The idea that we once took people with
unfortunate physical deformities and paid good money to gawk at them is perhaps
one of the most galling in human history. As indicative of the human tendency
toward cruelty as slavery, genocide and our early treatment of the mentally
ill, the story of Joseph Merrick, aka the Elephant Man, is a heartbreaking tale
of one man’s quest to be treated as just that – a man. A mostly true story
(some events are fictionalized, but the structure largely remains true to
life), it follows the discovery by Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) of
Joseph Merrick (John Hurt), whose now legendary deformities made him an outcast
in Victorian London but who ended up developing something of a rapport with the
surgeon and whose well published life made Britain begin to reconsider its
position on how to treat those who up to that point were called ‘freaks’ or
‘monsters’.
This slightly surreal, hauntingly beautiful second feature from
David Lynch is by turns touching and sad, with a performance from John Hurt
that is so genuinely incredible it actually breaks your heart to watch him on
screen being so polite and kind to those who clearly fear him. I dare you to
watch the scene in which he confronts a baying mob with his now legendary cry
of ‘I am not an Elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being!’ without a
lump in your throat. Victorian London is brought vividly to life, and given a
sinister hue by the monochromatic cinematography that manages to draw startling
visual contrasts between the safety of John Merrick’s personal rooms and the
dangerous streets of London outside.
Despite its beauty and clear respect for
its title character, it also has to be said that the film is a little
manipulative, and is perhaps kinder to Dr. Treves than it should be. By all
reports, their friendship was real but only really became genuine after Joseph
left because he was tired of being exhibited to the pathological society as a
scientific specimen, much like he had at the freak shows he had tried to
escape. Even with these controversies, you cannot deny the power of this film,
masterfully commanded by Lynch who demonstrates a lightness of touch and
humanity that some of his more obtuse works seem to lack. It may not be as
completely truthful as it should be, but it is made with absolute love and
shines with some career-best performances from John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins,
who only manage to heighten the heavy emotional impact ‘The Elephant Man’
possesses.
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