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Corto [ 9.0 ]
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Heart-warming and visionary, The Elephant Man has all the qualities of another Lynch masterpiece of the highest caliber, even though at times I would have wished it to be even wilder, i.e. more Lynchian. Freddie Francis' black & white Panavision cinematography of the Victorian England is absolutely amazing.
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DokBrowne [ 7.0 ]
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For a film so beloved the world over, I'm surprised by how simplistically pitying it is. The whole film is designed to make us weep for the tragedy of John Merrick's problem and applaud his...what? Humanity? That's it? He certainly deserves the same respect as anyone else, which he struggled to receive, but Lynch borders on defining him as some kind of hero. Had he no flaws or psychological quirks whatsoever? That's pretty amazing, not to mention not at all fascinating a character study. I guess we get enough of that from Anthony Hopkins, though. More attention could have been payed to the suggestion that Merrick committed suicide, since it would have given us something to consider about his personality, rather than forcing us, as virtually every single moment in the film does, into mere pity. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that his life wasn't terribly sad and that there is no merit to the story being told. This is a reasonable excuse for a movie, and for a calculated tearjerker, but it felt limited in some way, unable to transcend what it is immediately about. This criticism no doubt contradicts my higher opinions of other movies with exactly the same problem, but what can I say? It was more noticeable here. At one point I thought: y'know, I could make a movie about my poor mother and all the suffering she went through, and conclude it with a standing ovation, and would it be great art? Maybe if I filmed it in black and white and threw in an occasional bit of surreal weirdness.
Which brings me to the masturbatory opening and closing montages of art-school abstraction. Is it really necessary to include shots of elephants? Were there images of layer cakes in "Layer Cake"? Or of a cuckoo's nest in "One Flew Over"? WE FUCKING GET IT. Are these John Merrick's dreams? If so, are they really crucial, either? It's perfectly obvious, and yet still repeatedly emphasized, that he is deeply tormented by the world's appalled reaction to his physical appearance.
It's a fairly good movie, I'd say, basically riveting, with strong performances, fantastic and evocative black and white cinematography, and in that same vein, a somewhat interestingly dreamy tone. But I wasn't as emotionally involved as I expected to be (indeed, as so many others claim to have been, and believably so). Yes, I was appropriately angry when the freakshow guy beat him, and when the hospital orderly invited all the people in to laugh at him, and happy that Hopkins, John Gieguld, and the head nurse treated him so kindly, but there was no moment when I felt overwhelmed by these feelings, despite Lynch's unusually blunt attempts (like the standing ovation, or the discovery of his speech aptitude). I think I'm being unfair to the movie, but I don't want to just cave in to the unanimity of its greatness if I don't genuinely feel that way on my own, y'know?
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jeff_v [ 8.5 ]
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The other great black and white film from 1980. It's impossible not to be moved by the story of John Merrick as played by William Hurt. The extraordinary thing is Merrick is so genteel, he never lashes out or raises his voice in anger. David Lynch's direction is superb; juxtaposing the Elephant Man with the belches of the industrial revolution (Alan Plet's sound should have won an Oscar). Freddie Francis' cinematography gives the film a magical, forlorn feeling. An exquisite film.
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Stitch [ 9.5 ]
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Brilliant and unexpected movie from David Lynch. John Hurt in his best role ever. Beautifully filmed in Black and White. It's a heartbreaking story that will make you cry (if you're prone to that in movies) but so rewarding. Watching Anthony Hopkins dealing with his overwhelming compassion for this deformed man while the scientist in him tries to keep his objectivity and distance truly shows his true power as an actor.
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shanster [ 9.0 ]
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Even as a child, this one was able to touch my spirit. You know objectively that this is an unfortunate man, but subjectively you want to shun him because he is painfully hideous. Definitely a thinking person's movie.
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Wizard [ 6.5 ]
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The Elephant Man is what you might expect from a David Lynch film. On the one hand it's much more mainstream, but the director's stamp is hard to overlook.
In this film, David Lynch drags another creature of the night into the light. We approach this person in a similar way the doctor, who has found him, does. There is duality of fear and curiosity about the "creature" on the one hand and the humanistic approach to man behind the "mask" on the other hand.
Technically, as far as the cinematography, lighting, makeup and set direction are concerned, the film is pretty brilliant.
So far so good, but there was a lot that I didn't like. First of all, I felt a little manipulated watching a film that was constantly telling me what to think. The message is obvious and constantly repeated. I also think that after the first hour the film hadn't anything new to tell. The part of Anne Bancroft feels underwritten and is not very believable. Also the transformation from creature to man is done way too quickly. The dream sequences at the beginning and the end, as well as the symbolism that's behind the images of industrialization, don't amount to anything.
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| Weighted Rating | : 7.0 |
| No. Ratings | : 17 | |
| No. Reviews | : 8 | |
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