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Superb movie featuring an astounding performance by John Hurt. I have always been interested in this particular case, that is the Elephant Man and the movie does justice to the enigma and the mythos. The movie is entertaining without being too hollywoodesque and not too melodramatic. The decision to make this movie in Black&White is an interesting one, yet I did not fully understand the particular intention behind it, other than fr aesthetic value that is. A few odd bits here and there (John Hurt’s hand is not the hand of a 21 year old, Anne Bancroft’s attire and make-up looks straight from the 80ies), but is suppose the movie was kinda low budget. Still, highly recommended with love for little details (the circus bizarre OST and a nice reference to Tod Browning’s Freaks from 1932). Very enjoyable film that tackles the timeless topic of human cruelty and who are the true beasts (freaks) in our society. O

When dealing with subject matter such as a highly deformed man, one runs the risk of stooping to deliberate sentimentality or even unwitting sentimentality. However, only the scene where Anthony Hopkins, as Dr. Frederick Treves, gives John Hurt, as John Merrick, a grooming box does Hurt’s performance as the Elephant Man seem a bit overwrought. Furthermore, avoiding all sentimentality would create a dispassionate rendering of a subject that should not be viewed with cold objectivity, for it would be inhuman.

With The Elephant Man, Mr. Lynch weaves a tale of morality as though it emanated from the pages of a long lost Dickens novel. If one were to open the pages of a Charles Dickens book and envision being transported to the world of dreary old London, I doubt the most fertile of imaginations could provide the atmospheric setting that Lynch recreates in the film when The Elephant Man is not sheltered by the good doctor Treves. Lynch also provides a cultural dichotomy with the grand Victorian looking settings of the doctor’s home, the opera hall and the room in the hospital.

Overlaying this atmosphere is a direction that eventually lets the viewer see past the mask of the Elephant Man and into his very soul. Yet the film can also be looked at as a reverse confessional. The Elephant Man’s face is a mirror that others glance into. Some don’t like what they see and some, like Mr. Treves, are able to see beyond it. But for many characters in the film, their sins are manifest through their negative reaction to and acting out against Mr. Merrick.

I doubt if Anthony Hopkins could ever give a bad performance, maybe out of pride and his gifts as an actor that allow him to paint a character with subtle shadings that others are incapable of. John Hurt, although hidden behind the impressively done makeup, also puts in a fine performance balancing the pain of the character with a stream of hope. The Elephant Man eventually travels down that stream into the hereafter. A fitting and gripping ending, since the film can be viewed as a religious parable.

I haven’t cried at a film in a good number years, but this one broke my streak. Wow. Just wow. I guess David Lynch is capable of creating something that is more than just surreal bizarreness. I wasn’t sure for a second there. Granted, this film does have its share of Lynchian oddities, and it seems to have its identity somewhat confused – the very realistic and somberly played characters contrast oddly with the at-times surreal and highly stylized atmosphere – an atmosphere replete with grease, grime and circus freaks. This movie also incorporates a meta-narrative, which challenges you, the viewer, to accept John Merrick as a human being and therefore be able to sympathize with him as a character. For awhile there, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to do it, but, eventually, I began to see a kind of beauty in Merrick’s malformed face (John Hurt’s makeup – if you can call is that –  is a piece of art in and of itself, somehow turning the grotesque into and object of intense sympathy).The plot lags a bit in the middle section. But the ending more than makes up for it. Not only does this restore my faith in Lynch as a filmmaker, it also just might restore my faith in the human race. Such a fantastic film.

I have tried watching many of David Lynch’s films but many are so incomprehensible that i lose interest while watching. I would think that many D.Lynch fans see Elephant Man as a washed down version of Lynch’s true style of filming because it is very linear and comprehensible. To me, this is what makes the film great. The Elephant Man provides great entertainment from the second it starts. & So far it is my favorite Lynch film. Hopefully my viewing of this film will better my understanding of the Lynchian style. Lynch aside, The Elephant Man is a great must watch film about the true monsters of our world.

Through astonishing cinematography (by Freddie Francis) and quite subtle sound effects (Lynch’s usually surreal use of sound makes perfect sense here), the vile gothic atmosphere permeates every scene to the point that we can almost taste the metallic filth and grease of the Industrial Revolution. This is possibly the greatest cinematic evocation of the Victorian age.
The story of Joseph Merrick (incorrectly called John for the film) is a great one in itself and it would have been easy to render things mawkish and cloying. The Elephant Man is neither. Lynch does veer closely to over-sentimentalising Merrick’s story and certainly plays free with the facts as well as being rather pick&mix about who were the heroes and villains that Merrick came into contact with (for example Frederick Treves was less of a hero than he is portrayed here and Merrick was less of a victim). But this is still meant to be a piece of cinema and dramatic license is expected. So that through a mixture of fact and fancy we do get some measure of the kind, clever, sophisticated and yes, even beautiful man who had to live his (very short) life trapped inside a prison of deformed flesh and bone. A man of great dignity, compassion and generosity of spirit (many of those privileged to have met him were incredibly moved and felt more than a little humbled). Lynch has also been criticised for treating Merrick as as much a freak as he was when he was alive. For example, the pre-publicity of making a big secret of the make-up lasted right into the film, as the audience is teased with holding back ‘the big reveal’ (similar to how Spielberg gave us E.T!). But that is just another part of the film’s greatness – Lynch baits us into anticipation and horror. Then daring us to squirm and feel revulsion, to snigger and poke sticks through the cage. So that when we are given Joseph Merrick – the man, we feel shame. And so we should! Lynch makes it perfectly clear that we are still very much the baying audience of the Victorian freak show!

“Tis true my form is something odd,
But blaming me is blaming God;
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.

“If I could reach from pole to pole
Or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul;
The mind’s the standard of the man.”