Monday 11 October 2010

Unit 1 - The Elephant Man (1980)




Directed by David Lynch, a victorian surgeon by the name of Frederick Treves, rescued a very disformed man from a freak show. This man's name is John Merrick and was mistreated while living as a side show freak for people's amusement. Behind his deformed self, he is an intelligent and sensitive man. Being beaten for wondering off, Frederick took him to the hospital to rest and as well as convince the authorities to allow the man to stay.

When Frederick realises that John can talk and was well educated, John told him that the tumors started when he was 14 and he has to sit up right or he will suffociate and die if not done so.

When he escaped after he got kidnapped, he got off the London train to get back to the hospital. Kids were asking him why he has his face covered and then soon, he was revealed when someone removed his hat and the sack, covering his deformed face. When he rain to get away, the people at the train station chased him, thinking that he was an animal but when he was cornered, he shouted that he was not an animal but a human being.

This film was based on a true story on a man by the name of Joseph Merricks who had deformity.

Near the end of the film, John wanted to sleep like everyone else and moved the pillows that helped him sleep up right to be able to breath. When he fell asleep for the last time before death, his mother greeted him before going to heaven.

Quote 1: I am not an animal! I am a human being! I...am...a man!

Quote 2: A truly haunting film, more so because it is actually based on the true story of John Merrick, born so hideously deformed, he was dubbed ‘The Elephant Man’.

Quote 3: In fact, he is highly intelligent and sensitive, a fact made public when one Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) rescues Merrick from a carnival and brings him to a hospital for analysis.

1 comment:

Jackie said...

Hi Naomi - don't forget you need to have all your Maya class stuff and Photoshop tasks uploaded too, ready for the crit next week!