Joseph Merrick
Didn't see the relevance of the elephant man clip at all!
shareIn the movie, I agree, it is a somewhat forced reference. I believe they did it for two reasons:
1) To give the film more context by making a cultural reference to the time - Joseph Merrick was indeed under care at the Royal London Hospital at the time.
2) As a nod to the source material, Alan Moore's From Hell.
In the original graphic novel, Joseph Merrick is incorporated quite nicely. For one, the killer actually converses with Merrick. Jack the Ripper views him as an incarnation of Ganesha - the Hindu deity with the head of an elephant with one tusk. Jack the Ripper also offers up the first murder to Merrick as Ganesha. So that would be the connection.
Errr, I beg your pardon, heh heh, Mr John Merrick.
You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.
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you beat me to it...
Joseph Carey Merrick was indeed the real name of the real elephant man : )
i have to watch this film now just because of that reference : )
Joseph is the real given name. John was a nickname or whatever.