Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 13, 2020

David Lynch's "The Elephant Man" (1980) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal. The supplemental features on the disc include archival promotional materials for the film; vintage interviews with the director and cast members; exclusive new video interviews with stills photographer Frank Connor and producer Jonathan Sanger; and a lot more. In English, with optional English, with optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The strange man

Before Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins, The World’s Fastest Indian) meets John Merrick a.k.a. the Elephant Man (John Hurt, Scandal) we see that he is forced to work as a 'circus freak'. Merrick is 'owned' by a feisty man by the name of Blytes (Freddie Jones, The Last Butterfly), who makes a living showing his possession to the curious in exchange for a small fee. Blytes introduces Merrick to Dr. Treves, who then offers to pay him handsomely if he allows him to examine the man in his hospital. Blytes immediately agrees.

Merrick arrives at the hospital with a big bag covering his face and a large gown covering his body. Dr. Treves introduces him to his colleagues -- who are just as shocked and amused by his deformed body as are those who have attended Blytes' 'shows' -- and places him in one of the hospital’s private rooms.

Slowly but surely, Merrick earns the hearts of the hospital staff. Wealthy Londoners and dignitaries also take an interest in him; a few even visit him in the hospital. Eventually, his story reaches Queen Victoria, and she sends a letter to congratulate Dr. Treves and the hospital staff for helping Merrick.

Angered that other people have started benefiting from his precious possession, Blytes takes Merrick away from Dr. Treves. The two end up in France where Merrick is once again forced to work as a 'circus freak'. He suffers enormously. Eventually, he manages to escape from Blytes with the help of a few circus players.

Like a lot of critics before me who have written about David Lynch's The Elephant Man, I have mixed feelings about it. Part of me likes the film a lot -- its story is disturbing yet beautiful. I think that there is a strong message of hope and compassion in it that anyone could appreciate. Part of me, however, would always question its bitter-sweet sentimentality -- dangerously close to introducing a religious sentiment to the story -- which becomes almost impossible to tolerate immediately after Merrick arrives at the hospital.

Films about such extreme human suffering are most effective when they leave one struggling to rationalize its existence, not when they let one feel good about enduring it. There is no grace in the pain Merrick must cope with, and this is why he has such a profound impact on everyone that meets him. Unsurprisingly, The Elephant Man is most convincing when Lynch's camera studies the faces of the main protagonists, not when they confess in front of it what torments their souls.

Shot in glorious black and white, The Elephant Man has that unique intensely dark aura all Lynch films have. Though not as immersive (Lost Highway), and certainly not as manipulative (Mulholland Drive) as it is in his later films, it is still notably effective.

The acting is very strong. The sequence where Hopkins meets the Elephant Man for the first time is incredible. Hurt is also fantastic, though almost impossible to recognize under the heavy makeup. Jones delivers an unforgettable performance as well.

The Elephant Man also benefits from an outstanding music score courtesy of John Morris (Dirty Dancing whose simple but elegant melodies enhance the dark aura of the film very well. The string motives, in particular, are tremendous.

In 1981, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Oscar awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and Best Original Score.

The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Elephant Man arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of StudioCanal.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"The new 4K restoration of The Elephant Man was carried out at L'Immagine Ritrovata (Bologna and Paris) under the supervision of David Lynch, who also personally curated the color correction which took places at Fotokem (Los Angeles). The resotration was created from the original camera negative with the latest HDR 16-bit workflow in order to obtain the best possible result. As a result, the black and white image has been restored to its original look."

As the quoted credits above confirm, this release of is sourced from an exclusive new 4K restoration. Obviously, this means that the technical presentation is not identical to the one from StudioCanal's first Blu-ray release of the film. I viewed the restoration on 4K Blu-ray and then performed some direct comparisons with the Blu-ray release. Below are my impressions:

4K BLU-RAY DISC

The density levels of the visuals are better now. Predictably, in native 4K resolution grain exposure is noticeably superior, which is something that directly benefits fluidity as well. So, on a larger screen a comparisons between the new restoration and the old Blu-ray release reveals a wide range of 'tighter' visuals. Also, the restoration is better graded, so expect to see expanded ranges of gray and white nuances, and in darker areas healthier blacks. (In 1080p on the Blu-ray, however, the improvement becomes almost unrecognizable. I explain why below). Overall depth is better, but because on the older master some highlights are elevated it may appear that there is more visible information there. This isn't the case. In native 4K resolution, the restoration conveys better fine details and nuances. Image stability is outstanding. Finally, the new presentation of the film is notably healthier.

