Movie Notes: The Elephant Man
= 4 stars
Starring John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft
Directed by David Lynch
Synopsis
John Merrick is a hideously deformed circus freak known as “The Elephant Man.” Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) frees him from his public humiliation and moves him to a hospital for observation.
The Good
- Hurt is devastating as the shy, humiliated Merrick. At first his appearance is horrifying, but as the film progresses and we’re forced to look at his disfigurement, I got beyond the visual deformity and began to sympathize with the weak, lonely man trapped within a revulsive body. Merrick’s ugliness is balanced by an intense, young Hopkins as Dr. Frederick Treves, the only person sympathetic to Merrick’s plight.
- Has a timeless quality, shot in black and white, as if from an earlier decade. The direction is notably hands off for David Lynch, probably because he didn’t write the screenplay. The Lynchian, heavy handed direction only comes about in a few spots — the “origin story” with a locket and memory of Merrick’s mother, the theater sequence, and the ending drifting through space to a comforting face. By showing a careful amount of restraint with the experimental film stuff, the story is given room to breathe.
- Asks if humanity can get beyond physical appearance and value people for whom they are inside, the foundation of the civil rights movement.
The Bad
- Very heavy and at times distasteful subject matter. This isn’t background entertainment — I actually broke it up into three viewings because I just felt sad, and knew there was just no way it could end well for the main character.
Conclusion
I’ve been put off by David Lynch’s current bizarro strangeness, and seeing his early films again, reminded me why at one time he was considered a great director with huge potential. Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, and The Elephant Man show a remarkable range and unsettling, dreamlike visual sense. Highly recommended.
Next David Lynch Movie: Dune
Previous David Lynch Movie: Eraserhead
IMDB: The Elephant Man
Wikipedia: The Elephant Man
Rotten Tomatoes: The Elephant Man 91%