The Elephant Man Review

 The Elephant Man

Director: David Lynch

Stars: John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud, Hannah Gordon, Wendy Hiller, Anne Bancroft, Michael Elphick, Freddie Jones, Helen Ryan and Dexter Fletcher.

Running Time: 124 mins.

Release: 10 October 1980

This film tells the story of the Elephant Man Joseph Merrick ( Hurt) ,though in the film he's called John. Who's enslaved and abused by Bytes (Jones) scraped a living as a sideshow freak. That's until Dr Frederick Treves (Hopkins) finds him to initially test him for his deformities and gradually a friendship forms as Treves discovers there's a man of great intelligence and sincerity beneath his monstrous deformed appearance. This film is an absolute tear jerker. I have never cried so much watching a film.

John Hurt masterfully plays Joseph Merrick there's no other real way to describe it I was left speechless by his performance. Merrick is a man of great intelligence, sincerity, honesty and very cultured to say the least in a wonderful man. For Years he's been abused by Bytes and the audience to the sideshow show. There's so many scenes with him in that bring a tear to my eye like when he recites text from the bible which Treves has not taught him, meeting Treves wife (Gordon) and Mrs Kendal (Bancroft) and others which I won't spoil for you. He 's near nigh unrecognisable in appearance and voice. It must have been very hard for him to move about under the heavy prosthetics that he had to wear for the film. This film really shows off Hurt's phenomenal talent which he showcases in all his films. It's a shame he never won a oscar for this because he really deserved it for this role.

Equally Anthony Hopkins gives an Oscar worthy performance as Dr Frederick Treves. Merrick's saviour, protector and friend. He's the first person to see Joseph for what he really is unlike his counterparts in the hospital you could say to an extent he's a maverick. Treves is is a family man though we don't see much of them in the film. He's confident, charismatic, intelligent and ahead of his time. Interestingly Treves questions his own morality in the film as we see he's helping Joseph, but in his mind he compares himself to Bytes but exploiting him to the rich. I know Hopkins is Welsh and he does a clear cut english accent in this filmThe friendship that develops between the two is brilliant and grows at a natural pace. The first time Treves sees Merrick is such a poignant and expressive without a single word being said. Hopkins is a marvellous actor.

Anne Bancroft plays Mrs Kendal, a beautiful theatre actress who hears of Merrick through the newspaper and feels compelled to meet him. She's only in a handful of scenes in the film and her character plays a big part in the story as she's really the only character we see who wants to genuinely meet Merrick. Like I said before her first scene with Merrick is absolutely beautiful and one of the best scenes in the film. I know Bancroft to be American and in this films she does a english accent in this even though at some times it escapes her but I have no qualms with that.

Freddie Jones plays Mr Bytes who runs the Sideshow that Merrick is initially a part of. He is a nasty little man and there's a sense of restrained menace to him in the early scenes of the film as he tries to charm Treves with his showman skills. He's a real Dickensian character and Freddie Jones plays him brilliantly and he interacts with the other cast members very well giving off a touch of evil. He mistreats Merrick badly, he treats him much less than a animal and these scenes can be hard to watch at times. This may sound odd but in his last ever scene i felt a little bit of pity for him well I did anyway.

John Gielgud plays Carr Gomm a doctor and friend of Treves. He is in a higher position than Treves and is unsure of Joseph Merrick when he enters the hospital until the 'The Lord is My Shepard' scene. Shortly after that he warms to Merrick and is fascinated by him. He's only in a few scenes of the film albeit very important ones especially the hospital committee scene of which Princess Alex (Ryan) interrupts for Merrick's benefit. He's absolutely fantastic in the role.

Hannah Gordon plays Anne Treves, Frederick Treves wife, she's only in one scene in the film and it's one of the finest scenes in the movie, you could say that she makes the scene. With watching Merrick break down into tears over her being nice to him. And her break down when Merrick talks about his mother and how he feels he's let her down. It's a understated performance given by Gordon she's magnificent in the role. Now looking at her IMDB page I recognise her.

Wendy Hiller plays the head nurse Mothershead who has some character development to my surprise. At first she doesn't much like Merrick and doesn't like the idea of having to look after him but as more of the man beneath the visage is revealed she grows to like Merrick. And is in actual fact glad that he's at the hospital towards the end of the film.

Michael Elphick plays the Night Porter at the hospital, he visits Merrick at night and frightens & abuses him and soon gets the idea to exploit him to his friends, following in Bytes footsteps. He's in quite a lot of the film. He's cheeky, somewhat likeable but also a bully and always looking to make a quick buck. He's brilliant in the role and Elphick is a fantastic actor and it's a shame he died at the age of 55 of a heart attack.

Helen Ryan plays Princess Alex who becomes interested in Merrick's case and decides to intervene in at the hearing it's a very small role and she does well in the part and looks equally regal.

I never recognised the young Dexter Fletcher till the end credits of the film. Four years after his first role as Baby Face in Alan Parker's Bugsy Malone. He's still very much fresh faced in this film as Bytes Boy/lackey. As he's already from London he did not have to put on a London accent for the film. His character goes through some character development in the film as early on in the film he follows in the footsteps of Bytes and bullies Merrick but sheds some good when visits Treves to tell him about Merrick and towards the end in one of the most bleakest scenes in the film he decides to help Merrick and abandon Bytes without saying much a word redeeming himself. He does very well for a 14 year old.

John Morris writes the music for the film. He's not a well known musician and his score is very period authentic to the period of the film. It's suitably gothic and very minimal in parts which suits the tragedy of the film it's very beautiful.

I've not seen many David Lynch films the only ones I have seen is Eraserhead which I didn't get or like and then Wild at Heart which was a surreal dark romance film which I really loved. It could be argued that Elephant Man can be titled his most normal film even though It has some surreal elements to it. You can see flourishes of his other work throughout the film. Before I watched the film I heard that Lynch directed this film, which I personally found to be a strange choice but when I watched it I felt he was the perfect fit. It's beautifully shot in black and white which helps encapsulate the nihilism and the look of the smog dirty London of that time it's beautiful. I

t's a film that shows the best and worst in humanity and the morality of man. Throughout the film you can't help but feel pity for Merrick which is not the real intention of the film it tells you to respect him. There's also the theme of class which I love and will be a major part of an up and coming review.

This film is a masterpiece. An unlikely marriage of a surrealistic director, a real story, a mainly British cast and old fashioned Victorian values which has resulted In one of the greatest films ever made.