78
Metascore
16 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- Hurt is brilliant as Merrick, projecting in his anguished eyes and mournful body language a humanity past the makeup that embodies so convincingly the pain of Merrick, the original elephant man, whose rare disease was exploited by the people running a Victorian freak show.
- 100TimeRichard CorlissTimeRichard CorlissThis is a tale of redemption and transcendence, of the hunchback of London Hospital, of the noble phantom who want to go to the opera, of Beauty and the Beast. In Treves' account, though, the Beast was a Beauty. In Lynch's hands, so is this film.
- 100Time OutTime OutA marvelous movie, shot in stunning black-and-white by Freddie Francis.
- 100TV Guide MagazineTV Guide MagazineHurt gives a tour de force performance, masterfully conveying emotions while unable to use his face or even much of his voice.
- 90Hopkins is splendid in a subtly nuanced portrayal of a man torn between humanitarianism and qualms that his motives in introducing the Elephant Man to society are no better than those of the brutish carny. The center-piece of the film, however, is the virtuoso performance by the almost unrecognizable John Hurt.
- 90The New YorkerPauline KaelThe New YorkerPauline KaelA very pleasurable surprise. Lighted by Freddie Francis, this film is perhaps the most beautiful example of black-and-white cinematography in about 15 years.
- 90The New YorkerRichard BrodyThe New YorkerRichard BrodyLynch’s powerful depiction of Merrick (played by John Hurt) moves a viewer from revulsion and fear to empathy and tenderness.
- 80EmpireKim NewmanEmpireKim NewmanIf you thought the sweetness of The Straight Story was unprecedented in Lynchs work, look again at this earlier true-life tale of odd, everyday heroism.
- 50Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertI kept asking myself what the film was really trying to say about the human condition as reflected by John Merrick, and I kept drawing blanks. The film's philosophy is this shallow: (1)Wow, the Elephant Man sure looked hideous, and (2)gosh, isn't it wonderful how he kept on in spite of everything?
- 50Chicago ReaderDave KehrChicago ReaderDave KehrDespite the rich associations, the film finally makes little more of its central figure, a hideously deformed young man, than an object of pity.