'The Elephant Man': This film explores more than 'the ugliest thing is the human heart'

The Elephant Man

(The article was first published on the public account "Flying Catfish Movie", with the title: "Should Deformed People Be Discriminated? David Lynch Expresses Dissatisfaction" WeChat ID: FMYmovie, signature: Pseudonym Brain Hole)

In social networks, whenever a topic related to marginalized people is discussed, when one party speaks for the marginalized people, the other party often refutes it with such words:

"If you were them, would you still do it?"

"If they had XXX, would you still think so?"

"If they look like this, will you still have sympathy?"

...

Among them, "If they look like this, will you still have sympathy?" This question is very interesting, not because of how strong the personal attack is, but there is just one movie that can answer this question. It captures not only the assumptions made about marginalized people in the question, but also the reactions of the people the questioner wanted to see to such marginalized people. This movie is the 1980 American black-and-white film "The Elephant Man" about a British story.

"The Elephant Man" is directed by David Lynch, a North American filmmaker known for his bizarre style. In the sequence of David Lynch's works, "The Elephant Man" is not as famous as "Mulholland Drive", "Twin Peaks", "The Night of the Night" and "Blue Velvet", even compared with the debut work "Eraserhead" relatively inferior. But "The Elephant Man" is unique in that it is one of the only mainstream works of David Lynch, and is different from another mainstream work, "The Story of Mr. "The Elephant Man" was his second work after his quirky style became famous, and "Eraserhead" had just brought David Lynch to the attention of the North American film industry.

It can make the fledgling Lynch dare to try the mainstream field, and it shows that the story blueprint of "The Elephant Man" can impress Lynch - yes, "The Elephant Man" has a real story prototype. It is adapted from the 1860s. British deformity The real medical file of Joseph Carey Merrick.

It is difficult to describe Joseph Merrick's experience in more detail than medical records and (possibly) the memoirs of his clients. Under this premise, the script adaptation of "The Elephant Man" is really sensible. Unlike most biographical films, which tell the life of the protagonist from the beginning to the end at the cost of fiction, the main storyline of "The Elephant Man" unfolds from the perspective of Dr. Treves, who is a bystander, and intentionally avoids the history of Joseph Merrick. , allowing the audience, along with Dr. Treves, to take an intuitive look at this terrifying-looking and pitiful "Elephant Man." The plot is roughly the same as the event record, but for the dramatic needs of the film, the two circus masters who used Joseph Merrick were combined into one, and the reactions of some people from different social classes to Joseph Merrick were added. .

Although David Lynch was still a newcomer to theatrical films when he directed The Elephant Man, he had brewed his own indescribable expression techniques in his short films, preferring to visualize the spiritual world with handmade video techniques— -Even in the 21st century, where technology is more developed, Lynch still maintains this creative habit-so in "The Elephant Man", David Lynch's directing style is relatively restrained, he is not like "Eraser Head" ” likewise deliberately magnifies deformities and mental distortions. Except for the fantasy paragraphs that set the tone of the whole film’s tragedy at the beginning, and Joseph Merrick’s nightmare, the whole film does not have any leftovers of the level of spiritual pollution. On the contrary, the performance of the social and ethical influence brought about by industrial development is still in the same line as "Eraser Head", but it adopts a more mainstream method, that is, coal stoves, chimneys and other symbols that symbolize the achievements of the first industrial revolution and machine operation. The sound seems to imply that the "Elephant Man" is actually a victim of the Industrial Revolution. Of course, as a film that has been nominated for eight Oscars, The Elephant Man's production level is also qualified in mainstream films, with excellent photography, art, and music.

David Lynch's films have never lacked controversy, but the controversy of "The Elephant Man" mainly comes from the content of the film itself. Among them, the reflection of Joseph Merrick's care for the upper class has become a target for netizens to criticize the film's "backward values". Perhaps there will be more people who think that the main creator of the film does not believe that the grassroots have a conscience, sympathizes with the disabled, beautifies the upper class, and whitewashes the upper class. In fact, not only the upper-class people represented by Dr. Treves, but also the deformed people who are used as playthings like Joseph in the film help Joseph. And is the "kindness" of the upper class considered an Acura? No, it is an objective fact that has to exist.

