The Elephant Man

This Lynch picture tells us a lot about people. And it’s not all nice. In terms of film craftsmanship, this is precise work where the director doesn’t stray for an instant from the planned storyline and achieves absolutely engrossing atmospheres by working with light and the camera. The acting performances, primarily the hypnotized Anthony Hopkins, just go to underpin the perfection of this biographic drama. (02/10/2011)

Fortunately, the initial shots, displaying signs of another Lynchian mystery, quickly transformed into a school analysis on the theme of humanism. Just as the image of the film is black and white, the character distribution follows this two-color scheme - the good guys and the bad guys. Despite the fact that the film is based on true events, I can't help feeling that it's all too perfectly orchestrated. David Lynch's reliance on the emotional expressions of actors is overly conspicuous. Especially in the first half, there is absolutely nothing said, while the second half at least begins to develop some progression in the plot and build relationships. However, this does not change the overall impression that the effort to avoid being a cheap tearjerker goes in vain, mainly because the deeper idea of humanity cannot be realized in the film due to its dry script. (29/10/2005)

A humanistic journey into the soul of a man who looks like a monster but is beautiful on the inside, The Elephant Man features masterful work with the camera and lighting, as well as extraordinary acting performances. The director’s take on his subject matter is so sensitive that it seems as if he has fallen to his knees before it. A filmmaking event with one of the most beautiful endings ever seen on the screen. (17/02/2009)

There are some films I seem to avoid. The Elephant Man is one of them, even though it's a film by my great favorite David Lynch. But that's the case with Kubrick as well. I still haven't seen Full Metal Jacket either. But I finally got around to watching The Elephant Man. It’s one of the few films that Lynch made on a studio commission. It's a grim film, not because of how John Merrick looks, but because his life is grim. And not because life itself is grim, but because people can be grim. Well, that's just how it is, and I guess I'll have to come to terms with it. This is a beautiful film about a man who wasn't even regarded as a human being. You can feel Lynch's own presentation in it. Not as strongly as in his auteur films, but some scenes simply have his touch. For example, right at the beginning, or other similarly dream-like sequences. I almost wonder how it would turn out if he had more freedom. Still, this is a beautiful film. (25/02/2014)

The suggestive and oppressive atmosphere of a hostile city as a contrast to the soul of an internally beautiful person. David Lynch occasionally goes beyond audience discomfort in terms of human monstrosity and allows this defenseless individual to suffer too often, but in the end, it gets to me. Mainly because the closing "Adagio for Strings" is among the most melancholic scenes I have ever seen. (08/01/2006)