The Elephant Man (1980)

User Review

• 

  BarneyNuttall

  9 / 10

  While The Elephant Man is regularly pinned as one of Lynch's less surreal pieces, it remains nightmarish, deriving from his earlier release of Eraserhead. With seminal performances from Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt, The Elephant man is a humanitarian tragedy which is both heartwarming and deeply tragic.
  
  The film's score reminds one of the score to Edward Scissorhands, as does the black and white cinematography which seems to call back to German Expressionist cinema. This film is clearly so influential in its brilliant make up design, starkly beautiful cinematography and heartbreaking performances.
  
  The film explores the grimy monsters inside humanity while also commenting on vacuous Victorian sensibilities. The film is mature and much simpler than Lynch's other works but this only amplifies the pain at the heart of the film.

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