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Starring |
John Hurt
,
Anthony Hopkins
,
Anne Bancroft
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Directed By |
David Lynch
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Audio
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DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
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Visuals
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2.35:1 Widescreen
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Running Time |
123 mins
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UK Release Date |
September 28, 2009
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Genre |
Drama
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Our Rating |
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User Rating |
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Have a look through Movie Muser’s Blu-ray reviews and I think you’ll agree that the titles in Optimum’s Studio Canal Collection are of such a high standard that they should come with a warning that your ears could pop. Naturally then, David Lynch’s seminal classic The Elephant Man fits right in there. A piece of sheer melancholy brilliance, the woeful tale of John ‘The Elephant Man’ Merrick is arguably the finest and most easy-going of the outlandish director’s works.
Played by John Hurt with utter finesse, Merrick stands as one of cinema’s most iconic characters – a man so badly deformed that he’s been subjected to public scorn as part of a circus sideshow. Things look on the up however when a surgeon decides to give him a more dignified and respectful life. Of course, not everyone is quite so accommodating.
In a sense, you could look at the films inclusion in the Optimum’s opulent collection as a parody of the film’s narrative – the movie may have been seen on DVD but it’s here on Blu-ray that the film really gets the treatment it so rightly deserves. The black and white picture has been polished to a degree that practically sets a new standard for monochrome movies in HD. There’s barely a trace of noise and every shade of greay stands out as clean as a whistle. Similarly, the sound mix is superb. Capturing all the claustrophobia of Merrick’s oppression, it’s a banquet for the ears.
As for the bonus loot, you get the standard booklet and funky cardboard packaging. Should that not be enough (and let’s face it, it wouldn’t be), there’s a bevy of content including a fascinating featurette on Joseph Merrick – the poor bloke on which the film is based. Also on board is a bunch of interviews with the man behind the flick – David Lynch, as well as a chat with the man who had to endure that makeup process –John Hurt. While unfortunately none of the features are in high def, it’s nevertheless a top pile of supplemental material for a real contemporary classic.
Overall Verdict: Proof of what exactly HD can do for black and white films. Well worth a purchase.
Special Features:
‘Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man’ Featurette
‘The Air is on Fire’ Interview with David Lynch
Interview with John Hurt
Interview with David Lynch
Conversation with David Lynch by Mike Figgis
BD Live
Booklet
Reviewer: Jordan Brown
