Review of The Elephant Man (1980) by Kenneth B — 10 Apr 2012
This really is one of the most heart wrenchingly sad human-dramas that I have ever seen depicted on screen. Lynch is renowned for his mind-bending thrillers but The Elephant Man's only real departure is the black and white photography.
The benefit of which is two-fold; firstly it gives the illusion of authenticity, the film does feel like it was made way before the 1980's which makes it feel more of the time it was set rather than the time it was made.
The second reason relates to the prosthetics used on John Hurt, by shooting in black and white it is obscured just enough so that the prosthetics are less likely to date badly. It would be a terrible shame that this film which is ultimately about performances were obscured by aesthetics.
John Hurt conveys amazing humanity with a performance that transcends anything else even he has done before or since (and he's had some fine roles). Likewise Hopkins is tremendous, I'm not always his biggest fan, for the most part he is wonderfully restrained.
The empathy that he shows could represent us, the viewer, as he tries to relate to Merrick but of course he cannot quite put himself on Merricks place. Much like the audience he is in a position of concern yet one of frustration and ultimately sadness.
The Elephant Man is quite a film and yes it is sentimental but it is not overly so. This isn't an easy film but it is a great one and unfortunately it is one that resonates within the real world.
This review of The Elephant Man (1980) was written by Kenneth B on 10 Apr 2012.
The Elephant Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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