The Elephant Man

If there's one film that needs to be in everyone's collection then it is surely 'The Elephant Man'. It was where David Lynch finally got to apply total creative control on a properly funded mainstream commercial film and the end results were, of course, absolutely astounding. Though nominated for 8 Oscars, it didn't win a single one which was a great disappointment and one that, for me, made me terribly cynical about the value of the Academy Awards in general.

Filmed in high contrast monochrome, even more satisfying visually than Lynch's low budget 'Eraserhead' which formed a kind of stylistic template for the film, it has never looked better for home viewing that it does on this lavishly packaged piece from Optimum, fast becoming a favourite distributor of mine.

The conundrum for many will be:  is this worth a double or even treble dip? (I bought this on VHS, then on DVD and now here it is all over again on Blu-ray). Well, I suppose the short answer is a resounding 'yes'. Quite apart from the leap in picture quality, there are extras here that were not featured even on the recently issued (Optimum) special edition DVD release. Plus there's that exquisite looking packaging bringing a suitable reverence to the film in a book-like sleeve, ideal for shelf storage. (This is true of the whole series of classic Blu-rays being issued by Optimum). Though my check disc came in a plain plastic amray, the packaging pictured is almost enough to make me want to buy a complete copy in its own right.

It's almost impossible to imagine that this master-work from Lynch was only his second feature. All the Lynchian trademarks are correct and present, despite this being a mainstream picture that can be enjoyed by all. Strange moments of dark nightmare style fantasy intermingled with a hyper-realistic Victorian England, Shadows and high contrast monochrome enhanced with a typically Lynchian sound-scape; industrial hisses and drones quietly creating atmosphere throughout the entire film. But far from resulting in art-house abstraction, it adds to a universally understood pathos and results in one of the few films that never fails to draw a tear. It's a film full of hope - that somehow, even when life delivers a stream of relentless cruelty, the creative human spirit can survive and prosper. In short, there can be no doubt that this is a major work.

Though it's clear from the film and accompanying interviews that this was very much a Lynch movie it would be unfair to give him all the credit. After all, not all his films are as good as this. The casting for the film was freakishly perfect. Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt were so perfectly cast that it is almost impossible to imagine anyone else in the roles. The supporting cast are also cannily appointed, creating a film that appears to have no noticeable weakness. (This cast included John Gielgud as the Hospital manager, Freddie Jones (as the drunken Bytes), Wendy Hiller (as Mothershead), Hannah Gordon (as Mrs. Treves) and Michael Elphick (as the bullying the night porter).

I had no idea, until I watched the Lynch interview on the DVD last year (included here on the Blu-ray) that Mel Brooks was responsible for funding the film. Now that must have taken some chutzpah. A relatively unknown Director with one super-weird film under his belt, an all English cast, a script already rejected by all the major studios and the movie to be shot in black and white are not the standard formulae for box office success.  



Lynch retells of a moment when Mel Brooks, picking up on someone else's recommendation of Lynch for Director, insisted on seeing 'Eraserhead'. Lynch assumed that it was game over but waited for Brooks outside the preview theatre on the lot. When Brooks emerged he embraced Lynch declaring him a mad fool and congratulating him on becoming the Director for the movie.
The film itself tells the tale of John Merrick, named at the time as 'The Elephant Man'.
 
It opens with a surreal nightmarish scene with a lady being trampled by elephants, though it is not inconceivable that the Director is implying she is also being raped. It then cuts to a scene in Victorian London where there are a number of 'Freaks' on display. Surgeon Frederick Treves is amongst the crowd and witnesses one of the displays being shut down by the police; The Elephant Man. So intrigued, Treves tracks down the 'owner', a repulsively brutish and melancholy alcoholic called Bytes. He is then shown Merrick whose extreme deformities shock the doctor. He manages to persuade Bytes (with cash) to admit Merrick to his London Hospital for further study. These studies continue with the Doctor assuming Merrick is also an imbecile, unable to communicate. On one occasion, he is beaten so badly by his 'owner' that he almost dies and Bytes summons the doctor as he is fearful of losing his income via Merrick.



