David Lynch had one feature film under his belt when he was approached by Mel Brooks to direct the adaptation of the life of Joseph Merrick, a man suffering from physical deformity that was never identifiable in the medical community. Merrick’s tragic life as a sideshow “freak” and his desire to be a “normal” human being is surprisingly serious subject matter for both Lynch and Brooks, and to avoid confusing audiences, thinking they’re walking into a comedy, Brooks left his name off the credits, opting to produce solely through his newly created “Brooksfilms” company, and Lynch was still to new on the scene for audiences to know what to expect from him. Lynch, for the most part, is subdued. Known for his surrealist, dreamlike way of filming, mostly plays it straight and realistic, outside of the film’s bookending scenes involving Merrick’s mother. This has put The Elephant Man lower on the list of favorites among Lynch lovers, but it is also probably his most accessible film for the general public. And thank goodness for it. This movie needs to be watched by everyone.

Frederick Treves is a surgeon at London Hospital. He comes across a freak show in the East End featuring a hooded John Merrick (throughout history, Joseph Merrick has been erroneously called “John”; the movie does this as well). Treves pays the ringmaster, Mr. Bytes, to bring Merrick to the hospital for examination. Treves examines Merrick in front of his colleagues and it is revealed Merrick must sleep with his head resting on his knees, otherwise he would asphyxiate in the night. Merrick is returned to Mr. Bytes and is beaten to the point of needing medical attention. Treves brings Merrick back to the hospital. Merrick is treated by Mrs. Mothershead because all the other nurses are terrified of him. Mr. Carr Gomm, the hospital governor does not want to treat Merrick and considers him “incurable”, but when Merrick proves his ability to read and learn by reciting the 23rd Psalm, he is permitted to stay. Merrick becomes somewhat the talk of the town and receives guests. Some are kind to him, and others…are not. The night porter at the hospital begins to sell tickets to see “The Elephant Man”. During the raucous, Mr. Bytes kidnaps Merrick and puts him back in his show. His health deteriorates and Mr. Bytes leaves him for dead. Merrick makes his way back to the London Hospital and he is diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Treves and Mothershead take Merrick to a show with Princess Alexandra (the one who had guaranteed Merrick’s permanent residence at the hospital). The actress in the show is one of Merrick’s kind visitors from earlier and dedicates the show to him, inviting him to stand for an ovation from the audience. Back at the hospital, Merrick finishes a model of a cathedral he could see from his window, thanks Treves for his kindness, and goes to bed on his back like a “normal person”, dying in the night.

The Elephant Man is a beautiful film, surprisingly sweet and sentimental. For some critics of the movie, this is the biggest complaint, but for others, like myself, it’s what makes it so good. It’s a feature, not a bug. Making the film in black and white provides a sort of hazy look over the entire thing, keeping a sense of mystery and dreaminess throughout. And of course, the characters are the focal point. Anthony Hopkins handles the disgust, curiosity, second-guessing, kindness and tenderness of Treves. John Hurt, up to this point, was mostly in supporting roles, but his lead turn as Merrick was astounding to say the least. His prosthetics made it difficult for him to talk, but it better serves the character. The film is a perfect display of the irony of humanity: those who look like monsters, usually aren’t, and the ones who look humane are deformed. As Merrick says when a mob overcomes him: “I am not an animal! I am a human being!”

Bonus Review: Freaks

They say, when you’re first working on a story of some kind, to “write what you know”. Tod Browning didn’t write Freaks, but he had the carnival background before he became a filmmaker. Browning, by the time he was working on Freaks, was already a successful director as the man behind the original Dracula in 1931, and had made a name for himself as the original King of Horror. The irony of that monicker and this film is that Freaks is probably Browning’s most controversial and most horrific film, and yet, it’s not a Horror film. There are maybe some elements of Horror, such as the ending, but it’s mostly pure drama. The reaction to the making of the film would make you believe it’s a Horror, though. The cast, mostly made of actual “freaks”, was so disturbing to the regular workers at MGM that they relegated to being housed in a tent outside the studio lot and fed in a separate cafeteria.

The visceral reaction from test audiences caused the studio to go behind Browning’s back and cut the film down from 90 minutes to a measly 65 minutes, and now the original cut is gone forever. The film bombed because of the disgusted reaction and MGM tried to hide it from the general public for decades. However, when it was rereleased in the late 60s, it became a small counterculture phenomenon and was reevaluated by audiences and critics alike to great acclaim. One of the original criticisms was that Browning, by making a film about deformed people with deformed people, was being exploitative and mean. However, in this reevaluation, people began to realize that the story and the way scenes are filmed is incredibly sympathetic to the “freaks” and treats them as “normal” people when it shows them doing day-to-day stuff not just their sideshow performances.

Cleopatra, a beautiful trapeze artist, learns that one of the midgets in the show, Hans, has a really large inheritance and decides to marry him for his money. This obviously upsets Hans’ fiancée, Frieda. To get the money quicker, Cleopatra plans with Hercules, the strongman, to kill Hans after they’re married. Hans is head-over-heels for Cleopatra and agrees to the marriage. At their wedding, Cleopatra begins her scheme to gradually poison Hans’ wine. The other “freaks” attempt to be inviting to the “normal” Cleopatra and chant “One of us! One of us!” at the table (yes, this is where that comes from). The “freaks” general happiness upsets Cleopatra to the point where she mocks all of them and humiliates Hans by parading him around on her shoulders. Hans realizes that Cleopatra only wants his money, but he gets sick from the poison. While bedridden, he discovers the extent of Cleopatra and Hercules’ plot and conspires with the other “freaks” to get revenge. In the middle of the night, as the caravan travels to the next town, Hans’ wagon turns over, giving Cleopatra the chance to escape the “freaks”, but they pursue her into the woods. It is later revealed that they have mutilated her, turning her into a “freak” like them. Okay, maybe it’s more Horror than I originally remembered.