The Elephant Man
1980 · 124 min · Director: David Lynch
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.
Emotional fingerprint
The Elephant Man (1980) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 35%, Sadness 25%, Hope 15%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy35%
- Sadness25%
- Hope15%
- Melancholy15%
- Guilt10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Sadness, Hope. Genres: Drama, History. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Sadness and Hope. Its IMDb rating of 8.2/10 suggests a strong audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 74/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Relief
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Disturbing
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Relief
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Relief |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Disturbing | 52 % | 43 % | 28 % | 7 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 16′ | Disturbing | 54 % | 49 % | 34 % | 9 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Empathy | 59 % | 56 % | 41 % | 11 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 28′ | Empathy | 63 % | 60 % | 45 % | 15 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 34′ | Empathy | 63 % | 60 % | 44 % | 19 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 40′ | Empathy | 64 % | 59 % | 38 % | 21 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Tension | 64 % | 57 % | 30 % | 29 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 53′ | Empathy | 68 % | 65 % | 39 % | 39 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 59′ | Empathy | 78 % | 78 % | 59 % | 39 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 65′ | Empathy | 78 % | 78 % | 60 % | 30 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 71′ | Empathy | 68 % | 65 % | 45 % | 19 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 78′ | Tension | 65 % | 59 % | 34 % | 24 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 84′ | Relief | 73 % | 65 % | 35 % | 35 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 90′ | Disturbing | 81 % | 70 % | 48 % | 21 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 96′ | Tension | 81 % | 66 % | 49 % | 16 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 102′ | Tension | 79 % | 68 % | 48 % | 36 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 109′ | Empathy | 83 % | 76 % | 51 % | 51 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 115′ | Empathy | 83 % | 78 % | 43 % | 55 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 121′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Rags to riches
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about The Elephant Man. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Nora
Fairground Bobby
Fat Lady
Skeleton Man
Alderman
Fire Eater
Hodges
Details
- Directed by
- David Lynch
- Written by
- David Lynch, Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergren, Ashley Montagu, Frederick Treves
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1980
- Runtime
- 124 min
- Country
- United States of America
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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