77. The Elephant Man; movie review

THE ELEPHANT MAN
Cert PG
118 mins
BBFC advice: Contains mild horror and scenes of mild violence

In the words of The Elephant Man: "You've been so kind."
This is precisely how I finished my groom's speech 32 years ago, with a rather poor John Hurt impression.
Such was the impact of this fantastic film that the dialogue remained with me and it had been so popular, I knew everyone would have seen it.
Yet when I watched it on its 40th anniversary, it still offered surprises.
For example, I didn't even know it was directed by David Lynch before he drifted into the surreal with Blue Velvet, Twin Picks etc nor that it was financed by Mel Brooks.
Neither did I recall that Rocketman director Dexter Fletcher was the boy employed by the cruel owner (Freddie Jones) of The Elephant Man (John Hurt).
There are also a host of bit-parts played by future stars such as Pauline Quirke, Lesley Dunlop and Patricia Hodge.
Anyway, it is a movie which passes the test of time more thoroughly than any re-releases I can recall.
If I had seen it for the first time I could have believed it had been completed last week.
Anthony Hopkins is perfect as Frederick Treves, the London surgeon, on whose memoirs Lynch's film is based.
Hopkins' quiet but determined style set the bar for much of his stellar career. While very different roles, elements are seen in his much-lauded portrayals of Hannibal Lecter and, more recently, Pope Benedict.
I was also very taken with the skulduggery acted out by Jones and Michael Elphick as the exploiters-in-chief of John Merrick, aka The Elephant Man.
By the way, there is a continued mystery why Treves referred to Merrick as John and not Joseph, his real name.
I digress.
Hurt is a wonder as Merrick and was hugely unfortunate to have been up against Robert De Niro's stunning portrayal of Jake LaMotta to deny him an Academy Award.
It was a typical Oscar outrage that it didn't convert any of its eight nominations in the year that Ordinary People swept the board. Yep, who remembers Ordinary People?
Ok, I should park the bitterness but, in my view, The Elephant Man is film-making excellence from its monochrome cinematography, to its intoxicating writing and superb acting.
Oh, and what about its make-up - take a look at real photos of Merrick and the comparison requires several double-takes.
Total genius wrapped up in a movie. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favour.

Reasons to watch: One of the great films
Reasons to avoid: Scary make-up and upsetting scenes

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 10/10

Did you know? When young Joseph was born, he was a completely normal child—healthy, well-formed, and with no medical abnormalities. However, at age five, Merrick’s physical form began changing rapidly. He developed abnormal growths on his bones, causing huge deformations on his skin. His cranial structure also changed and large swathes of skin hung from the back of his skull and in front of his face.

The final word. David Lynch: "Those actors were beyond great. I cannot say enough good things about John Hurt. What he did is just glorious. His character is so fantastic. It’s a human-being thing; your heart just goes out to him for what he went through." Time Out

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