The elephant man is a black-and-white portrait of human dignity and sensitivity hidden under a deformed body. In this mythical David Lynch film, we discovered the true story of Joseph Merrick, a young man suffering from Proteus syndrome, and after spending much of his life in the circus world, he finds calm in his later years at london hospital.
It tells the story that Merrick had an artist’s soul and a poet’s heart, he only had one useful hand, and although he was as small as a 10-year-old, he was always very skilful. knew how to create fascinating constructions with paper, cardboard and toothpicks, these small works were gifts that he used to give to all those people who loved him.
- “It is true that my form is very strange.
- But to blame me is to blame God; if I could get up.
- I’d try not to stop pleasing them.
If I could go from pole to pole or kiss the ocean with my arms, would I ask that it be measured by my soul Is the mind the measure of man?
J. Merrick-
When Mel Brooks told David Lynch the script of the story, he knew exactly what he was looking for, Joseph Merrick’s story deserved to be brought to the movies in a special and different way, and it had to be a tribute. His delicacy, virtuosity and intelligence must transcend the skin inhabited by blows and deformities. His humanity must overcome society itself, in despicable and grotesque moments, always eager to look at the different and the strange.
The result exceeded all expectations. The film ended up being a black-and-white gift about human dignity, an unforgettable production where kindness emerges from perversion and monstrosity. The Elephant Man received eight Oscar nominations in 1981 and, although he did not win, history has already made it a cult work, an unforgettable cinematic gem.
David Lynch was very clear in saying that the story of The Elephant Man must be taken to the black-and-white cinemas. Only then can you show the traces of the Victorian underworld that accompanied Joseph Merrick’s life. It was the only way to involve public opinion about the cluster of sensations, anxieties and emotions that marked the existence of this young Briton who suffered severe deformities from his first year of life.
This monochrome photograph was very useful for illuminating, for example, the world of the underground circus where the elephant man was exposed. The monster show was the only remedy available to people suffering from malformations, and Joseph Merrick achieved remarkable success in Europe in 1880. which today is considered the most severe case of Proteus syndrome, which he described himself as follows:
My skull has a circumference of 91. 44 cm, with a large fleshy ledge on the back the size of a cup of coffee, the other part is, to describe it in a certain way, a set of hills and valleys, as if they had been dented, while my face is a spectacle that no one could imagine The right hand is almost the size and shape of an elephant’s front leg , measuring more than 30 cm of circumference on the wrist and 12 on one of the fingers. arm, the hand is no bigger than that of a ten-year-old girl, although proportionate, my legs and feet, like my body, are covered in thick, clayy skin, very similar to that of an elephant and almost the same color In fact, no one who has not seen me would believe that such a thing could exist.
Thus, in the midst of the brutal and humiliating scene that encloses the world of the circus, we are suddenly presented with an exciting and compassionate look that changes the life of Joseph Merrick, this is Dr. Frederick Treves, a role played by Anthony Hopkins masterfully. Someone who could see the human being under the skin of the monster, someone moved by the cries of a young man who demanded to be seen as a person, not an animal.
Although Dr. Treves has a close relationship with young Merrick, the viewer always guesses that he too has a deep scientific interest, showed him to eminent pathologists, doctors and surgeons, exposed him to his colleagues and did his best to get the Elephant Man to spend his life in the London hospital.
Once housed in a room, young Merrick is finally able to show what’s underneath all these lumps and thick skin. At first, the scientific community assumes that such an organism would certainly be accompanied by a profound intellectual disability, however, they soon discover something that is now perfectly documented: Joseph Merrick had great intelligence.
He read and wrote with great ease, composed poems, was a great reader and had a world vision as innocent as it was hopeful, the shadow of his childhood, tormented by ridicule, abuse or his dark years in the entertainment world and The Circus, had not affected him or hardened him. As he explained, his hope and optimism came from love. The love he had received from his mother, a beautiful young woman who instilled in him a love of books and who died early.
Interestingly, although the London hospital raised funds to give Merrick a lifetime of comfort in the institution to avoid the public demonstration to which he was subjected, he ended up committing an act that for many was unforgivable. April 11, 1890, at the age of 27, while he was asleep.
It is known that the young man was a believer and that one of his wishes would be to be buried near his mother, however, scientific interest spoke more than respect and defense of his dignity. The London Medical College Museum of Pathology has been exhibiting its skeleton for decades. Currently, his remains have been removed (but are still under study) and have been replaced by his belongings: his armchair, his handwritten letters, the hat with the stitched cloth that covered his face and head?
If there’s one thing this film has accomplished, it’s to give us a faithful portrait of humanity contained in Joseph Merrick’s deformed body. Music, photography, direction? All this formed a perfect and human network, where a spirit was discovered that remained intact despite the humiliations and abuses.
The elephant man has never lost his delicacy, his refined manners, his trust in others. Ironically, after his death, he was the victim of another spectacle: that of the scientific world.