The Elephant Man

Though it begins with a segment of odd, art house imagery, David Lynch's film about a horribly deformed Englishman is mostly subdued and normal, as far as style goes. Its black and white cinematography is crisp and pleasing to the eye, and in many ways the techniques seem almost anachronistic (aside from a couple of bizarre, dreamy sequences). Anthony Hopkins plays a benevolent surgeon who locates the so-called 'Elephant Man' and attempts to save him from his depraved circumstances. Lynch provides an interesting, compassionate look at perceptions of weirdness in society, and questions both our repulsion and fascination of differences, here shown is the form of an extreme physical mutation. The scenes are unfocused at times, with some abruptly fading away when they ought to continue, and others dragging with no forwarding of the plot, but as a whole it is a very watchable, carefully-crafted film and an revealing critique of human cruelty and hypocrisy.

HIGHLY ENTERTAINING
4 out of 5
Buy this film: The Elephant Man

Plot: 4
Imagery: 4
Originality: 4
Soundtrack: 3
Overall:4