Rating: 
Summary: An all around great and underrated film.
Review: This film really has everything: not only a true story which is also moving and full of irony, but a Lynch soaked portrait of the turn of the century, filmed like a gritty old photograph of gritty old factories and crude hospitals. I'm surprised that The Elephant Man isn't often recognized as one of the great classic American films.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece of Empathy and Courage
Review: I have always had unusual fascinations, and Joseph Merrick is no exception. At the time The Elephant Man was released in 1980, I was but a mere second grader. I was enthralled by the mystery and spook factor of such a stark and dreary film. Today, I am a film student/director. My films are mostly in the style of David Lynch, David Fincher and Ridley Scott - dark and eerie. The mood which low lighting creates is unsurpassed in its ability to create a dreamlike atmosphere. Furthermore, the majority of the stories I write and the films that I intend to make one day, all revolve around persons whom have had to overcome seemingly insurmountable struggles. While as a boy it was the esoteric 'creepiness' which interested me, I look back upon such experiences as being instrumental in shaping me artistically. I feel there is no better story to tell than that of people who live in a world of intolerance and have the ability to create for themselves a life despite their outcast status. My compliments to you as well for dedicating yourself to such an endlessly interesting subject as Joseph Merrick. His is a lesson to be relished not only from the perspective of disabilities, but from one of self-respect, steadfastness and determination; Very unique characteristics in a situation which might daunt the average man. The Elephant Man is one of the few examples of a genuine masterpice. It encompasses all the necessary components required to create a balanced and rythmic piece of work. The cinematography by Freddie Francis renders a cold, hard world of poverty and strife in London of the late 19th century. A mood which sets the stage in painting the portrait of a man whose life was plagued tenfold on account of his ghastly deformation. In a society where appearance was everything and pretense the norm, the film's various themes include the fact that there always have been people who were altruistic enough to go against the grain. In this I refer not only to Joseph Merrick, but to Sir Frederick Treves and Dame Madge Kendall. Two figures at the upper eschelon of Victorian society who did not permit the trappings of wealth, beauty and power to control their need to bestow kindness upon a person in dire circumstances. The music in this film is perfectly calculated to complement the sadness surrounding a predicament such as the shrouding Merrick. Other times the music boasts the lavish entity which was Victorian society. And still at other moments, the sick fascination of the lowly freakshow spectators crowd is demonstrated in the ratchety strains of carnival bells and whistles. In all, the performances of the major and minor players in this film are beyond perfection. Not only can they deliver the characters flawlessly, but it is obvious that the ensemble of actors was carefully pondered and then pondered again until coming up with the talent which could carry this monument of a film. The Elephant Man has an uncanny ability to depict the exploited- this film easily rivals Freaks.
Rating:
Summary: LYNCH.....
Review: Argueably, lynch's greatest master peice.With its striking black and white frames and enegmatic industrial settings. The film revolves around a young british man by the name of John Merrick who, because of his deformity has been labled "the elephant man". This film almost distinctly deals with the issue of dignity of one's self and the hurdels of (victorian) society and how it effects the Human Condition. In all honesty, Lynch captures such magnificient moments in this film that it seems almost futile to sequel such events,much as less, explain it in this review.I have watched this movie over 12 times in 8 years, and still struggle with its mysteries and hidden meanings. An Ultimate classic in 20th century film making and a BENCHMARK for all movies in its own right....
Rating:
Summary: Sad and dreamlike
Review: Lynch has crafted one of the most moving films I've ever seen, but has also blessed it with his typically strong sense of atmosphere and mood. The tender performances of Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, John Gielgud and others mesh beautifully with the evocative imagery and sends the viewer immediately to the specific time and place. There is no reason why this film should not be on the AFI top 100 list.
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing and beautiful, Lynch does well again.
Review: I'm not sure what I should say, except that this film was extremely moving and has a special place in my passion for films. John Hurt, entirely worhty of his oscar nod, plays John Merrick, a man derformed from birth and isolated since as a freakshow so overwhelming, the London police threaten to close the show. Anthony Hopkins, another amazing actor, plays Dr. Treves, a compassionate and humane man who is so stricken by the abuse this man suffers, he offers to review Merrick in his hospital and supply somekind of care. As Merrick becomes more known among the social elite and the public, his torture is soothed and provoked by the sudden influx of attention. From mocking party-goers to suspicious mobs, Merrick is thrown deeper and deeper into depression as he is subjected to a new dimension of humiliation and pain. There is plenty to sob about throughout this movie, but save your tears for the end, you'll need them all.