BLU-RAY DISC

There have been a couple of recent 4K restoration from StudioCanal where the new grading flattens some existing nuances that are visible on the older master -- see The Deer Hunter and Kind Hearts and Coronets -- and I had a theory that perhaps all final tweaks are done on the 4K master. What this means is that during the transition from 4K to 1080p some gentle nuances would be lost and in darker footage more prominent blacks would begin emerging. So, now that I could see the new 4K restoration of The Elephant Man in native 4K and 1080p it is pretty clear that something extremely similar is in fact happening when new 4K masters from StudioCanal are graded. Indeed, there are some darker areas that definitely convey slightly crushed blacks in 1080p, but not in native 4K. (I took screencapture #22 from one such area to highlight the difference). However, I also think that a lot of older masters are not as accurately graded as they should be, so even with minimally elevated brightness levels they can further contribute to and ultimately exacerbate the discrepancy. Bottom line is this: in native 4K the new restoration of The Elephant Man definitely retains some small(er) nuances that are difficult to recognize in 1080p. (If you perform direct comparisons, darker footage is where you will see the discrepancy. But if you don't, more than likely you will not be able to tell that they actually exist). Here are some specific improvements that you should see if you compare this Blu-ray release to the old Blu-ray release that StudioCanal produced in 2009:

Grain stability and exposure are better, so once again, on a larger screen you should see superior visuals. Also, density levels are better, but on this particular restoration the difference isn't striking because the older master performed quite nicely as well. Fluidity is improved, but in native 4K it is even more convincing. (One segment that you can test to see the difference in quality is the camera zoom at 01:49:44. The ceiling looks best in 4K). Finally, this is a healthier presentation of the film that eliminates all noticeable age-related imperfections that were present on the older master. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit), German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit), and French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH, German, and French subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio was almost certainly redone because the overall dynamic balance is better. If you have the first Blu-ray release of the film and wish to perform direct comparisons, I suggest you test the stage footage around 01:51:53. The dialog is very clean, clear, stable, and easy to follow. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Photographing the Elephant Man - in this new video program, Frank Connor, stills photographer on The Elephant Man, discusses his work on the film as well as the evolution of his career, with some very interesting comments about the 'old days' and David Lynch's working methods. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (26 min).

• BFI Q&A with Jonathan Sanger - presented here is a new Q&A session with producer Jonathan Sanger, which is hosted by Ian Haydn-Smith. The bulk of the information addresses the production of The Elephant Man, from script to screen, the film's visual style (with great comments about the decision to shoot in black-and-white), and David Lynch's creative efforts. The session was filmed at BFI Southbank on January 18, 2018. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (25 min).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Interview with David Lynch - in this archival video interview, David Lynch recalls how The Elephant Man came to exist. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (25 min).

• Interview with John Hurt - in this archival interview, John Hurt discusses his collaboration with David Lynch on The Elephant Man and the film's production process. There are also some very interesting comments about the film's international reception. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (21 min).

• The Air is on Fire - this archival interview with director David Lynch was conducted at the Cartier Foundation in Paris, in 2007. In French and English, with optional English, German and French subtitles where necessary. (15 min).

• Joseph Merrick: The Real Elephant Man - a look at the tragic history of the man whose story inspired David Lynch's film. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (21 min).

• Mike Figgis Interviews David Lynch - another long and very informative interview. David Lynch's comments on the process of transforming an idea into film are fascinating. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (20 min).

• The Terrible Elephant Man Revealed - this archival featurette chronicles the production history of The Elephant Man. It features clips from interviews with producer producer Jonathan Sanger, executive producer Mel Brooks, John Hurt, and cinematographer Freddie Francis, amongst others. In English, with optional German and French subtitles. (21 min).

• Stills Gallery - a collection of behind the scenes stills.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT

• Booklet - 64-page illustrated booklet featuring writings by Kim Newman and Dan Heather, original press materials, and technical credits.

• Sleeve - pop-up gatefold sleeve. (See photos).

• Art Cards - five collectible art cards. (See photos).

The Elephant Man 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

StudioCanal have another definitive home video release of a very popular classic film. Needles to say, I hope that the team that is putting together these lavish 4K Blu-ray releases is encouraged to do even more. I have nothing but great things to say about the new 4K restoration of David Lynch's The Elephant Man. In fact, I liked it so much, there is a part of me now that secretly wishes this 4K package we have reviewed on the site was for Mulholland Drive. So, get this release for your collection and support the quality work the folks at StudioCanal are doing at the moment. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.