Rent The Elephant Man (1980)

Superb Historical Drama - A Real Emotional Ride too - The Elephant Man review by GI

Based on a true story although most of the events in the film are fictional, this is a wonderful historical drama and I have to say one of the most emotional films I've seen and it certainly bought a tear to my eye. Renowned for his surreal and enigmatic narratives this is one of David Lynch's most accessible films, indeed his first commercial film, but his style including the bookending of two nightmarish sequences , and his recreation of the 'dark, satanic mills' of industrial Victorian London are superb and add to the overall atmosphere of suspense, even dread, that pervades the narrative even when it appears to be turning into a happy conclusion. Lynch tricks you here as this story of John Merrick (played wonderfully by John Hurt) is a story of intolerance and of the fear of difference. His vision of a polluted city with it's smoke, dust and pumping machinery shot in an authentic black and white adds to the sense of disease and bodily corruption that is the focus of the story. Merrick is a grotesquely deformed man rescued from a freak show carnival and a violently abusive man, Bytes (Freddie Jones) by surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins). Given sanctuary in Treves' hospital Merrick reveals himself to be a young man of intelligence and gentleness despite his horrible deformities and the terrible abuse he has suffered. Befriended by a famous actress (Anne Bancroft) Merrick becomes the talk of the town until abuse returns in the form of the nasty Bytes and a lowly hospital caretaker (Michael Elphick) who makes money by allowing drunks to view him at night. With a superb cast including John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Dexter Fletcher and Hannah Gordon this is a tearjerker that shows the benefits of human kindness contrasted with the violence shown towards those that don't fit or look different. Even though Merrick's case is an extreme one this is still a film that thematically resonates today. A fantastic film and one that you should see.