i'll join you shortly.
forgive me.
how long has this man been here?
mmmm. hodges, pierce come closer. mr. hill, take hold of the rope please. it's a machine accident. i expect you'll be seeing a good deal of this.
abominable things these machines. one can't reason with them.
what got you into medicine, hodges?
is that your case as well, pierce?
of course you do realize that medicine has changed quite a bit since your father's time. in those days we didn't even wash our coats. in fact, the sign of a truly accomplished surgeon-- was his black operating coat, so stiff with dried blood and pus that it could stand up by itself in the corner. i've still got mine upstairs.  you don't mind blood, do you?
good, that's one thing we've always plenty of.
yes?
did you see it?
i'll be with you in a moment .
oh nothing.  nothing of any great importance.
do you know where the proprietor is?
are you the proprietor?
just one of the curious. i'd like to see it.
i'd pay handsomely for a private showing. are you the proprietor?
pardon me?
so you'll bring him to me, tomorrow, 10:00 a.m.? mr?
i'll send a cab. here is my card.
i'll be in my rooms, mothershead. i'm not to be disturbed.
come with me, please.
my name is frederick treves.  i am a surgeon here at the london hospital, and i lecture in anatomy at the medical college.  i would very much like to examine you. would that be all right?
ah.  yes. um, first i would like to ask you a few questions, would that be all right?
good. now, let's see. your owner.  um, the man who.  who looks after you tells me that you are english and your name is john merrick. is that correct?
do you know where you were born? where you come from?
i tell you what, i'll ask you a question, and you shake your head like this for "no" and nod like this for "yes", alright? do you understand?
are you in any pain?
um, no. just nod your head like this for "yes" and shake it like this for "no". now, are you in any pain?
are your parents still alive?
do you understand? are they dead? your father.  your mother?
you'll know presently. at the meeting of the society. but until then, i beg of you fox, keep it to yourself.
i don't know what i've got.
i'll tell you this much, fox, it's beyond anything you or i have ever dealt with. keep it to yourself, please.
come sit down.
sit.  down.
i think i'll examine you now. i'll save the questions for later.  will you take off your hat now, please?
don't be frightened, i simply want to look at you. do you understand?
that's right, don't be frightened. don't be frightened.
are you ready?
go ahead.
he is english, he is twenty-one years of age and his name is john merrick. gentlemen, in the course of my profession i have come upon lamentable deformities of the face due to injury or disease, as well as mutilations and contortions of the body, depending upon like causes; but, at no time have i met with such a dreaded or perverted version of a human being as this man. i wish to draw your attention to the insidious conditions affecting this patient. note, if you will, the extreme enlargement of the skull.  and upper limb, which is totally useless. the alarming curvature of the spine.  turn him, please.  the looseness of the skin, and the varying fibrous tumors that cover 90% of the body.
and there is every indication that these afflictions have been in existence, and have progressed rapidly, since birth. the patient also suffers from chronic bronchitis. as an interesting side-note, in spite of the afore-mentioned anomalies, the patient's genitals remain entirely intact and unaffected.
so then, gentlemen, owing to this series of deformities: the congenital exostoses of the skull; extensive papillomatous growths and large pendulous masses in connection with the skin; the great enlargement of the right upper limb, involving all the bones; the massive distortion of the head and the extensive areas covered by papillomatous growth, the patient has been called, "the elephant man."
hmm?
hmm?
it's been a long day for everyone.
oh, yes, you'll need a cab.  stay.
come with me.
he's imbecile, no doubt from birth. he speaks, but.  it's all gibberish. no, the man's a homeless idiot.  i pray god he's an idiot.
yes, very well, i think. are the girls in bed?
no, i think a whiskey.
what is it?
i'll get my bag.
what do you mean?
i intend to.
what happened?
he must have taken quite a fall.
why is he sitting up like this? he needs rest.
this man belongs in hospital.
you listen, you're not going to have much of a livelihood if this man dies. he's got the rale, he's very weak, and i don't know how much damage has been done by his "fall". now stop wasting time and fetch a cab.
everything will be seen to.
i don't know if you will understand this, but you will never go back to that man again. you're safe now. no one will ever harm you. do you understand?
it's for a patient.
good morning, sir.
it's quite nutritious, sir.
don't be frightened. he won't hurt you.
no sir, he's got bronchitis and he's been badly beaten.
well sir, he's quite seriously deformed, and i fear the other patients would find him.  rather shocking.
yes sir.
yes, i'm well aware of that. but this case is quite exceptional.
