Review of The Elephant Man (1980) by Zoran S — 10 Feb 2009

This may be David Lynch's best looking film. If not, it's a close second behind Eraserhead. It is interesting to see how the imagery and thematic concerns from earlier Lynch films still seem in place in a more conventional and sentimental narrative: weird birthing scenes, deformities of the flesh, and industrial landscapes that function as nightmares.

I would argue that the film even isn't as sentimental as it may seem at first. What means to be "human" or integrated into society aren't given easy answers. Indeed, this is a very underrated film from Lynch.

I much prefer it to Blue Velvet or Wild at Heart.