the audience applauded

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity. The Elephant Man is a film that showcases true potential that is a fact and the Elephant Man make up was a bit too realistic perhaps? It's a very hard movie to watch but also a movie that i'm afraid doesn't hold the test of time or just as a movie in general cause i was expecting perhaps a little bit too much from it? Or a little bit more.. (3.0/10)

Lynch's second film succeeds on every level it intends to. It is a bleak and uncompromising look at how society judges others based on appearance, or really based on any social stigmas. Being a Lynch film, there is the classic Lynchian dream sequence, as well as flawless cinematography and great performances. John Hurt plays the "Elephant Man" perfectly, and the makeup effects are truly haunting, while at the same time evoke pity and strong sympathy for how this man is treated by society. There are plenty of insane, morally revolting characters, as is common in many of Lynch's works. At the end of the day, this may be the most sad and powerful Lynch film. As while his other works may examine the human condition very successfully, none come close to the uncompromising cruelty and mean spirited-ness as seen in "The Elephant Man." At the same time though, there are genuinely good people that want to help improve his life. All in all, the film is a phenomenal expression of the human condition, and should be taken as a warning to avoid applying social stigmas and barriers to individuals.

''Why are people afraid of the 'unknown' ?'' I was very touched. I liked it the acting of Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt very much. I'm surprised that John did not get an Oscar. We see our prejudice is always a shadow. Unlike other Lynch films at a more understandable level. John Merrick: I am not an elephant! I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!

This is my first David Lynch movie and after watching it I have to say that it is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen. The movie follows the story of a heavily disfigured man named John Merrick, who, managed by his proprietor Bytes, goes from carnival to carnival as a special attraction whom people would pay good money to see. Finally he gets the attention of medical surgeon and professor Frederick Treves(Anthony Hopkins), who takes an interest in him as an interesting medical case that he could examine to gather knowledge. Treves ends up moving John into a hospital freeing him from the clutches of the abusive Bytes. From here the story follows how John's life begin transforming as he comes in contact of more and more people and people come to know that there is more to this ugly freak of nature than meets the eye. The setting of the movie is hauntingly beautiful. Most of the scenes are very dark and grainy that adds to the storytelling with an apt soundtrack. The shots of the carnival, where john is with other disfigured people are very dark and have a negative vibe to it. The make up on John is surprisingly well done, so that you wouldn't have a hard time believing the reactions of the people seeing him for the first time. The story is at all times believable and never goes over the top. I personally found the story incredibly sad and was brought to tears at many points. The direction seemed flawless. In fact, after watching this I am going to look for other works by the director.At the core, Elephant Man is in many ways symbolic to actual life. It points out how being ugly is almost considered a crime in today's society and how everything and everyone is taken at face value. You can't be the strong and silent type if you are not good looking, then you are just a loner. It shows how people need to pity and laugh at other people in order to feel happy and to feel secure themselves. This movie shows the true and unchanging nature of human mind. It shows how all individuals who are part of the society are the same in one way or other. Treves rescues John from the carnival just to put him on display in a bigger one. In that essence he is no different than Bytes. In fact every person shown in the film had something to gain from the freak and in that way they are all the same. The only exceptions are the poor disfigured people of the carnival. What they did for John was out of pure compassion and not for any personal gain. The movie makes it abundantly clear again and again that no matter how they tried, those freaks can never REALLY be a part of our society. This is the question the movie presents. Are they the ones who are the freaks, or are we?