Should you watch The Elephant Man?
Who it’s good for, who it isn’t, and what’s in it. No ratings, no scores.
The Elephant Man
Film · 1980
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity.
The sides of The Elephant Man
- A disfigured man shown as a sideshow freak
- A surgeon played by Anthony Hopkins
- Victorian London in black and white
The Elephant Man is good for you if…
- you like being moved by John Merrick's gentleness.
- you like John Hurt under heavy makeup, acting with his voice and eyes.
- you love David Lynch's black and white images.
The Elephant Man is bad for you if…
- you can't watch a man mocked and beaten for how he looks.
- you need an ending that doesn't break your heart.
About: dignity · cruelty · kindness
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