Upon the discovery of The Elephant Mans whereabouts Dr Treaves goes to investigate and is forced to pay to quench this inquisitiveness. The transaction of money shows us that, to Bytes, this is just another business enterprise.
As the camera tracks the descent of the group we finally arrive at the cage. Music begins to play as Bytes begins to perform. The curtain is thrown back and a boy barks for it to stand up. From history we know that the general cultural pyramid placed children at the bottom but here we can see a man being ordered around by a ten year old child.
During Dr Treaves’ journey to see the Elephant Man there are shots of animals; rabbits, horses, dogs… Lynch uses these scenes to reinforce where John Merrick stands in Society; at the bottom, not only below children but animals as well.
Lynch then takes his character to the other side of the spectrum as Dr Treaves presents John to the Court of Physicians. He does this by changing the audience and showing that even in front of intelligence and sophistication John is still viewed as an outsider. He is analysed; “Genitals are normal, has a perverted human body.”
It is important to note at this juncture that both directors have chosen to reveal their central characters very late in their films, masking the brief shots with smoke, darkness etc. this is perhaps in order to create greater anticipation but also to show that these characters realise where they stand in society and are wary of their status.
Spielberg has also decided to mask the faces of many of those in authority throughout the film, drawing you only to those that matter leaving your to concentrate on the central characters.
Further on in the film Lynch shows us that John Merrick is capable of rational thought in quite dramatic style. Dr Carr-Gomme arrives to interview John as to his detainment within hospital. After a period it becomes apparent that the whole event had been doctored as Dr Treaves was treating John like a parrot.
As the two doctors leave John begins to recite psalm 23. The music crescendos and Dr. Treaves says “Dr Carr-Gomme, I didn’t teach him that bit.” As they re-enter John is in tears the music has reached its climax as it becomes apparent that John can read. Lynch has chosen a religious text which talks about the journey of Christ through danger, evil and torment surviving due to the protection of God. This is a symbolic cross reference to the story of John as he battles with the dangers of the world under the protection of Dr Treaves.
With the discovery of ET, Eliot tries to find him, laying a path of skittles back to his house. The next scene is one of the most famous extracts as Spielberg lays on his prowess. A single mid-shot of Eliot left and the shed right with a dark, mysterious background with the added effect of fog. The brilliance of John Williams’ music adds to the formula as the atmosphere becomes spooky. Slowly ET leaves the shed and walks towards Eliot, returning the skittles. This is an example of Steven Spielberg using a fairytale reference from Hansel and Gretel. These two loners are driven by a desire for a friend to one another in order to survive almost like the link between Hansel and Gretel.
The following sequence of events is quite a comical part of the film as Spielberg starts to emphasize the link between the two characters by mirroring effect. The camera cuts between the two settings for reaction shots of Eliot each time ET does something. The sequence opens with Eliot in class in the process of drawing ET, the film cuts to ET at home who is descending the staircase. This movement of ET is dramatised as Spielberg uses limited light to cause unearthly shadows before cutting back to Eliot in class, bathed in light. As the camera returns to ET we see him exploring the fridge. He starts drinking beer and the first affect we see is the product of the effervescent drink as Eliot burps loudly. After a few more beers we see the alcoholic effect on Eliot as he walks into something before collapsing, drunk.
ET picks up a comic and the camera zooms in on the words ‘help.’ As we return to Elliot’s dissection class it appears that Eliot thinks that the live frog is saying help. The music builds up the excitement as Eliot begins to release these innocent creatures.
These are ample examples from the scene by which you can see the link between these two outcasts.
In Elephant Man, Mrs Kendal, a famous actress, comes to visit John. After a period the camera shifts to where John is building a Cathedral. This also bears significance as Cathedrals are related to intelligence, complexity and protection of all things which are paramount to John’s story.
Mrs Kendal presents John with a book; Romeo and Juliet. John begins to read “Romeo” whilst Mrs Kendal “Juliet” from the famous love scene. The music fades in, presenting the audience with the happiness for John but also the sadness that he is so feared and misunderstood. Perhaps Lynch chose the idea of using a theatrical person to emphasize that such a person would be able to ignore the grotesque outer layer of John’s body.
Lynch then starts to crush John’s euphoria as he shows us that John is still an outcast. A hospital foreman sells tickets for people to see the Elephant Man. The camera shifts to John’s room showing the “cloud nine” mood John was in before it suddenly bursts open. The circus music returns as the camera winds around the rabble to show John’s disorientation. The music pauses as John is handed a mirror and screams at his image. As the foreman leaves he flips John a coin; “Buy yourself some sweets.”
Bytes walks in, cracking his whip; “My Treasure.” As the scene fades out there is a lasting shot of the destroyed cathedral-God’s sanctuary, a symbol of magnificence and good destroyed, a reflection of John’s life.
