Terrific masterpiece!

Rating: 10/10 (3 July 2006)

Joseph Merrick, the man once known as "The Elephant Man" due to his terrible deformities, is definitely one of the icons of the Victorian age, as his sad story is an example of how terrible can we be with people with physical differences. Right after his surrealist debut with the "Eraserhead", David Lynch was asked by producer Mel Brooks to direct a film based on the life of Joseph Merrick as written by Merrick's doctor, Sir Frederick Treves. Brooks was so amazed by Lynch's debut that he wanted that bizarre and unique sensibility to tell the story of the bizarre and unique life of Joseph Merrick, "The Elephant Man".
The movie follows Merrick's (played by John Hurt) life in a relatively faithful way, from the time that Sir Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) finds him working in a Victorian freak show. After he takes him to the hospital, Treves will discover that behind "The Elephant Man", there is a human being that deserves to live with the same dignity as any other man. Merrick's efforts for having a normal life, his struggle to adapt to society and Treves' doubts on his intentions are the core story of Lynch's film.
Director David Lynch is probably more known for his surrealist works, so "The Elephant Man"'s harsh realism may come as something unexpected to people more familiar with his later work. Still, the movie contains small but noticeable elements of what would become the director's trademarks, such as the nightmarish surrealism and the dreamlike atmosphere. The film's beautiful black and white cinematography gives the movie a look reminiscent of the early silent films that perfectly sets the stage for the events presented on film.
The story unfolds with good rhythm and pacing, it is surprisingly accurate to the real story (albeit it does have some alterations) and while many have labeled it as emotionally manipulative, it is hard to think of a different way to present this story. The script focuses on Merrick's life under the care of Sir Treves, and the friendship that grew between them. It is a very moving and powerful story and the way it is adapted to the big screen is remarkable.
While Lynch and his team deserve credit for the success of this film, the cast is what definitely makes the film a masterpiece. John Hurt makes an inspired performance as Merrick and portrays the emotion and passion of this man who ironically, was unable to express emotions in his face. It is definitely one of the best performances of that decade. Anthony Hopkins as Sir Frederick Treves is, as usual, very effective in his role and gives proper balance to Merrick's part. John Gielgud and Anne Bancroft complete the cast and are equally superb in their small roles.
The film is completely flawless and even people usually turned off by Lynch's bizarre film-making style will probably enjoy this atypical work from the American director. What in other hands may had ended up as a blatant exercise in emotional manipulation, here is a subtle yet very powerful and moving portrait of a man who had a tragic life, and that despite of this, he still could find something to hang on.
Merrick was a prisoner in his own flesh, and the people that could saw past his appearance discovered a brilliant young man with ideas, dreams and ambitions like any other normal man. Lynch has captured this real life example of courage and turned it into a masterpiece of cinema. 10/10