Word: merricks
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Treves, a dedicated surgeon, has sought out John Merrick to study his deformities and to present him to a conference of physicians as "the most perverted and degraded form of a human being" he has ever seen. Because Merrick will only grunt and growl, Treves takes him for an imbecile: "For his own sake, I pray to God he's an idiot." But the doctor soon discovers that his specimen is not only intelligent, but well-read and inquisitive, a sensitive young man painfully aware of his condition. Refusing to return him to his sideshow master, Treves sets...
...whooshing of factory machines creates an incessant, maddening clamor. In one night-marishsequence dozens of dirty, sweating, barechested laborers slave over a huge, clanging machine that wheezes black smoke. The process of dehumanization is in full swing, with the appearance of freak shows and the degradation of John Merrick just a small part of the whole. In a world that is becoming ever more cruel, Merrick is one of many victims...
Lynch's deliberate technique works most effectively in the way he familiarizes the audience with the Elephant Man's deformities. Merrick is seen little by little, first in silhouette, then behind a screen, later in a quick, startling flash. When the camera finally focuses on the young man's face in full light and close-up, the shot does not provoke laughter or a horrified gasp. Of course, the remarkable make-up by Wally Schneiderman helps greatly...
John Hurt as Merrick surmounts a monumental challenge. Merrick's mangled and contorted body allows the actor few gestures. Buried under pounds of make-up, Hurt is denied the use of the movie actor's most valuable tool: his face. He can barely nod and shake his head: His drooping mouth hardly moves when he talks: The only way he can express emotion with his face is by blinking. Thus Hurt must make maximum use of his extraordinary voice, giving the performance of a unique theatricality. Hurt's quivering questions, agonized screams, trembling thank-yous, and choked compliments define...
...early scenes make clear Treves' conflict between mind and heart. When the sideshow curtain is flung back, revealing Merrick for the first time, the camera slowly zooms toward Hopkins as his mouth hangs open and his eyes stare unblinking. He suppresses a scream and then a wince as horror replaces terror and sorrow replaces horror on his face. Later, when Treves displays Merrick before the audience of physicians, he must describe, in detail, his physical distortions. Hopkins delivers these lines quickly, his short clipped sentences and detached, analytical tone fighting the emotion that threatens to crack his voice...