Not only in Victorian England, but all over the world today, how to manage an image is a compulsory course for high society (or public figures). After all, as a group that lives in the spotlight in front of others and lives under the paparazzi lens behind others, their every move may become a source of public opinion, and if it is a negative move, it will certainly trigger a national upsurge, but at the same time, it will also backfire on the parties involved. In this regard, they are not much better than the marginalized. Unless you have enough courage, instead of being scolded by thousands of people and stinking for thousands of years, it is better to do good deeds every day and eliminate disasters. Of course, this kind of self-satisfying good deeds may not always benefit others. Just like Dr. Treves' self-examination in the film - is it cruel to let Joseph Merrick show up in front of the public and get in touch with more people?

Although Treves is a high-class person, as a surgeon, he has come into contact with a variety of patients, and he still has some experience in the complexity of human nature. Then the "kindness" of his class is a last resort. Can ordinary people do evil with peace of mind? The author believes that it is not entirely correct, but the possibility is very high. Even if I am also a member of the ordinary people, I have to admit this fact.

Maybe someone else came up with a Nobel Prize winner's theory that "the poor are more trustworthy than the rich" to refute, but is there a variable at the grassroots (or middle class) in this theoretical model? Figuratively speaking, the people who discriminate against Joseph Merrick the most in the film are often the grassroots people closest to Joseph’s background. Even after Joseph received the attention of the upper class for the first time, this discrimination began to evolve into “hatred”. Bringing melon eaters into the hospital and teasing Joseph is the pinnacle - isn't the intention of this group of people not obvious? You high-class people use "Elephant Man" to maintain your public image, and we grassroots people tear off the "Elephant Man" as a fig leaf, any opinions? The East speaks of the dictatorship of the proletariat, and the West speaks of natural human rights. Do you dare? In this way, the "Elephant Man" has become a nuclear bomb button between the upper class and the populist. That's why the security guard was not only shameless in the face of Dr. Treves' scolding, but even boldly said that only the head nurse in this hospital decided his stay, because before the head nurse knocked him unconscious, in his opinion, The head nurse is of the same class as him. According to previous experience, it is impossible for the head nurse to cross the line and speak for the upper class.

For fans of David Lynch movies, the ending of The Elephant Man is a rare and heartwarming one. However, the author still feels that David Lynch at this time is still a little far from the warmth of the various details of the review ending. Joseph Merrick, who loves theatrical arts, finally went to a theater and watched a grand performance, but through the lens montage from a subjective perspective, we, like Joseph, noticed that even on a bright stage, there were still prisoners in the corners. The image of the poor people, the beauty of the stage play can not hide the gloom of reality. At the end of the ending, after finishing his model work, Joseph, who had a short time, finally fell asleep peacefully and met his mother in a dream. However, when he had this sweet dream, Joseph took off the pillow protecting his cervical vertebrae and lay down to sleep like an ordinary person. You must know that this was fatal to Joseph, who had a swollen head! In the archives, Joseph's younger siblings were all unfortunate when they were alive. One died, the other was disabled for life and died as early as his brother, and his mother died early, which is even crueler than the movie! Not to mention that Treves, as the person who cares about Joseph the most in the mainstream society (after all, he took the initiative to bring Joseph to his house as a guest), did not get to see Joseph for the last time. In the end, he could only analyze the cause of Joseph's death in real records. More helpless?

Of course, even with all of my exposition, there are still people who will insist that David Lynch and The Elephant Man "have a bad ass." It's really hard to have a movie like "The Elephant Man" anymore. But is this a manifestation of social progress? I don't think so. At present, in addition to the creators who eat leopard gall, or looking at the film and television industry at home and abroad, the upper limit of discussion is Dr. Treves' self-reflection. The public either can't be photographed, or they are absolutely good, the master is just black, the master is absolutely good, the "Elephant Man" must live a happy life, and he can't be photographed if he can't live, Dr. Treves In addition to self-reflection, you must be a good person, or do you still want to see the benevolence of Hannibal's doctors? With such an ideology and such an environment, "The Elephant Man", like its director David Lynch, is of course out of place!

But even so, "The Elephant Man" is still a classic movie worthy of recommendation, not only because it is an eight-point masterpiece, but also because it is the ultimate artifact to test your circle of friends-the primary criterion for testing this thing is the other party After a rough understanding of this film, will you blurt out: "Ah! It's so ugly! Don't watch it!"

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