{"product_id":"the-elephant-man","title":"The Elephant Man","description":"\u003ch2\u003eDescription\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSTARS:\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000164\/?ref_=tt_ov_st_1\"\u003eAnthony Hopkins\u003c\/a\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000457\/?ref_=tt_ov_st_2\"\u003eJohn Hurt\u003c\/a\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm0000843\/?ref_=tt_ov_st_3\"\u003eAnne Bancroft\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e124 min | Docudrama, Period Drama, Tragedy, Biography, Drama | 1980 | Color\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003eMovies with low demand and\/or out of print are manufactured-to-order using high quality recordable DVDs. Please read FAQs if unsure, or send a query.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003eAll DVDs are Region 0 and are guaranteed to play on any DVD player in any country in the world\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003eSatisfaction Guarantee – if you are not satisfied with any aspect of your purchase then we will explore all options to rectify the issue\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eCOMBINED POSTAGE: ONLY CHARGED FOR THE FIRST DVD ALL OTHERS IN A MULTIPLE ORDER ARE POST FREE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003ePostage: Free In Australia.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(43, 0, 255);\"\u003ePostage: Rest Of The World at Table Rate\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(255, 42, 0);\"\u003eAll DVDs come in a DVD case with color artwork and printed disc\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: rgb(42, 96, 153);\"\u003eAll DVDs are available as an MPEG4 file sent to you via an email link. Save on postage and waiting time. Transfer can take up to 12 hours depending on the time zone you are in.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"ipc-title__text\"\u003ea perfect film\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf one was to turn on David Lynch’s The Elephant Man midway through, without knowing what it was, one might be startled at the appearance of the main character. One might even be tempted to make fun of the character. But if one was to watch the film from the beginning, one’s sympathy with John Merrick (John Hurt), ‘The Elephant Man,’ would be strong enough to deny that the former situation was ever a possibility. Lynch does not allow his audience to glimpse Merrick sans mask until his appearance has been built up substantially. When we the audience are at our zenith of anticipation, we see him-no dramatic music, no slow motion; a simple cut and he’s there. There he is. And it’s no big deal.\u003cbr\u003eThis is the beauty of Lynch’s direction. We are led through our morbid curiosity at the same rate the characters in the film are. We develop alongside them. More specifically, we develop alongside Frederick Treeves, played with an astounding sublimity of emotion by Anthony Hopkins. Next to Treeves we pity Merrick, respect him, pity him again, and then ask ourselves with him, ‘is he just a spectacle to me? Am I a bad person?’\u003cbr\u003eLynch certainly doesn’t let us bypass this question easily. Are we bad people for being intrigued or are we good people for pitying? Certainly there is a mix of intrigue and pity with every character who first meets John, and we are not excluded. However, as with almost every character who truly comes to know John and confer with him, we learn to respect him as a human being and not as a spectacle. Nonetheless, this issue never finds close in the film, nor do I feel it ever can be closed in actual life. Hopkin’s Treeves is never fully sated in how he feels about this dilemma, and so, neither can we be.\u003cbr\u003eTechnically, The Elephant Man is a beautifully shot film. In crisp black and white, the film recalls the cinematic technique of American cinema circa the 1930’s. The scenes dissolve into one another; there is no brisk editing. The lighting is kept low-key during dark scenes, balanced during daytime scenes-this is standard film-making of the era. The one digression from this form are the distinctly Lynchian surrealities-pseudo-dream-sequences of commendably original imagery that break up the film and serve as distinct mood-setters for the audience. These are, for the most part, fairly intimidating sidenotes. We as an audience are caught off-guard because in these tangents we are not identifying with Treeves, we are put instead into Merrick’s shoes. It is unsettling.\u003cbr\u003eBut Lynch has never been a director to flinch at unsettling prospects. We must watch Merrick beaten, abused, harassed, humiliated, and tormented. We may feel a surge of happiness when he finally stands up for himself, but by that point we still have to cope with what we’ve already, what he’s already, experienced. I suppose that is the greatest and most devastating aspect of the film-empathy. Every moment is heartbreaking. Yet no matter how hard it gets, and how much better it then turns, there is always the threat of another jab. And those jabs only get more and more painful.\u003cbr\u003eThe Elephant Man is a perfect film. It is sorrowful but it apologizes not at all for it. It is a film about where our empathy stems from, a film that asks you to feel sorry but rebukes you for your blind pity. It asks you to respect Merrick, not cry for him. But you can’t help crying. The Elephant Man is a film that treks you through despair and asks for your hope in the end. It asks you to hate humanity but to love the humane. It asks you to look at a man who appears sad and know that inside, he’s okay.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"FilmClassicsonDVD","offers":[{"title":"DOWNLOAD","offer_id":51493793005855,"sku":"elman-2","price":10.94,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"DVD","offer_id":51493793038623,"sku":"elman-1","price":12.94,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0944\/0788\/5087\/files\/The-Elephant-Man-rareandcollectibledvds-360.jpg?v=1767014519","url":"https:\/\/filmclassicsondvd.com\/products\/the-elephant-man","provider":"FilmClassicsonDVD","version":"1.0","type":"link"}