A David Lynch Masterpiece And Must-See

Rating: 10/10 (24 October 2012)

The Elephant Man is a drama based on the true story of Joseph Merrick,who is called John Merrick in the film and a severely deformed man in 19th century London. The film was directed by David Lynch and the screenplay was adapted by Lynch, Christopher De Vore, and Eric Bergren from the books namely: The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences by Sir Frederick Treves and The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity by Ashley Montagu. It was shot in black-and-white and it stars John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Michael Elphick, Hannah Gordon, and Freddie Jones co-star to play key supporting roles.It was shot in black-and-white.
Treated as a sideshow freak, Merrick is assumed to be retarded as well as misshapen because of his inability to speak coherently. In fact, he is highly intelligent and sensitive, a fact made public when one Dr. Frederick Treves rescues Merrick from a carnival and brings him to a hospital for analysis. Alas, even after being recognized as a man of advanced intellect, Merrick is still treated like a freak; no matter his station in life, he will forever be a prisoner of his own malformed body.
You could only see his eyes behind the layers of makeup, but those expressive orbs earned John Hurt a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his moving portrayal of John Merrick.Lynch's relatively straight second feature finds an admirable synthesis of compassion and restraint in treating its subject, and features outstanding performances by the cast.Added to that,it exposes undercurrents of anguish along with an emotionally accessible tale of Merrick's nobility which is characterized by a Victorian morality play disguised as an elegy to freakishness.Also,it includes includes several benchmarks from Lynch such hissing noises, nightmare sequences, and moments of deadly quiet which makes it is a masterpiece and a must-see.