As preservation dwindles, those who continue to offer physical editions of films are going to be hailed as heroes. It’s not just that a movie in the digital era can get lost amid the various digital streamers, it’s that, sometimes, when a movie is out of print physically, it doesn’t always come back. This was once the case with filmmaker David Lynch’s (Lost Highway; Eraserhead) second film, The Elephant Man (1980), and it’s previously released Criterion Collection special edition. However, before his passing in 2025, Lynch worked with StudioCanal in 2020 to develop a 4K restoration for the 40th anniversary, and that’s now newly-available to own in the U.S. via a brand-new Criterion Collection 4K Blu-ray combo edition with the previously available supplemental materials from the OOP Criterion edition and the BFI anniversary edition.
Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Frederick Treves in THE ELEPHANT MAN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
On the streets of London, Doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) comes across a carnival show in which the operator, Bytes (Freddie Jones), declares to have an elephant man in his collection of freakshow oddities. Upon seeing the man, Dr. Treves makes a deal with Bytes to first, examine the young man, and, second, to present him to his medical colleagues. Eventually, Dr. Treves discovers that this young man, John Merrick (John Hurt), is not the dumb mute Bytes believes him to be, but an empathic, soulful, intelligent individual in dire need of removal from the carnival. However, in trying to work with John, Dr. Treves inadvertently moves him from one sideshow to another as John’s celebrity among the general public grows and worse terrible treatment befalls him.
The following 4K UHD home release review is based on a retail copy provided by The Criterion Collection.
First things first, if you already picked up the Region B BFI 40th Anniversary edition, you don’t need to pick up this version. Between the inclusion of the new-to-that-2020-edition interviews with stills photographer Frank Connor (2019) and BFI Q&A with producer Jonathan Sanger (2018), as well as the StudioCanal logo that opens the film when played, one can safely presume that this Criterion 4K UHD edition is a combination of the BFI 40th anniversary edition and the OOP prior edition Criterion released. Consider this a “best of both worlds” as it includes the previously released materials, both on-disc and off, from the previous Criterion edition, along with the two new on-disc materials – though it does not include all the same supplemental materials as accompanied the BFI version. So, again, if you already have the BFI 40th Anniversary edition, picking up this version is likely unnecessary.
John Hurt as John Merrick in THE ELEPHANT MAN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Secondly, from a technical perspective, the 4K UHD restoration absolutely dazzles. At its lowest bitrate, it hits the mid-80 in Mbps and, at its highest, the low-100s. (Bear in mind that a Blu-ray maxes at 40 Mbps and a 4K UHD maxes at 128 Mbps.) There are a few moments in which the bitrate drops heavily, but that’s typically in all or mostly black sequences. Additionally, my 4K UHD player registered the disc as a 4K SDR, not UHD, which is odd considering that Criterion is advertising it as a UHD disc, implying that some form of dynamic range is applied to the color, even being monochromatic. Despite this bit of confusion, each image is pristine with sharp details and there’s clear distinction of action and activity, whether a scene is in darkness or light. One won’t get an apparent boost from UHD in a monochrome image due to the absence of color, instead, the enhancement is apparent in the way we notice more detail (such as the fabric on a nurse’s uniform shoulder or small aspects of the makeup application to create John’s face). If the last time you watched The Elephant Man, was on VHS, such as with this reviewer, then you’re going to be blown away by the vast leap in detail and presentation, making the already beautiful story of humanity even more so.
If past 4K UHD re-releases are any indication, then this 4K UHD edition of The Elephant Man follows the same packaging style as the now OOP edition. The outside packaging is a thin-cardboard slidecase featuring the masked John Merrick in a sketch style mimicking John’s own on the front with the title, and the back containing the usual release information. Inside the slidecase is a digipak that has an artistic representation of Dr. Treves on the front and Bytes on the back. Tucked inside is the booklet with release and restoration information, cast and crew listing, film stills, and two previously-available essays. Stored in a two-disc holder is the 4K UHD disc and Blu-ray disc, each identified with their respective format name, though the 4K UHD disc separates itself by featuring a plume of smoke.