Merrick is taken back to the hospital and, just as he is about to be turfed out by the Hospital Manager (played superbly by Sir John Gielgud) he reveals a hidden intellect and cultured demeanour. He is then given a permanent home at the hospital, where celebrities and London's elite begin to visit him. But by night he has other visitors, brought in by the Night Porter for a price. He is eventually cruelly reunited with Bytes, but only after we have seen the potential of a happy life transform him as a human, so this feels all the more cruel and tragic. I won't spoil the ending in case you haven't seen this film, but it's very moving indeed.



PICTURE
I should congratulate Optimum on the acquisition of this fine Studio Canal print, looking absolutely wonderful. There is a feeling of depth and contrast in the picture that is almost dizzying, and if you, like me, were cynical about the benefits of trading up to Blu-ray (when all that was available were recent box office blockbusters) then the time has come to change your mind. The whole series of Studio Canal releases from Optimum alone should convince you that now there really is a reason to go Blu-ray. The images in this review have been taken from elsewhere on the web and, whilst they are certainly the Studio Canal editions, I am not sure whether they are the Blu-ray grabs or not so do not necessarily represent the full quality of the picture you will find here.


 
AUDIO
This film comes with DTS 5.1 surround for the first time though is probably just the stereo re-encoded.

 EXTRA FEATURES
As you might expect, some of the extras here are similar to the extras featured on Optimum's DVD release last year, also sourced from Studio Canal in France.

Here are the extras that were included on the previous release, all present and correct here as well and all very worthwhile.

Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man (20 Mins)
Jonathan Evans, curator of the Royal London Hospital archive, tells the strange but true tale of one Joseph Merrick (John was used in in error by Frederick Treves in his book The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences). There are plenty of archive photographs along with extracts from the film.  Good background material.

John Hurt Interview (20 Mins)

This is a very candid interview with Hurt who holds no punches, either in his admiration for Lynch, nor his fear of Gielgud! A real in-depth insight into the production from the actor's point of view.

David Lynch Interview (25 Mins)
There's plenty of good stuff in here by the usually interview shy Lynch. It's interesting to note the weird wiggling fingers thing he does when he's explain the creative process, somewhat more pronounced on another interview on this disc. It's a lengthy interview that reveals much as Lynch speaks with some candour. He concludes that he will never work on film again, preferring the freedom that DV-Cam brings to him, being able to shoot cheaply and expansively and then achieve much in digital post. That's a shame because none of his films ever looked as good as this one!

New to this release...

'The Air is On Fire': Interview with David Lynch (15 Mins)
The Air is On Fire: David Lynch exposes at the Cartier Foundation Paris 2007. This is a visual record of Lynch's first meeting with the crushingly shy Lynch biographer Michel Chion, whose first book on the director was published in 1992. Lynch is in Paris for an exhibition of his paintings, predictably dark, textural and surreal. Though the conversation is a little awkward you sense that the men enjoy each other's company. There is nothing specifically about the movie here but it's still great insight for any fan of Lynch's.

Interview with David Lynch by Mike Figgis (20 Mins)
Yet another interview with Lynch this time with filmmaker Mike Figgis in the Hotel Centrum in Lodz, Poland in 2006. Figgis is good at getting the best out of Lynch as he discusses the magic of creativity, which, in truth, is something a Lynchian mantra of late. There's a lot of that weird hand waggling going on again which gives Lynch the air of a man possessed.

SUMMARY
Though I received the check disc sans packaging for this review, I wouldn't hesitate in saying it's an essential purchase even in this raw state. When you add what looks like a manifest leap up from plastic Amray cases to a hard-backed book package to the equation, with a chunky accompanying booklet, it puts it  in the 'you'd be mad not to' category. This is just one of a series of sumptuously packaged classics that have been re-mastered to Blu-ray and if this series doesn't inspire you to upgrade then nothing will. Fantastic and a disc that I will be tucking into friend's and relative's stockings this Christmas.