I saw this movie on cable in 1981. I was six years old. It haunted me more than any horror movie I had seen. This was not because of Merrick's appearance which did disturb me. It was because it made me question what kind of person I was. I knew if I saw him on the street his appearance would frighten me and that made me a bad person. This was a lot to work through at that age. I didn't sleep for a week. It turned out to be a blessing as I now work with mentally and physically disabled kids as my job but also as a calling. Some of these kids have what some would consider shocking appearances. I don't even notice. I worked that stuff out when I was six. Thank you David Lynch for that gift.

Even in real life, Mr. Merrick's remains have been left on display for both scientific and curious minds to gawk at. It's amazing how people will accept cruelty & prejudice as logical functions of humanity, while treating truly kind, wise, yet 'different' people like a living disease to society. Choosing either to avoid, or profit from that difference by exploiting it. If Mr. Merrick had to adapt to the cruelty of the world to understand humanity, we should adapt with empathy to better it.

Beautiful film, started crying cause I remembered I miss John Hurt

The first time I saw this film, I was curled up in bed, devastated by the poem at the end when John Merrick dies, and not a moment after, the phone vibrated with the message that David Bowie died! SHATTERED my world completely. And since Bowie did a stage adaptation of the Elephant Man, it was somewhat fitting.

Wonderful review for a wonderful movie. John Hurt's performance is utterly heartbreaking and Anthony Hopkins stoic and measured foil is a duo for the ages.

I watched this movie when I was a child, and I haven't seen it since, so I didn't remember the commentary on machinary and the industrial revolution. But I was about 10 and the part that always stuck with me was the way people looked at Merrick and how he just wanted to be treated like a person. I had a very severe stammer growing up, I still have it, which surprises people because they say they can't tell, but I can I feel the tightness in my lungs and there's always that fear that this will be the word I get stuck on. Not all stammers/stutters are the same. For me it's that I can't physically get the word out, and when I get stuck I'd always see that look on people's face, the look of judgement. I always emphasised with Merrick because of that, but I knew I had it easier than him, because I can easily hide mine (I just didn't have to speak) but he couldn't, So this movie taught me from a young age that we should always treat people as people, and it made me aware of those moments where they know the situation will turn against them.

Very underrated movie. People who Loves Lynch cinema doesnt even know that this movie was directed by him

This is easily one of my top ten favorite films. The amazing makeup effects prompted a demand for the Oscar for Best Makeup. It's also got a lovely (albeit brief) performance by Kenny Baker. I had been tv browsing one day, having not seen the movie for a while, and it was playing at the scene where the actress first meets Merrick and I was instantly shedding a tear.

Thank you for your analysis of such a powerful,moving and riveting story of one man's (yes man) personal journey. I've always felt that John Merrick's (Joseph) journey here on earth should have been required reading in schools throughout the world. There's so much to unpack here and so much to be gained.

My absolutely favorite movie ever. So happy you reviewed it!

good video. this is one heartbreaking movie.

Merrick shrouds himself to protect himself from the grotesqueness of humankind. The Yahoos of Gulliver's Travels.

I really noticed the prominence of art when I saw this movie. Merrick begins building the cathedral once he accepts himself as a member of society, and its progress (or lack thereof) of construction is a visual reflection of John's connection with others. In the end, it is completed and he can die happy because in his art he can forever be like others.

We're watching this movie in class,and I immediately recognized Lynch's style with the sequence at the beginning,but I didn't know it was from him until then. But it's such a great movie,I really liked it.

Leon, this was a deep analysis, and I'm grateful how you talk about the compassion and the humanity of Joseph, It touch my hearth very strong. Muchísimas gracias, de corazón. Sigue así campeón, me encantan todos tus análisis.

It is the manner of mankind to make monsters.

Thanks for doing this, great video as always. One of the few movies that can make me cry.

Thanks for the video. Probably in my top 3 Lynch movies.

David Lynch is a genius.

@Renegade Cut That was a good brief analysis of Kafka's The Metamorphosis. That being said, now would be a good time to do dissertations on the movies The Watermelon Man 1970 and Big 1988. Both of which were reinterpretations of The Metamorphosis.

I remember watching this when I was little and just thinking it was some historical white savior movie and had no idea it was lynch but then when I become a giant lynch Stan it suddenly makes me so much sense and it’s so much more

What horrified me the most in this movie is the scene where the group invades John’s room and abuse him, so devastating

Extremely emotional film. Probably my favourite Lynch film.

I AGREE WITH THIS ANALYSIS OF THE ELEPHANT MAN. I REALLY DONT EVEN LIKE THAT LABEL. JOSEPH WAS A HUMAN BEING WHO DIDNT ASK FOR WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM. HIS OWN FATHER TREATED HIM HORRIBLY. HE HAD NO AFFECTION FOR HIS SON.

My eyes are watering!

Thank you!

Emotion including the ability to suffer still has some relation to intelligence even if it is independent of things like literacy, mathematics, language or artistic genius etc. suggested by the characters of the movie. We don't tend to think rocks, plants or even machines can suffer because we infer they lack the mental capacity for it (or indeed really any kind of mental life as such, although with machines we have to say rather that no machine yet built seems to genuinely suffer, one might yet). It seems to me that the experiencing of suffering etc. requires a certain amount and kind of intelligence... So I think even if you use something like empathy or emotion you are still using some part of intelligence for who or want to treat morally... Also given that it makes no sense to demand that animals etc. behave morally precisely because they do not make complex moral decisions this creates at least some tensions in our moral commitments towards them, as when you have to decide whether to save a prey animal from its predator. The predator is not at fault for wanting to eat the prey (it does no "know" any better), presumably, yet your empathy suggests helping the prey and so depriving the predator of a meal (so some empathy there to, which wins?). This does not necessarily justify not treating other creatures morally but it is definitely a complexity worth confronting...

could you do an episode of the renegade cut in the movie "death to smoochy" i know is not one of the best movies, i could call it a passable movie but i'd like to know what you think because i think that movie could be an incredibly different film if only certain objects were better developed. also when i started watching the film i thought it was going to have a way bleaker ending but it didn't so i felt quite strange watching this movie. whatever i really love your reviews so i'd like to see one if this movie if you could

Lovely choice of music to explain the film - Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber?

love your channel!! could you please do the truman show?

John Hurt Anthony Hopkins Any questions?

shoutout to bradley cooper who made himself 'deformed' in his portrayal of John Merrick by walking on an angle and scrunching his face up

My dads favorite film

I think Elephant Man was a great Movie and very important for Finchers early career

Who else came here from Friday the 13th part 2?

Holy cow! How did I just discover John Hurt is dead just now?

And now that I know that Tim Burton was quoting this movie in reverse in Batman Returns, that movie still sucks. But I might have to watch this one at some point.