Packshot for The Criterion Collection’s 4K UHD edition of THE ELEPHANT MAN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
It’s a funny thing to revisit any film. Even though the work is static, the perception by which it’s received is not. In this case, in the time since seeing the film in school (high school and undergrad), the way I receive the film is quite different. It’s fascinating to notice how Lynch presents John to us — first through the perspective of Bytes, then of Dr. Treves, and, only after the medical community has had a good look, do we actually see John, and it’s when a he screams because a nurse has come into his hospital room and starts losing it at looking at him. A different director would show us John early and frequently, but Lynch’s choice to defer the reveal it isn’t about delayed gratification but is about treating John as a person. Specifically, to have us see John as part of the sideshow or even during the medical presentation would have us akin to the very individuals who have paid to see the “freak.” Except John is not a “freak,” he’s a gentle soul who’s been abused over and over due to a physical deformity he was born with, treated as an abomination instead of as an individual as deserving of respect as any other. For those who’ve sat with the film in any way, Lynch unsurprisingly pours so much humanity into the film that, even when we’re meant to feel badly for Dr. Treves as he begins to wonder whether or not he’s as bad as the others who’ve benefited from John’s existence, we realize that that John learned to advocate for himself and does exactly that with Dr. Treves who, unmistakably, outside of head nurse Mothershead (Wendy Hiller) and head of hospital Carr Gomm (John Gielgud), is the only person with whom John engages for the duration of the film that talks with him as a person. There’s some judgmental leeway afforded to actress Madge Kendall (Anne Bancroft) who grows interested in John as a commodity (first) but swiftly sees him for who he is and not for the social sensation the rest of high society sees him as. John remains the central figure and one for whom Lynch presents profound love and respect for. A lesser director would lean into the defects while Lynch always shows us the man.
A scene from THE ELEPHANT MAN. Photo courtesy of The Criterion Collection.
Ultimately, the decision to pick this up should really come down to two things: whether you already have the BFI Region B edition and/or whether you already have the OOP edition? If the answer to both is “no” and you’re a fan of the film, this is the edition to pick up. Like most Criterion Collection releases, the 4K UHD disc bitrate is high, denoting the care to ensure that the best possible on-disc presentation is provided. This version was approved by Lynch by way of his work with StudioCanal, which the booklet confirms, so you know that he was happy with the final presentation. It also combines all the available special features into one place. If getting it at full price is a concern, there are sales through Criterion several times a year to snag something at a discount and Barnes & Noble is having its biannual 50% sale until the 26th of July, of which this title is included. With all of these reasons, if you’re thinking about adding it to your collection, you won’t regret the purchase.
The Elephant Man 4K UHD Blu-ray Special Features:
- 4K digital restoration, with uncompressed stereo soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Director David Lynch and critic Kristine McKenna reading from Room to Dream, a 2018 book they coauthored
- Archival interviews with Lynch, actor John Hurt, producers Mel Brooks and Jonathan Sanger, director of photography Freddie Francis, stills photographer Frank Connor, and makeup artist Christopher Tucker
- Audio recording from 1981 of an interview and Q&A with Lynch at the American Film Institute
- The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed, a 2001 documentary about the film
- Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man, a 2005 program featuring archivist Jonathan Evans
- Trailer and radio spots
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: Excerpts from an interview with Lynch from the 2005 edition of filmmaker and writer Chris Rodley’s book Lynch on Lynch, and an 1886 letter to the editor of the London Times concerning Merrick by Francis Culling Carr Gomm, chairman of the London HospitalCover by Drusilla Adeline/Sister Hyde
Available on 4K Blu-ray Combo Edition and Blu-ray July 7th, 2026.
For more information, head to the official The Criterion Collection The Elephant Man webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews
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