Elephant Man (original title: The Elephant Man ) is a British – American film directed by David Lynch and released in 1980 .
This black and white film is a fictionalized adaptation of the memoirs of Frederick Treves , the doctor who took over Joseph Merrick , nicknamed ” Elephant Man ” because of his many deformities. In the film, the character bears the name “John” Merrick, according to the wrong name in the memories of Treves.