One of the saddest films ever

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2010)

Very few films leave me weeping like a baby, but The Elephant Man is one of them. It is about John Merrick (played by an excellent John Hurt), a man whose deformities are so great that he is even banned from the freak show at the circus. He is extremely badly treated by his "owner", but eventually ends up in better hands, with the doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins).
However, the film also raises the moral aspect as to whether Merrick is actually better treated in high society than he was at the circus. Indeed, some of the scenes where he is introduced to noble people are just as heart-breaking, and you can really question Treves' motives, but in the end there is no doubt that he is better off. Nevertheless, John Merrick remains somewhat of an exhibition item, which is part of why the film is so sad. Most people treat him kindly, but you can see that they are disgusted by his presence. In fact, every scene that Merrick is in hits the viewer like a punch in the stomach.
There is something inherently symbolic about the character John Merrick. He doesn't just have an ugly face, but it also represents the ugly way people treat him. The hood over his head is not just a shelter from his face, but also the way he is sheltered from the rest of the world. And when he builds a small cathedral in his room, it is a fine representation of the way people built a fake world around him. At one point, the model is destroyed, and so is Merrick's sense of security.
David Lynch has made many fantastic films, and I would be lying if I said that this was his best one, but what I admire about The Elephant Man more than any other Lynch film is the sense of judgment he displays. The film is of a quite sentimental nature, but not once does it feel overwrought or manipulative, and I give Lynch's direction most of the credit for this. Moreover, there are many gruesome scenes in the film, but he never indulges in them; they always seem to add something to the depth of the film. If I have to say something negative about the film, it is that the second half drags a bit at points. The terrific ending more than makes up for that though.
Finally, one thing I have to mention is the cinematography. It is shot in stark black and white, and every frame is truly a wonder to behold. This, along with the superbly powerful portrayal of John Merrick, makes The Elephant one of the best films of the eighties.