- Metacritic Audience #74
- Criticker #178
- Douban #439
- Kinopoisk #164
- AlloCiné #54
- Trakt #249
Every rating
71–93
out of 100
Mostly agreed
Lowest is Criticker on 71, highest is Rotten Tomatoes viewers on 93.
See the most agreed on films →A Victorian surgeon discovers a severely deformed man being mistreated and exploited as a circus sideshow attraction. He rescues him and offers him refuge in the London Hospital, giving him his first experience with kindness and dignity. The man's gentle intelligence emerges, challenging the prejudices of those who see him only as a monster.
Details
- Director
- David Lynch
- Writers
- Christopher De Vore, David Lynch, Eric Bergren
- Studio
- Brooksfilms, EMI Films
- Released
- 9 October 1980
- Country
- United States, United Kingdom
- Language
- English, French
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Rated
- PG
- Budget
- $5.0M
- Box office
- $26.0M
- Awards
- 6 wins, 18 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (83) →
Awards & nominations
See all 24 →1 major award won · 6 wins from 24 nominations across 8 ceremonies
| César Awards 1982 | Best Foreign Film | David Lynch | Winner |
| Grammy Awards 1982 | Best Soundtrack Album | John Morris | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Actor | John Hurt | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Adapted Screenplay | David Lynch, Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Art Direction | Stuart Craig, Robert Cartwright & Hugh Scaife | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Costume Design | Patricia Norris | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Film Editing | Anne V. Coates | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 1981 | Best Original Score | John Morris | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
Five great biopics, ranked: when a life becomes a film
Raging Bull, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List, The Social Network and Oppenheimer—judged for the choices they make, and the lives they leave outside the frame.
8 October 2026
Leonardo DiCaprio's films, ranked—and the performances inside them
Twenty-one selected films, with a closer look at the acting: comic timing, self-invention, wounded authority and the effort that sometimes shows.
30 September 2026
Christian films worth watching: conscience, Scripture, prayer and their costs
Sixteen films, with different starting points for biblical storytelling, difficult questions of faith and direct devotional encouragement.
30 September 2026
The most popular film genres? What the ratings actually show
Drama leads the total, but volume, a typical film’s attention and average score tell different stories.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — The Elephant Man
×Full cast — The Elephant Man
×
24 awards — The Elephant Man
×
César Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Foreign Film | David Lynch | Winner |
Academy Awards
8 nominations
| Best Actor | John Hurt | Nominee |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | David Lynch, Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren | Nominee |
| Best Art Direction | Stuart Craig, Robert Cartwright & Hugh Scaife | Nominee |
| Best Costume Design | Patricia Norris | Nominee |
| Best Director | David Lynch | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Anne V. Coates | Nominee |
| Best Original Score | John Morris | Nominee |
| Best Picture | Jonathan Sanger | Nominee |
Golden Globe Awards
4 nominations
| Best Actor – Drama | John Hurt | Nominee |
| Best Director | David Lynch | Nominee |
| Best Motion Picture – Drama | Jonathon Sanger | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | Eric Bergren | Nominee |
Directors Guild of America Awards
1 nomination
| Outstanding Directing | David Lynch | Nominee |
Grammy Awards
1 nomination
| Best Soundtrack Album | John Morris | Nominee |
British Academy Film Awards
7 nominations, 3 won
| Best Actor | John Hurt | Winner |
| Best Film | Jonathon Sanger | Winner |
| Best Production Design | Stuart Craig | Winner |
| Best Cinematography | Freddie Francis | Nominee |
| Best Direction | David Lynch | Nominee |
| Best Editing | Anne V. Coates | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | David Lynch, Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren | Nominee |
Belgian Film Critics Association
1 nomination, 1 won
| Grand Prix | David Lynch | Winner |
British Society of Cinematographers Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Cinematography | Freddie Francis | Winner |