Brilliant

Rating: 10/10 (26 February 2006)

I don't remember seeing a movie before that left such a impression on me.
The film is deep and even religious clearly showing the people character clearly distinguishing attitudes that are valuable and good like the ones of Dr. Treves, his wife and Mrs. Kendle and the ones that are for every condemnation. But the characterization is not naive like in a fairy-tale but very realistic and people like the ones shown in the movie really exist. For example Mr. Bytes - The Elephant man's "owner" is not some soulless animal but the weak character who suppressed his feelings because of his material condition and is unable to put anything noble and good in front of his need to "earn" money.
The movie is based on a novel written by the real Dr. Treves and it is not completely true. But most of it is. John Merrick really lived in London and was born in 1862, and the symptoms of his illness began to show when he was about two years old. He was an intelligent and imaginative child and lived with his parents until his mother died when he was 11. His father remarried and his wife gave him and ultimatum and he was cast out of the home. He really did work in a circus in a freak-show but he was not mistreated at the beginning but afterwards when he had to go abroad to Belgium because side-shows were banned in England. When he returned to London he was found by Dr. F. Treves and the hospital became his home until his death in 1890. In his room he wrote poetry and prose and built models from card stock, his most famous being of the St. Philip's cathedral. In the movie his death is shown correctly, like Dr. Treves tried to explain it: He often said to me that he wished he could lie down to sleep "like other people." I think on this last night he must, with some determination, have made the experiment. The pillow was soft, and the head, when placed on it, must have fallen back-wards and caused a dislocation of the neck. Thus it came about that his death was due to the desire that had dominated his life -- the pathetic but hopeless desire to be "like other people. (Howard & Ford, 210)
http://www.phreeque.com/joseph_merrick.html
The only thing I don't like about the movie are some unneeded horrific scenes (so I have to warn when I give the movie to a girl :) Like two ladies fighting viciously, screaming and moaning in the hospital hall and the scene with the monkeys which is shown too explicitly. But this is nothing compared to what I saw in some other Lynch's movies some of which, like "The Eraserhead" I couldn't even watch to the end because it was bizarre and left an evil and satanic impression.
This film is with one word - perfect and I would recommend it to everybody. But not other Lynch's movies.