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The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man

Member rating

130 reviews

Beautiful account of John Merrick, a man with a severe physical deformity rescued from a cruel circus sideshow in Victorian London.

Certificate12

Duration118 mins

Review by

  • Skye, 11
  • 57 reviews

Don't Judge A Person By Their Appearance!

5 stars

17 May 2020

A biography on John Merrick. ''The Elephant Man'', showed me what life was like for dear John Merrick. I found this a quite emotional film and I'm sure many other people would agree. The film was very sympathetic and well constructed. I can give a round of applause to the cast and everyone that worked on the film.

The story tells of a young man, whom's face is deformed and his unfair life that his appearance gave him. At first he worked in a circus for ''freaks'', where he was exhibited. Later, the circus was visited by surgeon Frederick Treves. Treves, invites Merrick to be examined and after this the circus gets closed by the police. But where will Merrick go? What will Merrick do?

I think John Hurt did an amazing job as John Merrick as did Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins as Frederick Treves. I am amazed how the team was able to recreate Merrick's face and also his talking.

This film was black and white, but was filmed in 1980. At first I didn't know when it was filmed and was confused that it was black and white but in good quality. I think the director wanted this because maybe it would have given us a better impact or added more tension.

By the end I adored the ''The Elephant Man''. His personality shone through more. He was very sweet, kind and intelligent. I'd definitely recommend to anyone interested, but keep it as a PG. As some younger viewers may find it uncomfortable to watch.

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