It doesn't matter how much time passes, there will always be some people who won't accept others' differences. This is a fact of life that never changes, even if people have become more tolerant of others being different to them over the centuries. It means a film like The Elephant Man will always be topical, no matter who watches it and in what year.

The Elephant Man is directed by David Lynch, and you can feel his signature style throughout. The film has a few sequences with the surreal imagery that has become so prevalent in his work, such as the nightmares of the titular elephant man John Merrick (John Hurt) involving elephants and people holding mirrors up to his face, and the closing shot as [spoiler]John dies of stars followed by the face of his mother.[/spoiler] But they aren't as abstract as the rest of his directing projects. They have a much more clear-cut meaning; the former neatly demonstrating John's constant fear of how others treat him as a monster, and[spoiler] the latter a beautiful moment that symbolises his death.[/spoiler]

David Lynch also makes the stylistic choice to shoot this film in black and white, along with a sound mix that seems to cleverly evoke films from the 40s and 50s. This is a move that really works in favour for a film, as it allows it to accurately reflect the Victorian period. I can't even imagine what a colour version of The Elephant Man would look like, as the black and white stylings add a historic feel to the piece that would ultimately be removed if it was ever to be colourised.

Thank God we have come such a long way from this past setting though, as this film does such a great job at showcasing just how cruel the Victorian age was to people like John Merrick, who were essentially laughed at and mocked for their differences. This is largely displayed in cruel freak-show exhibitor Bytes (Freddie Jones), who sees John as nothing more than a 'creature' in his possession. It's truly shocking just how soulless this man is, parading this poor deformed man around like his own personal puppet and not even caring for his health when [spoiler]he manages to get John back in the third act, and he collapses upon being shown to the crowd. [/spoiler]He is a man who has no humanity; his only motivation is money.

The mirror of Bytes is doctor Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), who couldn't possibly show John any more humanity or compassion if he tried. He teaches John to speak, gives him a permanent residence at the hospital and even invites him round to his house. This is such a crucial and effective part of the narrative, as it shows that not every member of humanity is a monster in this period; there are still people who care, and genuinely want to help. It's an aspect of the film that conveys such strong feelings of hope and optimism among all of the harsh treatments of poor John Merrick.

Speaking of John, this film gives actor John Hurt one of the greatest performances of his career. For the entirety of the film, he is under such heavy prosthetics, and you would assume that would restrain his performance somewhat. Instead he manages to rise above it and gives a powerhouse portrayal of this tragic figure. He conveys so much emotion, sometimes just in simple grunts and others in these speeches that really command your attention about how he's not an animal, and he really makes you feel for this man with this deformed face. He can't help the way he looks, and it shouldn't matter anyway.


One of the best aspects of The Elephant Man is the relationship between John and actor Mrs Kendal (Anne Bancroft). Mrs Kendal develops quite a fondness for John, which gifts us some really moving scenes between the pair. This includes one of the film's most standout moments, when [spoiler]Mrs Kendel devotes the play at the theatre to John, and John stands in the royal box to the praise and approval of the other theatregoers below. It's such a touching moment, as John finally gets the acceptance he has been searching for, and it's a scene that truly lingers in the memory.[/spoiler]

Overall, The Elephant Man is a directing masterpiece by David Lynch that tells one of cinema's most tragic tales. It also features one of the late Sir John Hurt's greatest ever performances, and fully demonstrates just how much of a talent he was to the film industry as a whole. The Elephant Man is a film that will never lose its meaning, a truly timeless classic that will survive the tests of time, and it shows exactly why we should embrace people's differences rather than fear those who are different.