Review of The Elephant Man (1980) by A A — 31 Aug 2010
No one could ever consider David Lynch a subtle filmmaker, and, while his own peculiar visionary style sifts well throughout his own nightmarish creations, he is occasionally a bit hammy-handed with this 1980 undertaking.
He never lets the viewer forget that this, more than the story of the pathetic title character, is much more of a meditation of levels of normalcy and barbarity - repeatedly comparing the horrendously malformed but gently refined Merrick to the filthy inhabitants of Industrial Revolution-stricken London and its hospital.
This is hardly a sentimental (and barely sympathetic) portrait of the miserable life of John Merrick, but it is bolstered (indeed, nearly perfected) by John Hurt's majestic performance. He manages to inject a staggering level of humanity into a character buried beneath a mire of inhuman deformity, and his famous cry in the train station ("I am not an animal! I am a human being!") is more rousing and heroic than anything likely to be heard in all of Hollywood's "underdog" paeans.
Anthony Hopkins (convincing if a bit muted as the ethically divided Dr. Treves), Dame Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones ("LIFE...is full of surprises..." is quite chilling), Sir John Gielgud, and Anne Bancroft form a solid supporting cast.
John Morris's carnival-inspired score is a wonderful accent.
This review of The Elephant Man (1980) was written by A A on 31 Aug 2010.
The Elephant Man has generally received very positive reviews.
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