no, more of an acquaintance.
yes sir, i'll look into that. would you like to meet him sir?
excuse me, sir.
i'm sorry, my dear, i should have warned you. i'm so terribly sorry, please forgive me. there, you're alright now. go downstairs and please ask mrs. mothershead to come up. tell her to knock on the door and wait for me. alright?
i'm very sorry about that. are you resting well?
ah good. well then.  oh yes, we'll have to get you some more food. i'm sure you must be simply famished. hmm?
of course you are. now then, i think you'll be quite comfortable up here for awhile. i'll see to it you have everything you need, and, uh.  yes.
ah, mothershead. how are you feeling today?
good. excellent. now then, mrs. mothershead, i want you to come into this room with me. inside there is a man with a rather.  unfortunate appearance.
yes.  well, i want you to clear up a little mess, a breakfast tray was spilt. and bring up another breakfast. when you've done that, you and i shall give the man a bath. but, mothershead, i'm counting on your many years of experience to get you through this, above all, do not scream, do not cry out, or in any way show this man that you are frightened of him.
yes.  yes, let's go in.
i would like you to meet mrs. mothershead - mrs. mothershead, mr. john merrick.
the disease is shocking.
i wonder how far it can go before it.
it's pretty certain that if he had the disease as a child, he was abandoned. but in that case, he'd have to have had care. the very fact that he's alive bears that out.  but, where?
yes! the workhouse!
the workhouse.
good morning, charley. i'll keep that in mind!
mr. merrick?
good morning.  john. i've brought your breakfast.
what are you doing down there? come up john, come up on the bed. the cold floor is bad for you. i won't hurt you, come on now.
you must eat. we must keep your strength.
what on earth is the matter with you?
now please, john, you must do as i say. come up from there.
not quite yet, mrs. mothershead. there seems to be some difficulty this morning.
no, he's very upset about something.
no! don't pull at him like that. we don't want to frighten him more than he already is.
he's had his share of "smacks", mothershead. i expect that's what drives him under the bed. we must use patience and understanding with this man.
what good am i to you?
what is my purpose? . it's so important that i understand you. i want to help you, i want to be your doctor.  but i can't help you unless you help me, unless i know what you are feeling. i believe there's something back there, there's something you want to say, but i've got to understand you. do you understand me?
no! you are going to talk to me! we are going to show them! we're going to show them that you're not a wall. we are going to talk! do you understand? nod your head if you understand me!
you do understand me! you understand. now you're going to say it. i've got to hear how you say things. now, very slowly, say "yes."
"yes."
yes john!
yyyess.
that's much better. i could understand that "yes".
very good! oh yes! now listen. i'm going to say some things to you and i want you to repeat them.  um.  i want you to say them back to me. do you understand? i'm going to say some things to you and i want you to say them back to me. do you understand?
excellent! now, say.  "hello"
my name is.
john merrick.
say "merrick".
say "mmmerrick."
say "mmmerrick."
well, that's alright. i understand you. now, say the whole thing again, hello .
come in.
why, my dear mrs. mothershead, how good of you to join us. mr. merrick, will you please introduce yourself?
we've made tremendous strides today, mothershead. he listens and repeats with great attention, and this certainly isn't easy for him.
i'm sure that if mr. merrick made a good impression on the hospital committee they'd see that he's the exception to their rule. now i'm not expecting miracles. i'm not saying he'll be able to read or write, but i do think that i can get him to speak for himself. i'm going to arrange things with carr gomm right now. that was very good, john, very good. that's all for today. we shall do some more tomorrow. mothershead?
i'll see you soon.
ah, no sir. i had planned to see them in the morning.
he's doing very well. in fact that's why i came to see you. i think that if i were to present mr. merrick to the hospital committee, then they would have a chance to see for themselves not only the extraordinary nature of the disease, but of the man as well. if the committee had a chance to speak with him, hear him say a few words for himself, i'm sure they would see him as a patient, rather than as a violation of the rules.
well sir, perhaps i should explain.
i don't agree. no one can make a reasonable decision about this man's future without at least meeting him. no doctor would presume to diagnose a patient he had never met.
then will you meet him, as a representative of the committee.
just a moment, how did you get in here?
he's still very sick. please come downstairs with me. i'll explain the situation.
you misunderstood. this man suffered a severe fall, if you take my meaning. he's my patient now and i must do what.
i know what you've done to him and he's never going back to that.
all you do is profit from another man's misery!
you don't own this man!
