John Merrick suffers from such severe genetic disfigurements that he cannot go out in public without being met with horror. He is displayed as a carnival freak until he is met by Doctor Frederick Treves, who attempts to diagnose him and offer him a more dignified existence. Stars John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Freddie Jones, and Anne Bancroft. Adapted from the 1923 novel The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences by Sir Frederick Treves and the 1971 book The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity by Ashley Montagu. Directed by David Lynch and released in 1980.
To say that The Elephant Man is a movie about humanity is vague, and I guess all movies are (except The Bear), but this movie in particular shows the heights of kindness, forgiveness, and dignity while simultaneously showing humanity as a psychotic creature of fear and hatred. John tries so hard to be good in an effort to make up for his deformity, and is humbly silent even when confronted with great cruelty. He's so used to being a terrifying oddity that he is limitlessly grateful for the most basic of human courtesy. It's absolutely heartbreaking. David Lynch's direction coats the whole film with a viscous atmosphere of dread, and his habit of including quietly horrifying abstract dream sequences is put to especially good use here, perhaps exemplified by the Victorian setting, which seems both ancient and modern at the same time. There's a lot to take away from The Elephant Man, and a lot has to do with how unforgiving the world can be to people who are a little different. But on the other hand, it also showcases how sometimes being a little nice can make the most important difference.
No comments:
Post a Comment