John Rapley

The Elephant Man -- Based on a true story, the film examines the complex emotional experiences faced by John Merrick. 'The Elephant Man' (Hurt), when he is discovered by a dedicated surgeon (Anthony Hopkins). Rescued from his degrading life as a circus freak, Merrick is given a chance to live his last years with comfort, respect, and dignity.

This is the rare story of John Merrick, the Elephant Man, enslaved by his body, set free by his dream. Trapped inside the twisted, lesion-ridden grip of a terminally disfiguring disease, Merrick triumphs over his terrible affliction. It is a story of life and the affirmation of life; timeless, tragic, uplifting and heroic. Philip Anglim's exquisite portrayal of John Merrick is all the more exceptional because he does it without elaborate make-up. As Dr. Frederick Treves (Kevin Conway) describes Merrick's deformities to a lecture hall full of medical observers, Anglim contorts his body to match Treves' narrative until, finally, he achieves Merrick's crippled U-shape.

Academy Award-winning superstar Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby," "Unforgiven") stars as a brilliant, flamboyant and erratic film director who becomes obsessed with hunting a majestic African elephant while preparing to film a movie in Africa. Gannett News Service gave this film four stars, calling it a "masterful work...a wonderfully entertaining, robust and fascinating film...Clint Eastwood's most daring and successful performance as an actor...superb entertainment." Loosely based on the writer's experiences with director John Huston while shooting the classic, "The African Queen," the movie also stars rising young actor Jeff Fahey ("Lawnmower Man," "Wyatt Earp") and Marisa Berenson ("Barry Lyndon"). Co-written by James Bridges ("Urban Cowboy," "The China Syndrome") and directed by Eastwood.

He plays brilliant, driven filmmaker John Wilson (loosely based on the legendary John Huston), who's determined to turn his new project in Africa into a grand personal adventure hunting a wild elephant.