claim: Joseph Merrick's was the subject of a historical drama.
evidence: The Elephant Man is a 1980 American historical drama film about Joseph Merrick -LRB- whom the script calls John Merrick -RRB- , a severely deformed man in late 19th century London .. historical drama film. historical drama film. Joseph Merrick. Joseph Merrick. London. London. The film was directed by David Lynch and stars John Hurt , Anthony Hopkins , Anne Bancroft , John Gielgud , Wendy Hiller , Michael Elphick , Hannah Gordon and Freddie Jones .. David Lynch. David Lynch. Anthony Hopkins. Anthony Hopkins. John Hurt. John Hurt. Anne Bancroft. Anne Bancroft. Wendy Hiller. Wendy Hiller. John Gielgud. John Gielgud. Michael Elphick. Michael Elphick. Hannah Gordon. Hannah Gordon. Freddie Jones. Freddie Jones. It was produced by Jonathan Sanger and Mel Brooks , the latter of whom was intentionally left uncredited to avoid confusion from audiences who possibly would have expected a comedy .. Jonathan Sanger. Jonathan Sanger. Mel Brooks. Mel Brooks. The screenplay was adapted by Lynch , Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren from Frederick Treves 's The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences -LRB- 1923 -RRB- and Ashley Montagu 's The Elephant Man  : A Study in Human Dignity -LRB- 1971 -RRB- .. Eric Bergren. Eric Bergren. Frederick Treves. Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet. Ashley Montagu. Ashley Montagu. It was shot in black-and-white and featured make-up work by Christopher Tucker .. black-and-white. black-and-white. Christopher Tucker. Christopher Tucker. The Elephant Man was a critical and commercial success with eight Academy Award nominations , including Best Picture , Best Director , Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor .. Academy Award. Academy Award. Best Picture. Academy Award for Best Picture. Best Director. Academy Award for Best Director. Best Adapted Screenplay. Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Best Actor. BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. After receiving widespread criticism for failing to honor the film 's make-up effects , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was prompted to create the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling the following year .. Academy Award. Academy Award. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. The film also won the BAFTA Awards for Best Film , Best Actor and Best Production Design and was nominated for Golden Globe awards .. Best Actor. BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. BAFTA Awards. BAFTA Awards. Best Film. BAFTA Award for Best Film. Best Production Design. BAFTA Award for Best Production Design. Golden Globe. Golden Globe. It also won a French Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film .. Cesar Award. Cesar Award