so you can beat him? so you can starve him? a dog in the street would fare better with you!
now i think we really do understand one another.
thank you very much sir. shall we say in a few days then?
wh.  whatever is most convenient for you, sir.
yes, sir.
two o'clock?
i shouldn't be. we made great progress today. i taught him to repeat a few basic phrases. he did rather well, too, but i had to lead him every step of the way. though frankly, at times i was unsure of who was leading whom.
well, i wasn't sure whether he was parroting me because that's all he was capable of, or whether he sensed that that's all i wanted to hear, and he was trying to please me.
he is. i mean, i've always thought he was. i think he must be. is he simple? or is that just something i've wished upon him to make things simpler for myself?
i don't know. i can't explain it. if this is an intelligent man, trapped in the body of a monster, then i'm under a moral obligation to help free that mind, free that spirit as best i can, to help him live as full and content a life as possible. but! if he's an imbecile, who's body i can't treat and who's mind i can't touch, well, then my obligation is discharged. they can put him where they will; he won't be bothered, i won't be bothered, and everyone's conscience can remain free and untroubled. and that is my dilemma.  what is in his mind?
and what qualities are those? intelligence or stupidity?
i'm sorry.  i don't know either. i just don't know.
i've only got until two o'clock tomorrow afternoon, when carr gomm meets him. somehow, between now and then i've got to make john merrick at least seem like an intelligent man.  why am i fooling myself? nothing short of john delivering the sermon on the mount is going to sway carr gomm.
righteousness.
very good, very good. now, when your visitor comes today i want you to say it exactly the way you said it just now. i will introduce him to you and you will say the words you've learned. if you have any trouble with any of the words, i'll help you. i'm sure you'll be just fine. if you do as well for him as you've done for me these last two days, then i'm sure our visitor will be very pleased. now, let's go through the whole thing again, shall we? i will say "may i introduce you to mr. carr gomm." and you will say.
it's only a physical problem. he has trouble with certain sounds because of the constrictive deformity of the mouth. but he can talk, and has a great eagerness to make contact with people who will let him. so if you have any difficulty understanding what he is saying, just tell me and i'll make it clear.
as i said, it's only a physical problem.  but i do feel that mr. merrick is very flattered that you're taking the time and trouble to meet him, and he's most anxious to make a good impression, so he might seem rather nervous.
yes, i spoke to both the british home and royal hospital for incurables. i'm afraid that they weren't very encouraging, but they said they'd bring it up at their next committee meeting, so we should have their answers shortly.
john, may i introduce you to sir carr gomm.
mr. merrick likes the food here. don't you john?
and what was that, john?
yes potatoes.  but.
thank you, john. you did very well.
yes, i'm very sorry to have wasted your time, sir. i just felt that i had to do anything i could to protect him.
i didn't teach him that part!
how did you, know the rest? i never taught you the rest of it.
tell me, john, how did you know the rest of the 23rd psalm?
i'll be right back.
of course, sir. thank you, thank you very much.
not me, sir. mr. merrick. he succeeded in spite of my shortsightedness.
why did you let me go on like that, teaching you what you already knew? why didn't you tell me you could read?
i never thought to ask. how can you ever forgive me?
we do have a lot to talk about, don't we?
yes, i think i can.
i could easily arrange.
well, yes.
do you think they'll go along with us?
no, we don't. their committees have informed me that they're unwilling to take mr. merrick, even if they were supplied with funds. they don't want him.
due to the progressive nature of the disease, i feel sure that the patient does not have much longer to live.
forgive the redundancy, gentlemen, but there is no other place for him. both the royal hospital and the british home have turned him down even if sufficient funds for his care were provided. the workhouse is certainly out of the question. the patient has an overwhelming fear of returning to the horrors of his past. his appearance is so disturbing that all shrink from him. he cannot, in justice to others, be put in the general ward of the workhouse. the police rightly prevent his being exhibited, and he is mobbed in the streets wherever he goes. what is to be done with him?
gentlemen, john merrick is not an animal, he is a man, fully aware of his condition. an intelligent, sensitive, literate man, with an intimate knowledge of the bible. his horrible infirmities do not reduce him to anything less than what he is, a man; and it would be criminal if we of the london hospital, his final refuge, the last place on earth where this man can find peace, were to cast him out.
excuse me gentlemen. i seem to have lost my appetite. good evening.
good evening. how are you feeling?
very well, thank you. i have something for you, john. i'm sure you'll enjoy it, it's very popular.
