David Lynch film ‘Elephant Man’ to get 4K restoration as part of 40th anniversary

David Lynch’s sophomore feature film, Elephant Man, is being handed a special 4K restoration as part of its 40th anniversary celebrations.

The film, Lynch’s 1980 historical drama film about Joseph Merrick, explores the life of a severely deformed man in late 19th century London. Starring the likes of John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud and Wendy Hiller, the film was a critical and commercial success with eight Academy Award nominations and propelled Lynch to international stardom.

Now, an extensive restoration of the picture, being conducted by StudioCanal but overseen by David Lynch, will be given a theatrical release in the UK on March 13, 2020. A special Collector’s Edition, which will be made available as a digital, DVD, BD and 4K UHD three-disk special, will then be shared on April 6, 2020.

The special Collector’s Edition will come alongside a 64-page booklet, a 3D pop-up of the church, and art-cards, according to a press release. Other additional features include a new interview with Frank Connor who took still photography, a BFI Q&A With Jonathan Sanger along with interviews with Lynch and John Hurt.

It is said that bonus material will explore Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man, a separate interview With David Lynch at Cartier Foundation and a series of different behind-the-scenes stills photography of the film’s creation.

“The new 4K picture and sound restoration of The Elephant Man was carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna and Paris) under the supervision of David Lynch, who also personally curated the colour correction which took place at Fotokem in Los Angeles,” a statement confirms.

“The restoration was created from the Original Camera Negative with the latest HDR 16-bit workflow used in order to obtain the best possible result. As a result, the black and white image has been restored to its original look.”