The Elephant Man (1980)

 

David Lynch is a director that you either love or don't like, as he does have a very distinct style and way of telling stories. However, this one is one of his most restrained and even beautiful films, in spite perhaps of its topic. Save for the very opening and a dreamsequence later on that are truly Lynchian, this beautiful piece focuses all on the humanity and character of a person who was afflicted with severe malformations, yet also was kind and intelligent.

It's a tearjerker, alright.

The setting is Victorian England, and a young and ambitious doctor by the name of Frederick Treves discovers that there is a man on a local fair who is so deformed, he has been dubbed 'The Elephant Man'. Treves wants to study this person and borrows/hires him from his owner Bytes. It turns out this young man by the name of John Merrick is indeed terribly disfigured through a number of diseases and genetical defects and this gives him the appearance of a monster. But through kindness, Treves discovers that John is a kindhearted soul who only wants to be loved, but unfortunately doesn't have his looks or constitution on his side. Eventually, Treves and the hospital manage to keep Bytes away and proceed to take care of John, as he recovers and regains some of his humanity. 

But there's also the flip side of the coin: as John becomes alike a celebrity, now the rich and famous also want to be seen with him and see him as well, in fact once more turning him into a freak of a different kind of circus. He even gets abducted by Bytes and taken to mainland Europe, but he manages to escape with some help of other carnival people who can't stand the constant abuse Bytes throws at John. He manages to return to London and once again is taken care of by Treves and the people from the hospital, after which he knows he is dying and chooses to finally sleep like normal people do, thus ensuring he will never wake up again... 

Of course, everyone already knew this would end in tears, right?

This film is very subdued for Lynch standards and here lies its greatest strength. The performances are absolutely stellar, not only from Anthony Hopkins as Treves or Freddie Jones as Bytes, but especially by John Hurt, who manages to convey so much emotion through a thick layer of makeup. Anyone who has acted through prosthetics will attest how difficult it is to emote successfully, but Hurt almost effortlessly pulls it off. Merrick is indeed horrible to gaze upon, yet through his soft spoken nature and kind demanour, he manages to make people and audiences grow fond of him, thus making the painful moments of his life hit twice as hard. It's pity we feel, but not in a bad way: we're just all so very sorry the man had the misfortune of having the ailments that he did. 

Also: seeing as this is very much based on real people and events, it makes one stop and think twice. 

This is a beautiful film about someone who was seen by many to be a monster, but who were the real monsters here? Just keep those handkerchiefs close by, because there might be tears.