This Is Perhaps The Most Emotionally Moving Movie Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (28 December 2010)

Watching this movie is a powerful emotional experience. In an era in which movies are increasingly appreciated more for their action and special effects than anything else, here we have a simple human drama drawn from real life - the story of John Merrick (whose real name was Joseph), known to late 19th century England as "The Elephant Man." As is perfectly normal with this type of movie, the story uses dramatic license in some things. In particular, there's apparently no evidence that Merrick ever met "Mrs. Kendal" (played by Ann Bancroft) although she did take quite an interest in his case. Basically, though, this is a reasonably accurate portrayal of Merrick's early life as an attraction in a freak show, and his later life in the London Hospital, his friendship with Dr. Frederick Treves (played by Anthony Hopkins) and his growing acceptance by London's high society, including the Princess of Wales (played by Helen Ryan.)
The movie is moving. One can't help but be saddened by the conditions Merrick (who was played brilliantly and sensitively by John Hurt) had to live in and by the way he was treated by many of those around him. The movie also raises a lot of thought-provoking questions. The nature and role of freak shows is front and centre in the first half or so of this movie. We in the modern world think of such exhibitions as repulsive, and yet in the context of the times they did provide a way for those who were "different" and likely to be rejected by society to survive and earn some sort of living. And while the movie depicts Bytes (Freddie Jones) - the operator of the freak show - as an entirely unpleasant character, Tom Norman (the real name of the freak show operator) denied this, and there's some question about how Merrick was treated in the show. There's also the question of his acceptance by high society. Was this acceptance sincere, or was Merrick simply transformed into a somewhat higher class freak show for the satisfaction of the rich and powerful? Probably the answer was a bit of both.
The most unsettling scene in the movie is probably that in which the Night Porter at the hospital brings a bunch of his pub friends to get a look at Merrick (after charging them a significant fee to do so) and the hideous way in which he's treated during that encounter. That may have been more dramatic licence (and therefore, because of the response it brings forth, a bit manipulative.) Merrick's ultimate death (he either asphyxiated himself or died of a broken neck while trying to sleep lying down like "other people - he had to sleep sitting up because of the weight of his head) is extremely sad.
This is a first-rate movie. The performances from everyone were superb and the decision by director David Lynch to film this in black and white reminds us that these events were from a different time and seem to re- enforce somehow the emotional power of the movie. Excellent work - a must see movie!