Too much sentimentalism?
-
Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Elephant Man
ElMaruecan82 — 13 years ago(November 15, 2012 02:47 AM)
The Elephant Man is a film of absorbing atmosphere, impossible to imagine without that shadowy black and white cinematography that powerfully conveys the horror of John Merrick's condition and the darkness of an era where people were incapable to see inner humanity behind a hideous deformity (and it conveniently made the make-up more realistic). And the score by John Morris, both haunting and playful, echoes the seemingly reason-to-be of John Merrick in life: suffering and entertaining. John Hurt powerfully communicates the vibrating despair of a trapped soul and if it wasn't for Robert De Niro in "Raging Bull", he probably would have deserved the Oscar. And Anthony Hopkins is perfect as the well meaning, but not flawed, doctor Treves.
There is also something effective in the way Merricks scariness is asserted, David Lynch waits until almost twenty minutes to show us his face: we see a woman crying after having seen him in the Carnival, Treves with that deadpan expression and tears coming through his eyes, we see the iconic mask with mysterious breath noises, the shadowy silhouette while he's exhibited to the prestigious Medical assembly, and the whole mystery surrounding his look pinnacles with the genuine horrified reaction of Nora, the nurse, her shrill scream illustrates the first effect Merricks has on people.
Now, Merrick is the central character of the film, and when at the end, after he escapes from his evil master Bytes (Freddie Jones), he's chased in the train station and then cornered in the toilet, finally screams: "I'm not an animal! I'm a human being! I'm a man! he conquered courage. And at this point, his character's arc is closed; he went from a horrifying freak to a man who is capable to protest, to express his anger, to proclaim his legitimate right for respect and dignity. I guess this is the true courage of John Merrick, this climactic moment when he confronts a crowd of so-called civilized people.
The entrance of The Elephant Man is a masterpiece of build-up; the triumphant cry is the perfect emotional pay-off. Yet the evolution between the two moments isn't as fluid as expected. He goes from a patient who can barely speak to one who recites the Bible quite fluently. Naturally, it would have been infuriating if the doctors never noticed his intelligence, but the moment where Carr-Gomm (John Gielgud) is disappointed by Merrick's aptitudes is immediately followed by the pivotal recitation. It's like Lynch was in an urge to show us a Merrick in progress. I personally wouldn't have minded if the film was half-an-hour longer if it was to show a more realistic evolution, especially since the irony of his intelligence is that it makes his condition even more monstrous. As Treves said, "Pray to God he is an idiot"
The psalm recitation is rewarded by an immersion in society, during which Merricks prove to be an extremely lovable character, eager to please and impress. There is a childish pride in the way he exhibits the picture of his mother, an oddly beautiful woman. Hurt is so spectacular that you can even feel in his voice, the guilt of not being equal to match his mothers looks. At that part, you can tell, that Merrick is still imprisoned in his own perceptions and can't help but see him as a freak. And as far as he's concerned, he'll only cease to be a freak in the eyes of people. This is what makes the climax even more powerful, because he ceases to be a freak by himself.
But before the realization, hes still a freak on a reverse way, exposed like a sort of savant monkey. The film divides people into two categories: the bad guys who saw the monster and the good ones who saw the angel. There was pity from both sides. At a point, Lynch even had the bad taste to trade the gripping realism of the story for a sort of Dickens-like atmosphere, which didn't fit the Merricks existential dilemma. I was disturbed by the whole party going on Merrick's room, not because it was too cruel but because it was deliberately over the top, with the whole kissing and dancing, when Merrick was being used as a puppet, and soaked in alcohol. Did the film need to get so frenetic about him?
Now, wasnt the most disturbing part when the guard showed the mirror to Merrick? Hurt's scream was devastating, but it was covered by the noisy ambiance so we couldn't even grab the true horror of the situation. That moment alone was enough to make the scene painful to watch, Merrick seeing his own face. Besides, it would have emphasized the emotionality of the climactic scene, he screams, Im a man! with even more passion because he saw that he looked like anything but a man. Lynch had the possibility to make a terrific story with a straight-forward realism, but the film loses it with the villains.
And it also loses it with the exaggeratedly good characters, like Mrs Kendal (Anne Bancroft) who reads "Romeo and Juliet" with Merrick and kisses him. I don't have a problem with the kissing, but why not putting it for another visit. N -
franzkabuki — 13 years ago(November 18, 2012 02:10 PM)
One might argue though that by keeping Merricks looks a secret for so long, Lynch is resorting to suspense tactics of sorts, which shouldnt really belong in a movie like this. Hes basically exploiting him to get a shock reaction the same way his "owner" Bytes does.
Also, the old nurse whacking the Evil Rascal over the head, is purely an instance of cheap point scoring a la your typical Hollywood feelgood melodrama. Way below Lynch as we know him. On the other hand, the "party scene", although undeniably manipulative, isnt really that gratuitous, reinforcing the brutal understanding that the petty vengefullness of humans - especially humans in packs, in masses - will never go away (which, unfortunately, is countered by the later opera scene). One dont need to say it twice though that the film really could have used a lot more of ambiguous, neutral, better observed characters.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan -
degree7 — 13 years ago(November 18, 2012 07:31 PM)
Good read.
I definitely think that Lynch missed out on exploring the backstory of Merrick, as he mostly focuses on the poor sod being jerked around by other people the whole movie, you're right. For me, he really just become a one note character and a a not so subtle symbol for the audience to lunge directly for the tissues. Lynch seems to plumb the sentimentality of the character for all its worth, but do we really need to feel any worse for the John Merrick?
Even the relationship between the Doctor and Merrick seems to fall by the way-side towards the end, and it seemed like a wasted opportunity for me.
Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you can find anything. -
degree7 — 13 years ago(November 19, 2012 07:15 PM)
Yes, Anthony Hopkins character was really the human element behind the film for me. You'd think it would be Merrick, but to me he was just a glob of makeup, although John Hurt did a very good job acting through it.
Treve's certainly would have faced a few choice problems caring for Merrick as a doomed patient, although let's face it, he's pretty much a "good man", no dilemma there.
Sometimes you have to lose yourself before you can find anything. -
sandifay62 — 12 years ago(August 09, 2013 01:33 AM)
I don't see the movie as having too much sentimentalism. People of this era that had compassion and a sense of responsibility weren't as self-conscious about things like responsibility, compassion, and wanting to do good for others like people are today. The people that wee good weren't portrayed as overly good. They were simply portrayed as polite and responsible. They may seem out of place by today's standards, but this .
-
nicoledesapio — 9 years ago(November 04, 2016 11:34 AM)
- The word is "sentimentality," not "sentimentalism."
- If the film does have sentimentality, or melodrama, or whatever you want to call it, then I think that's in keeping with the Victorian era in which it is set. By today's standards, people in that era
were
highly emotional. Actually, sandifay62 in the post above expresses it perfectly.