Rating: 
Summary: A glimpse into Primal Lynch
Review: It is difficult to start a review of this one because giving this film a context and a framework is incredibly difficult. Once that is done though it is easy to say that this is the sin qua non of Lynch's work. The stunning black and white photography, the languid artsy pacing, a circus of the odd and profane and at the heart the simplist most primal story of being seen as a freak by the world. Lynch, Burton and Gilliam would all tackle this topic later in their careers but here, in the hands of an un-tried and rampagingly iconoclastic young David Lynch is perhaps the clearest and most touching take on the subject. The film aches and every insult is felt by the viewer. In many ways this is both Lynch's most accessable AND most artistic vision reaching depths he has only gotten to years later with The Straight Story. Within this movie are the seeds of Dune, Blue Velvet and Lost Highway without the sense of comprimise that seeped into Wild at Heart and Fire Walk with Me. In taking a step away from the Freudian mire of Eraserhead, Lynch crafts a deeper and more incissive study of the human soul and exposes what human really means. As for the Disc itself, well Stunning is an adaquate discription really.END
Rating:
Summary: Very Good
Review: This movie is a very good movie. It teaches the lesson that you should not make fun of some1 because of what they look like. It teaches a good lesson. The movie would not be good for ages under twelve. Not becausse of the content but because they would not understand it. You should go and buy this movie because it is a good one. It taught me a lesson.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: "The Elephant Man" is arguably the best of David Lynch's works while some may argue his best being "Mulholland Drive", a film which may easily lock him up as a best Director nominee for the 2002 Academy Awards. "The Elephant Man" takes place in England about a man called John Merrick, who's used as a freak show because of his abnormal looks and body structure, played by John Hurt, who was given a new life by a doctor played by Anthony Hopkins. The movie later takes us to see what Merrick goes through in his life before being rescued and the life after. It's important for many of you to note that this is a PG movie because this movie is that important for everyone to watch. It demonstrates ignorance, prejudice, and the evils of the human race. Watching this movie is a life-changing experience and perhaps a turning point in your life. David Lynch's direction in this movie is absolutely outstanding right from the beginning to the end, strange and dreamy. Lynch has long been criticized for his film to be a dreamy imagery by the film critics. However, in this film, it works in its effect of telling the horrific cause of Merrick's looks and teaching us the main lessons of the movie. It's evident there's so much passion put in to make this movie. Bottom line, even though the movie could be disturbing at times, but it is compelling and beautifully made- in black and white. If you want to see good acting and directing, this is the one.
Rating: 
Summary: The tyranny of normality.
Review: Although generally interpreted as David Lynch's breakthrough, the main force behind the making of 'The Elephant Man' was Mel Brookes. Brookes fought agressively for David Lynch's final cut, including the opening and closing dream sequences that Paramount wanted to drop. Lynch, whose fascination with the industrial landscape permeated his cinematic debut 'Eraserhead', must have taken a fancy to directing a movie set in smoke-staked Victorian Britain. Lynch himself likened John Merrick's facial structure to a series of uncontrollable explosions, an industrial-like catastrophe of the body (which sounds like the basis of an architypal David Cronenberg movie). Although initially cared for by men of varying degrees of affection, it is with women that John Merrick shares his strongest bond. Within the moral confines of Victorian society, he is treated as the passive spectacle that women would have been viewed as at the time. His sensitivity and feminine affectations remain intact despite the brutality society has inflicted upon him. This bond would be almost impossible to imagine if he did not receive some maternal affection as a child. Yet ironically what ultimately dooms Merrick is the tyranny of normality that prevades Victorian society. All of those well-bred, well-meaning people who try to help, raise in him a fantasy of acceptance. A 'normality' he will always be excluded from. This tyranny of normality even leads him to believe that there is a 'proper' and 'accepted' way to sleep. Such is the huge leap from the conformist coventions of a century ago, that I believe if Merrick were alive today, he would wear his difference as a badge of individuality, something that has become a convention in itself.
Rating:
Summary: Holds up well after quarter-century.
Review: I first saw this film back in 1981 at the theater when I was 12. It frightened and saddened me though I cannot say I was really traumatized by it. However, it must have made some sort of emotional impact before I have always been terrified of viewing this film in the 20-plus years that have past since then. The most disturbing aspect to me was the inhumane treatment John Merrick received. Just today I got up my courage and bought the DVD at the music store. I sat, white knuckles and all-expecting the worst. Well, I got through it. For one thing, it didn't seem as ominous this go-round. (Funny how your perceptions change as an adult). The fact that this was a period piece works to the film's benefit in that it hasn't dated at all. I am glad the producers and director agreed to use black-and-white film because it adds to the authenticity. What surprised me most was how much I had actually forgotten: the scene in the monkey cage, the fact that Anne Bancroft appeared, and more. What did always stick in my memory was what I refer to as the "raid" scene. (When the sleazy Night Porter brings his "customers" from the pub to Merrick's room, carrying John around, forcing the cheap tarts to kiss him, and then holding a mirror up to his face to purposely shock him.) Upon viewing The Elephant Man as an adult, my favorite scenes are now the most beautiful yet the saddest ones: when John meets Treeves' wife and says he never meant to be a disappointment to his mother, and the final scene as Merrick carefully takes the pillows off the bed and places them on the table. This film should be mandatory study for all North American high school students. Though even then, I am sure there would be more than a few jaded teens who would find some sort of comedy in it. Those kind are the real freaks.
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