The Elephant Man (1980 David Lynch & co-scr)

Not representative of the director's normal, weird style, except in a couple of places - the scary, impressionistic opening being one of them. More vividly horrible than I remember, the balance tipped towards the mistreatment and exploitation of the Elephant Man and his condition than on the solace and support John Merrick finds in civilised society. Written by Lynch, Eric Bergren and Christoper de Vore, from biographical sources.

Great performances all round, from Tony Hopkins, John Hurt, John Gielgud, Freddie Jones (perhaps his best performance, as a total brute), Anne Bancroft, Wendy Hiller, Dexter Fletcher, Michael Gambon, Hannah Gordon, Lesly Dunlop (nurse).

I can't help feeling that Lynch is suggesting that industrialisation is the cause of Merrick's deformity, and that the 'Elephant Man' story is just part of the act - in that impressionistic opening, note the industrial sounds that run underneath it. This is also suggested by either a headache or dream which goes from Merrick into underground piping into grim industrial scenes (those same sounds). 

It's brilliantly photographed by Freddie Francis (his return to cinematography after 16 years as a director)  and edited by Anne Coates, who was getting fed up with big scale empty films like The Eagle Has Landed and took a salary cut to start working on more interesting projects - no doubt the relative inexperience of Lynch (he'd only made Eraserhead before this) was also an attraction. Great Victorian locations too (Stuart Craig the production designer). Good music from John Morris, noticeably good sound design also, by Lynch and Alan Splet.

Won BAFTAs for Hurt, film and Craig, none of its eight Oscar nominations won. 

I seem to remember from somewhere that Anne Bancroft wanted to make the film and enlisted her husband Mel Brooks to produce it.

Loved the scene of Merrick being led to safety by the other freak show performers, that shot of them by the river was almost like Fellini crossed with Night of the Hunter. We hoped the boy would set alight to the drunken monster Jones' caravan with him in it - but sadly he didn't hear us.