Great Scene: “The Elephant Man”
It’s one of the most poignant, sad, and beautiful movie moments I can remember: The ending of The Elephant Man (1980). Directed by David…
It’s one of the most poignant, sad, and beautiful movie moments I can remember: The ending of The Elephant Man (1980). Directed by David Lynch from a screenplay he co-wrote with Christopher De Vore & Eric Bergren, the movie tells the story of John Merrick (John Hurt), known in Victorian England as The Elephant Man because of his grotesque physical features. After a life of cruelty, Merrick is befriended by Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) who discovers that underneath the exterior of the ‘beast’ lies something truly remarkable as Merrick is possessed of keen intelligence and an appreciation for beauty.
In the final scene, he fulfills another wish: Simply to sleep lying down, as opposed to being propped up, how he’s had to sleep his entire life to keep from choking to death on his own saliva which pools in his lungs when his body his horizontal. In other words, Merrick’s final wish is to sleep like a “normal” human being, even if it means his own demise.
Here is the movie version of the ending:
Did you know that Mel Brooks produced The Elephant Man?
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