Lynch is an excellent story teller

Rating: 9/10 (11 July 2005)

People who haven't seen this movie yet, but who are familiar with the work of David Lynch, might think that they know what to expect. But the man can surprise you. He does not only make movies like "Lost Highway" or "Mulholland Drive", which demand from the viewer that he or she remains focused from the very first second until the last, not for 100% but for 200%. The man is also an excellent story teller, as he proved with the movie "The Straight Story" and with this "The Elephant Man".
This movie has been based upon the true story of John Merrick, a man who lived in Victorian England and who suffered from an awful disease which disfigured him completely. Not only was he physically in an awful state, because he was seen as an attraction and treated as an animal by several people, the man also had lost all self esteem. He doesn't even speak anymore and lets all the torture and abuse come over him. But than Dr. Frederick Treves hears about him and decides to pay the man a visit. At first he sees him as a medical curiosity, but as soon as he gets to know him better, he sees that John Merrick too is an ordinary human being with normal feelings...
I don't think that I have to explain to you how original the story is. For as far as I know there has never been a movie that has talked about this Proteous Syndrome or shown someone who had it. And yes, at first you are shocked and disgusted by this strange person. But that shock is necessary, because from that moment on you are completely sucked into the movie and you start to feel one with the man. You're happy and sad when he is and as soon as you start to see the world through his eyes, you can only feel admiration for this brave man.
But not only David Lynch did a wonderful job, although I want to add that his choice of filming this movie in black and white is absolutely brilliant (it gives you even more that feeling that this is a man from another era, a time in which such people couldn't be treated, but were seen as an attraction). Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft and all the other actors, all did a wonderful job in this movie too. Without their excellent performances (and I really can't say who was the best or who was the least), this movie wouldn't have been the masterpiece that it is now. This movie doesn't deserve any less than a 9/10. But even when you give this movie the full 10/10. I can understand it without any problem. This is definitely a must-see.