an absolutely wonderful and symbolic film

Rating: 8/10 (30 November 2007)

Joseph Merrick, commonly referred to the media (this film included) as John Merrick, was a highly sympathized and intelligent man of the 19th century. He was notorious for the extreme disfiguration of his body. It was almost sickening to look at his bulbous head, arms where one was large and the other slender, and the horrible bumps down his back, as well as many other deformations in his skin. Yet, underneath, he was actually one of the most respectable and wise gentlemen of his age. David Finch's "The Elephant Man" is a somewhat fictionalized film that overemphasizes the suffering that Merrick went through during his career as a sideshow attraction, but still maintains the point that you should not judge a book by its cover, or in this case, judge a person by his appearance.
John Hurt was perfectly cast as Joseph Merrick. It's hard to see any real expressions in his face, because enormous quantities of makeup was put upon him every day of shooting. And it was true in real life that Merrick could barely even talk, or make facial expressions. All of the acting comes from John Hurt's voice. But he does it magnificently to make the film version of Merrick a lovable character. Anthony Hopkins was appropriately cast as the quiet, intelligent, and respectable doctor Sir Frederick Treves, who found Merrick and offered his services. There were a few other characters who were made to be antagonists for the film and did not, as far as history can tell, existed or at least, interacted with Joseph Merrick. But they were necessary additions to keep the story rolling.
The film is entirely shot black-and-white, despite being shot at the dawn of the 1980s, but it almost seems appropriate. I myself cannot put my finger on why it works out so well. Maybe to make it all seem ancient? To make it look like all the black-and-white photographs of Merrick, who died long before color film ever came out? Maybe it was just a creative idea by the director or cinematographer. Whatever the case, it makes the film seem even more flawless and dramatic. The opening sequence did not make a whole lot of sense to me at first and I still don't quite grasp what Finch was trying to show, but once it get pasts that, then the whole film is understandable and magnificent. The final sequence of the film is one of the most dramatic one-character scenes in any movie I've ever seen.
It is a shame that Joseph Merrick had to die so young, but maybe then again, it was his own choice to die at his age. Whatever the case, David Finch's "The Elephant Man" is a truly remarkable achievement and although not entirely accurate, is a film that shows us to respect a person based on their moral values, not on how they appear. Because even a person who was, no offense meant, as physically hideous as Joseph Merrick, they could be, as he was, a person of sensitivity and intelligence.