Cinematic Verse

Rating: Null/10 (27 January 2002)

The trials and tribulations of the elephant man, John Merrick, are ably exploited in this Mel Brook's produced film directed with style, insight into character, and humanity by David Lynch. The film is a masterpiece of scenes that are woven together to display the polarization of humanity from the brute carnival "owner" of Merrick, the night porter that brings drunken friends to see the "hideous" nature of this sideshow sight, and all the other uncaring, unfeeling people in the world that show nothing but contempt for someone that is markedly different to the other side of a doctor that genuinely cares for Merrick, a hospital administrator and staff that work to make life easier for their patient, and an actress and her society friends that show compassion and friendliness towrd this physical deformity. The Elephant Man is made in black and white, and this move is a stroke of genius as it is exactly the right medium to show the seediness of like in Victorian London. No colorful streets laden with shopkeepers and the like as you might find in an adaptation of a Dickens work or a Sherlock Holmes film. Here we see the brutality of existence. The drunken jobless people who delight in watching physical perversity. The soot-covered streets lined with thieves and other denizens of law-breakers. Lynch creates a film that can terrify you by showing us a side of humanity that we know is there. He makes us not very proud to be a human being i his portrayal of the harsh, cruel treatment of David Merrick. But humanity prevails in the end.....and Merrick's situation is resolved with dignity if nothing else. I loved this film. The acting is superb. John Hurt gives easily his best performance as a man fraught with physical degredation and societal humiliation. Hurt brings so much heart to his role that only the most cold-hearted will not be affected. Anthony Hopkins gives another restrained yet brilliant performance as the doctor responsible for bringing Merrick to the hospital. Other notable performances come from Freddie Jones as a brutish master of Merrick, Wendy Hiller as a hospital matron, and a real nice performance from John Geilgud as the head of the hospital. Each of his scenes is a showcase for his incredible acting ability. The Elephant Man was very deserved of winning an oscar for best picture. It's that good!