i came to tell you that i'll be here early tomorrow morning. we're moving you to your permanent home. i'm sure you'll be very happy there, john. so get a good night's rest, there'll be new people to meet tomorrow. good night.
this is your new home, john.
yes.
of course! what did you think?
i promise you. you will never see the inside of that horrible place again. you will never, ever go back to the workhouse.  or that man. it's a splendid room, don't you think?
has the response picked up?
but he's so afraid he's going to be carted off. i've promised him that won't happen.
please do.
you look splendid, john.
when one is invited to tea, one must look one's best.
make yourself comfortable, john.
come and meet our quest, my love.
john merrick, i'd like you to meet my wife, anne treves.
john.  what's the matter? john.  why are you upset?
yes, a cup of tea would go nicely.
john.  would you like to see the rest of the house?
come with me, john. i'll show it to you.
john loves the house.
yes, we do have a lot of room. but you should see the place on weekends, when i see patients here. sometimes there are so many, we have to set them down wherever we can. in fact, mrs. treves sometimes says that the only room she can call her own is the bedroom.
that's a canopy, john.
how is your tea, john?
not at all, john.
oh yes.
oh, our relatives.  the children.
of course.
oh, they're gone for the day.  with friends.
yes.
your mother?
good morning, john.
john, there's someone here who would like to meet you. would that be alright?
john, i'd like you to meet one of the brightest lights of the british stage, mrs. kendal. mrs. kendal, john merrick.
i regret that i must leave you here, m' lord, m' lady. thank you so much for coming. it was an act of the greatest charity.
incredible, isn't it? well, i think john has had enough visitors for one day, mothershead. i've got a lecture at the college, i'll be back this evening.
oh?.  well, quickly please, mothershead, i'm overdue.
now mothershead, you have to understand that this is very good for john. he relishes contact with people outside the hospital.
aren't you being just a little harsh, mothershead? you yourself hardly treated john with much loving kindness when he first arrived.
you're right, mothershead, please forgive me.  of course, i appreciate everything you've done for john, and i'm glad that you are concerned about his welfare. but, i'm the physician in charge and i must do what i think best. i'm also very late, so please forgive me.
never, oh! never, nothing will die. the stream flows the wind blows the heart beats nothing will die.
yes, john?
no john, i can't. i can care for you, but i can't cure you.
john?
are you looking for me, sister?
the cathedral is coming along nicely.
how blind of me. is there anything else, john, anything at all that i could get for you?
please john, it would give me so much pleasure to give you something. something just for yourself. isn't there something you would like to have?
you want a dressing bag, john?
thank you, mothershead. have a porter put them in my office.
a dressing bag.
yes. john wants it.
you don't think it's too gaudy, do you.
john thinks it's very dashing. something no gentleman should be without. i'm inclined to agree.
you stay with me.
hmmm?
oh.  i've just been thinking about something that man bytes said.
that i am very little different from him.
but why did i do it? what was this all for? so john merrick could live out his last days in peace and comfort? or so i could become famous?
am i a good man or am i a bad man?
don't you think this is a bit premature? we don't have the backing yet to.
good afternoon, john, mr. carr gomm has something he would like to say to you.
so you see, john, there's no need for a lighthouse. all your friends are here.
yes, john.
yes.
there is one more thing, john. here.
is it the one you wanted?
are you sure? because i can take it back.
john?
where is he?
where is mr. merrick?
don't lie to me. i know all about it. you were seen. where did you take him?
he's gone!
you bastard! you tortured him. you tortured him, you bastard. where is he?
you're the monster! you're the freak! get out! you're finished!
yes.
yes, he's.  my friend.
john.  how can you ever forgive me?
i'm very grateful to you, mrs. kendal. this is just the thing to help him forget his ordeal. john will be very excited.
i fear not, mrs. kendal. even in the short time he was gone the size of his head has increased rapidly.  as is his pain.
and yet, not once have any of us heard him complain.
yes. there is nothing more frustrating, nothing that makes a physician feel more useless, than standing by watching his patient deteriorate. and when that patient is a friend, no.  no, there's absolutely nothing i can do.
yes.
stand up, john. let them see you.
it's for you, john. it's all for you. go ahead, let them see you.
will the cathedral be finished soon, john?
splendid. it's truly a masterpiece. well, i suppose i'll be on my way now. i hoped your enjoyed yourself this evening.
i'm glad, john. goodnight.
yes john?
no, john, not one that i can see.
no, no, i wouldn't change a thing.
goodnight john. sleep well.