Somber, graceful, eloquent--if not always moving

Rating: 7/10 (16 October 2007)

Filmmaker David Lynch sees the beauty in misfits, whether it be a disfigured saint such as David Merrick in "The Elephant Man" or the bizarre carny folk who make up the traveling sideshows, though he shows no interest in plucking our heart-strings over them, or in being emotionally prodding. While this is often a big plus, Lynch's non-sentimental take on Merrick's story keeps the movie grounded when it should soar. True story of a horribly disfigured British man at the turn of the century who is rescued from a freak show by a sympathetic doctor is layered with a dreamy atmosphere but also anchored by serious, intelligent performances by John Hurt as Merrick and Anthony Hopkins. However, once Merrick is brought out into a curious high society, one feels that the director's dramatic resources have been tapped out, and the last act plays like an afterthought. Certainly this is a fine piece of cinema, adapted by Lynch and others from two books on Merrick; it is graceful and deliberately downbeat (appropriately so), though its technical finesse ultimately presses out the emotion. *** from ****