The Elephant Man (1980)
Directed by David Lynch

Film Review

The last years of the tragic life of Joseph Carey Merrick are beautifully recounted in this intensely moving drama, which is based on the personal recollections of his friend and benefactor Frederick Treves.  Much of Treves' account of Merrick's life has been shown to be factually inaccurate (for some unknown reason Treves refers to him as John, not Joseph), but the film adheres to his version of events and makes a few alterations for dramatic effect.  The Elephant Man is by no means an entirely accurate account of Merrick's life (it makes no mention of the man's unimaginably wretched life prior to his becoming a freak show exhibit), but that is not its primary function.  This is a film which, as a mix of morality play and fable, compels us to reflect on our personal prejudices and our inability to accept others who are different from ourselves.  Thirty years on from when it was first seen, it remains depressingly relevant and still strikes a powerful chord.  A commercial and critical success, the film failed to win any of the eight Oscars it was nominated for (including Best Picture and Best Actor), but it received three BAFTAs, for Best Film, Best Actor (John Hurt) and Best Production Design.

David Lynch's first feature Eraserhead (1977) had made such a big impression on the prolific actor-director-producer Mel Brooks that the latter was keen to produce Lynch's second full-length film, The Elephant Man.  On the face of it, you could hardly imagine a more unlikely pair to produce and direct this film.  Brooks was closely associated with bawdy popular comedies such as Blazing Saddles (1974); Lynch would later become renowned for his wild excursions into fantasy and surrealism, with films such as Dune (1984) and Blue Velvet (1986).   Whilst The Elephant Man is probably the most conventional of Lynch's films, it is every bit as artistically inspired as the director's subsequent films, but it also has far more of an emotional core.  This is a film that is itself a kind of freak show, showing us the worst and best that humanity has to offer.  Beautifully written and acted, it can hardly fail to bring a tear to the eye of anyone who watches it. 

The central role of John Merrick, a.k.a. The Elephant Man, presented the challenge of a career for actor John Hurt.  Buried under several layers of foam rubber (which not only concealed his face but made speaking his lines an ordeal), Hurt somehow manages to invest his tragically deformed character with an astonishing depth and humanity.  We may be shocked when we first catch a glimpse of Merrick's monstrous face but it is not long before we are enchanted by the angelic soul that lies within.  Abused by both man and nature, Merrick had every reason to be a bitter, twisted wretch, but in fact he is the complete opposite.  His outer deformities are completely at odds with his inner purity, whilst those who surround him - the freak show manager who tyrannises him, the hospital porter who humiliates him and the seemingly kind surgeon who uses him for professional advantage  - show their monstrous nature not in their faces, but in their inhuman behaviour.  Hurt's extraordinary performance avoids pathos and is heart-wrenching in its sincerity, making us aware that it is not his outer appearance that makes a man a monster, but his character.

Hurt's standout performance is by far the best thing about The Elephant Man, but there are many other commendable aspects about the film.  Hurt's own contribution is perfectly complemented by Anthony Hopkins' sympathetic portrayal of Merrick's benefactor, Frederick Treves.  Hopkins' character is far from being a straightforward good guy but is highly conflicted, unsure of his own motives in helping Merrick and even questioning whether he is any better than the principal baddy, the grotesque freak show manager superbly played by Freddie Jones.  The distinguished supporting cast includes Anne Bancroft (Mel Brooks' wife and frequent collaborator), John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Hannah Gordon and Michael Elphick, all at their best.  No less impressive is Freddie Francis' atmospheric widescreen black-and-white photography, which not only evokes the murk and grime of Dickens' England, a land disfigured by social inequality and rampant industrial progress, but also underscores the dark poetry and poignancy of Merrick's struggle to find recognition in a society which places too great a value on physical appearance.  The Elephant Man is a film that tells us a great deal about ourselves, revealing a monster far more hideous than its deformed central character: our crass tendency to judge others not by what they do, but by what they look like.

Film Synopsis

In Victorian England, Frederick Treves, a senior surgeon at the London Hospital, comes across a heavily deformed man being exhibited as a freak in the East End of London.  The man is called John Merrick and appears to be an imbecile.  His owner, a disreputable brute named Bytes, has christened him the Elephant Man, on account of his pachyderm-like skin. So extreme are Merrick's deformities that Treves is impelled to offer Bytes money so that he can examine him and present him to his peers at the hospital.  When Merrick falls ill with bronchitis, Treves places him in a quarantine room at the hospital and makes a startling discovery.  Far from being an idiot, Merrick shows that he has a sensitive nature and can think for himself.  He can even speak, although his speech is impaired by his acute facial abnormalities.  Treves persuades the hospital's governor to allow Merrick to stay in rooms at the hospital and the former fairground exhibit is soon receiving regular visits from society figures who are eager to make his acquaintance, including the Princess of Wales.  The hospital's porter also seeks to capitalise on Merrick's notoriety and arranges late night viewings for the district's poorer folk who are in search of a cheap thrill.  On one such visit, Bytes shows up and abducts his former freak, whisking him off to continental Europe.  Merrick is soon back to his old life, a fairground attraction who is neglected and abused by his employer.  With the help of his fellow freaks, Merrick manages to escape and returns to England, although by now his health has taken a turn for the worse.  Treves is delighted to be reunited with Merrick, whom he now considers a friend, and, realising that the unfortunate man is dying, resolves to make his last days as comfortable as possible.  Merrick's love of art makes a deep impression on the celebrated actress Mrs Kendal, who invites him to watch her perform at a London theatre.  It proves to be the happiest evening of John Merrick's life...