John Merrick's struggle for dignity

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2007)

How do we accept people for who they are and overlook appearances. These usually get in the way of how we judge other human beings. In the case of John Merrick, the visual reality was, to be honest, hard to overlook. A severely-disfigured face and body resulted in sneers, taunts and cruelty from "normal" people. It speaks volumes for director David Lynch that he took on the task of making this film, which he handles with great sensitivity.
John Merrick was a man of keen intelligence and sensitivity, as Dr. Treves (played by Anthony Hopkins) was to learn. Anthony Hopkins is excellent in the character of Treves, the polar opposite of Hannibal Lecter. Treves initially dismisses him as an idiot but soon finds out that nothing could be further from the truth. Merrick shows his intelligence when he spontaneously recites the 23rd psalm. If this is true to life, it is incredible that Merrick, portrayed by John Hurt, did not carry a burden of bitterness and sadness. He was forced to go out into the public with a hood covering his head, which had grown to grotesque proportions over his short lifetime.
It speaks volumes for the men and women who took him in, gave him shelter and tried to restore dignity to his battered psyche. Beneath the exterior was an extraordinary man, who drew strength from the memory of his mother. This inspirational figure from his past allowed him to survive the cruelties he had to endure, including a stint in a carnival sideshow where he was exhibited to paying customers.
The staff of the London hospital where Dr. Treves practiced thought highly of John Merrick and they did everything they could to protect him. The characters from the hospital include Wendy Hiller and John Gielgud, stalwarts of the British stage. There is an interesting cameo by Princess Alex, the Princess of Wales, who intervenes on behalf of Queen Victoria to keep Merrick at the hospital. The princess is played by Helen Ryan in a role she has played in other British dramas.
The most heart-warming of all is the role of Mrs. Kendall, played by Anne Bancroft (late wife of producer Mel Brooks), who becomes Merrick's patron and most ardent admirer. Her introduction to John Merrick is a moment of total graciousness towards John Merrick, which we feel that he so deserves. There isn't a hint of the awkwardness from Mrs. Kendal that others display.
The harsh industrial background of Victorian London and the plight of the working class who exploit John Merrick are realistically woven into the movie. Interestingly, it is the other sideshow "freaks" who understand his plight and come to his rescue at a very moving point in the movie.
Social realism, for which British cinema and literature are well known, is a hallmark of this movie. But there is also a counterbalancing of hope and kindness that gives this movie its real strength.