The Elephant Man [VHS]

The Elephant Man [VHS]
by David Lynch

The Elephant Man [VHS]

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Actor: Anne Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, John Gielgud, John Hurt, Wendy Hiller
Director: David Lynch
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 124 minutes
Release Date: 1999-09-22
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Publisher: Paramount
Studio: Paramount

VHS Movie Reviews of The Elephant Man [VHS]

Movie Review: A Film About Looking
Summary: 5 Stars

Roger Ebert misses the point of the movie. It is not a film about courage; it is a film about looking. This makes Ebert's comments about "drawing a blank" ironic, because his job is to look at movies, and that is, in part, what the film is about. The movie challenges the audience to ask why it is watching a film about this disfigured man. What the audience can expect to see is a reflection of their own motivations in the motivations of the characters. Hopkins' character (the film's real protagonist and a stand in for the director, perhaps) questions himself in response to John Merrick. The initially harsh head nurse reveals her true tough but loving character. The hospital head (Gielgud) is in it for the good of the hospital. The honest board member is cowed and forced to vote disingenuously by seeing how the Queen, of all people, looks at the situation. The film is all about looking, not just at Merrick, but at each other, and ourselves. The less self-reflective characters are revealed by the elephant man to be what they are as well. Merrick is a mirror: the refined and reflective see more of themselves, both good and bad, in him and all is revealed in his presence. The refined see the refined in him and the ugly see only the ugliness. What does Merrick see? When shown a mirror, he screams, because his point of view is completely outward. He seeks beauty in the world and this reveals his true character. Those about him who seek him out to stare at his ugliness reveal their character as well. So, what is the audience looking for? How is it implicated in this crowd of onlookers? What was Ebert looking for? He assumed Merrick to be the spectacle (the protagonist) and expected a story about courage. Hence, he came up blank. The motivations of the audience, of the director (perhaps), of the characters, including Merrick himself, are all brought to light by the effect his appearance has on everyone around him. It is a circus, but we are all in the center ring.

Movie Review: (An Elephant Man) For All Seasons
Summary: 5 Stars

The message of this movie is the beautiful human spirit and soul that is inside John Merrick who has been displayed in side shows as The Elephant Man. His condition, neurofibromatosis is progressive and is characterized by the growth of hard, fibrous nodules over portions of the epidermis. They may later spread into underlying structures and interfere with other bodily processes, hindering breathing, speaking, hearing and motility of the effected parts. It is usually not a symetrical abberation, adding to its grotesqueness, and causing imbalance. Of course if it appears on the face it becomes quite disfiguring and startling to observers caught off guard. In Victorian England, where John was exploited and knowledge of medicine was not in its present state, a mystery and apprehension surrounded it. This horrible life he had to live, being feared, gawked at, examined were unbearable, but throughout the horror of his life, he was able to remain a pure and beautiful soul. The acting by John Hurt (Merrick) is phenomonal, Anthony Hopkins is brilliant as the doctor who finally provides a kind of friendship with him, and offers him some hope of having a beneficial life, if only for the sake of science. Who would make a lovely black and white movie about a bizarrely sad life such as this?. It would be David Lynch, of course. To view it is to break your heart.

Movie Review: "I Am Happy Every Hour Of The Day."
Summary: 5 Stars

"The Elephant Man" is simply one of the very best movies ever made. It was made by a diverse and unexpected group of people including executive producer Mel Brooks and uber-strange director David Lynch (Eraserhead) and stars the brilliant Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt in their best film appearances ever.

The film follows the story of John Merrick (Hurt) in early twentieth century London. Merrick had been born with multiple serious deformities, and had been exploited as a sideshow attraction in a circus when he was discovered by the dedicated Doctor Frederick Treves (Hopkins,) who sought to help him and learn from him, despite much official and unofficial prejudice and dissuasion.

The film focuses on human dignity and the ability of the human spirit to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and ignorant prejudice and hatred from fellow human beings. I am amazed at the interactions between Hopkins and Hurt onscreen: surely this is among the best acting in any production ever. Although the movie takes certain liberties with Merrick's life story, the film still stands as a testament to both these men and what they stood for, and, more importantly, to the capability for good, love, and compassion that mankind possesses. The film has many other excellent performances from preeminent actors and actresses (John Gielgud, Anne Bancroft, etc.) but Hurt and Hopkins are the two that make this film the piece of genius that it is.

I rarely prefer black and white as a directorial choice, but in this case, the film is enhanced immeasurably by the moodiness it creates. The cinematography, direction, sets, and score are all equally breathtaking, and if you are like most people you won't move an inch for the mesmerizing duration of the film.

The DVD comes with numerous extras, including interviews, and "making of" segments. Certainly this was a labor of love for all involved, especially John Hurt, who had to be made up in the most difficult and time consuming manner imaginable. Their efforts were not in vain, though, as the result is one of the most important films of all time, and certainly one of the best. I absolutely could not recommend a film more highly than this one, and as I sit here, I can't think of a single one that I think is actually better than "The Elephant Man." Everyone should see this movie.

Movie Review: Elephant Man still fascinates
Summary: 4 Stars

Years ago when I saw this movie I was both fascinated and appalled. It's so heartbreaking, but also hopeful. It's still as good as I remember it.

Movie Review: 4 stars out of 4
Summary: 5 Stars

The Bottom Line:

Expertly directed, painfully acted, and shot in a way that makes the 19th century London setting come alive, The Elephant Man would still not be such a great movie (which it is) if it wasn't for the humanity that pervades every minute of the film.

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Summary of The Elephant Man [VHS]

You could only see his eyes behind the layers of makeup, but those expressive orbs earned John Hurt a well-deserved Oscar nomination for his moving portrayal of John Merrick, the grotesquely deformed Victorian-era man better known as The Elephant Man. Inarticulate and abused, Merrick is the virtual slave of a carnival barker (Freddie Jones) until dedicated London doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins in a powerfully understated performance) rescues him from the life and offers him an existence with dignity. Anne Bancroft costars as the actress whose visit to Merrick makes him a social curiosity, with John Gielgud and Wendy Hiller as dubious hospital staffers won over by Merrick. David Lynch earned his only Oscar nominations as director and cowriter of this somber drama, which he shot in a rich black-and-white palette, a sometimes stark, sometimes dreamy visual style that at times recalls the offbeat expressionism of his first film, Eraserhead. It remains a perfect marriage between traditional Hollywood historical drama and Lynch's unique cinematic eye, a compassionate human tale delivered in a gothic vein. The film earned eight Oscar nominations in all, and though it left the Oscar race empty-handed, its dramatic power and handsome yet haunting imagery remain just as strong today. --Sean Axmaker

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