The Elephant Man (1980) tells the story of John Merrick (John Hurt), a severely deformed man in Victorian-era London, saved from a freak show and brought into the care of Dr Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) at the London Hospital. The film was nominated for eight Oscars. Directed by David Lynch following his debut film Eraserhead, The Elephant Man is sometimes seen as an outlier in his career, but there are themes and motifs that appear throughout Lynch’s filmography. 

Screenwriter and journalist Jeff Jensen joins to discuss the film. Jeff wrote on the HBO series Watchmen, Disney’s Tomorrowland, and the Eisner-winning graphic novel, Green River Killer, as well as co-hosting Entertainment Weekly’s Twin Peaks podcast. 

Host: Jack McInroy

Guest: Jeff Jensen

Theme music: Harlow Family Group 

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