Flawlessly acted and directed, but just falls short of perfection

Rating: 10/10 (20 December 2006)

Rarely has a film touched me so deeply, and kept me simply mesmerised for the entire running time. I found myself simply unable to drag my eyes from the screen, but I wouldn't want to, anyway. The character of John Merrick (based on the real-life "Elephant Man" Joseph Carey Merrick), whilst initially repulsive to the eye, has an aura of beauty about him. The sheer courage of this man - in the face of unimaginable discrimination and adversity - left me in constant awe, and the moment when the hideous "imbecile" is revealed to be an intelligent and sensitive being is truly a memorable moment.
The acting is simply superb. Anthony Hopkins, who would rise to fame a decade later in the chilling 'The Silence of the Lambs,' is brilliant as Frederick Treves, a doctor who initially exploits Merrick's condition to advance his career, but inevitably falls in love with the man. Likewise, John Hurt is so perfect as John "The Elephant Man" Merrick that I feel I don't even need to express how good he was! The famous scene in which Merrick, unfairly cornered at a train station by a mob of angry men, desperately cries "I am not an animal! I am a human being! I...am...a man!" is one of the great moments in cinema.
I would consider this film to be absolutely perfect, but for the very end. As Merrick lays himself down on the bed, determined to sleep and die as a normal man, I would have been blissfully content with a brief pan to his mother's photograph, a pause of several seconds and a soft fade into black. However, we instead have the stars in the sky flying past the camera and, as I interpreted it, the spirit of Merrick's beautiful mother offering him comfort in his final moments. Perhaps I am missing the significance of this final scene, but I simply felt it was unnecessary.
We shouldn't let this minor nitpick detract too much from the brilliance of the film. Afterall, it is not often that I am so completely captivated by a film. Not since 'Apocalypse Now' (a completely different film, I realise) have I been left in such awe as the credits begin to roll. Of course, considerable credit should be given to David Lynch. 'The Elephant Man,' his second film, is my first exploration into the films of Lynch, and it certainly will not be the last!