On hearing the news that John is gone Dr Treaves seeks out the foreman threatening his life. Lynch places the foreman in a clever position for the confrontation as it takes place in the hospital boiler room, clouded in steam, which could be compared to the furnaces of hell.
John is taken to a circus in France where he finds himself once again as an exhibit. Lynch cleverly uses pathetic fallacy to convey the atmosphere to the audience. Bytes is shown with less confidence in his performance than before. John collapses, not able to get up. For the first time we see the full extent of the deformities of his torso making you cringe even more as Bytes repeatedly stabs, kicks and hits John, in desperation as his act, his single money making scheme, begins to fail.
Fellow freaks from the show release John and put him on a ship to London. This act shows an understanding of each others torment, therefore bonding as a family (tribe of outcasts) to struggle against the greater evil. There is a famous long shot of the procession across the river as these freaks in fancy fairytale robes march away, a sort of gothic band, even a medieval fairytale.
John Merrick returns to London, finding himself in a railway station. He causes an accident and is chased. During John’s flight there is a shot where John rattles the railings of a door. This is a symbol of his entire life, a caged animal who just follows orders. This is about to change…
John is cornered in the urinals and for the first time we see him stand up for himself; “I am not an animal, I am a human being.” These are demonstrative techniques used by Lynch to begin to bring his outcast and indeed his film to a conclusion.
John is returned to Dr. Treaves and is taken to see Mrs Kendal at the theatre.
We see John try to spruce himself up, practising his speech; “very good my friend,” as he enjoys the other end of the cultural pyramid.
Throughout the performance Lynch shows us extracts from the performance before close-ups of John to show his reactions. At the end, Mrs Kendal makes a speech, dedicating the performance to her friend John “Mr Merrick.” He receives a standing ovation but also an acceptance and happiness on a level never before experienced.
We see that finally John has reached a level above which he has lived in his previous life. We perhaps see the sympathy rather than the torment that the forward thinking, educated people of the country see which could be linked to where our society stands today.
John returns home and decides to end his life at this emotional high point and so removes the pillows which prevent him from suffocating and enters his eternal sleep. Barber’s Adagio for strings fades in as the camera shows icons of his happiness; his cathedral, a picture of Mrs Kendal, finally fading out with the picture of his mother.
In comparison, as ET’s health starts to deteriorate (so does Eliot’s) we see that he needs to return home. Spielberg used the plant to symbolise his health (similar to Lynch using the Cathedral to symbolise John’s happiness.) and that plant is starting to die.
The authorities finally arrive in dramatic style as Spielberg uses camera angles to focus the audience. There are famous shots as the agents rise over the hills, growing in stature. ‘Spacemen’ enter the house, as Eliot’s mother tries to protect her children.
The house is transformed as scientist and doctors try to save ET and Eliot however nothing works. ET cuts the link with Eliot sacrificing himself for his friend. Soon after ET dies and is placed in a cryogenic box. Eliot talks to him alone and suddenly through the window he sees the red glow, the plant is resurrected; “ET phone home!”
Could this be a metaphor for Christ, as he dies on the cross misunderstood? Rising once more before undergoing the gradual ascent into heaven?
We now see the children; the minority defy the mass, escaping with ET. Eliot leads the group, which had once taken up every opportunity to insult him, mocking his every move but now in awe of everything he has achieved.
The group are cut off. Two police cars block their way but suddenly they take off on their bicycles. We now see for the first time ET using this power within the larger group. This might be a more subtle example of the bond between ET and Eliot as he choose to use this power alone with Eliot first. During the flight we see that Eliot remains at the front leading his clan, has he finally been accepted?
There is now a time shift as Spielberg shows the boys cycling over the setting sun, finally landing in the dead of night. Once again the space craft descends in dramatic style and Steven Spielberg takes shots of each of the family. We see everybody standing in at least two’s except Eliot and his Mum who are standing alone. This shows us that although Eliot has broken the barrier between being an outcast and being apart, but it seems he is naturally an outcast.
The directors have utilised similar techniques in which to place their characters outside the normal circle of society; a mass populace harassing their characters, icons to reflect their feelings and lives and every opportunity to place them without friends. However they both chose to bring their characters to the front, placing them within the circle for the conclusion, however superficial this may seem.
Steven Spielberg is your typical big budget, big movie, American director. He has created a modern fairy tale in order to cater for the popular Science Fiction culture of that time (Star Wars etc.) He has also chosen to make uses of large open spaces contrasting them with small cramped cupboards which are perhaps a correlation between the warmth of large scale friendship and the small cramped world of none.
Spielberg also chose to make use of comical methods to illustrate his characters status as well as stunning visual effects, music and cinematography that he had the ability, the money and the colour to involve.
Lynch on the other hand has had to make use of a very low budget causing him to shoot in monochrome (however this seems to emphasize the simplistic black and white rules by which these deformed figures were treated.) Lynch has also tended to use small spaces (rooms etc.) perhaps relating them to the small lonely world that John was subjected to endure.
Have the Directors been successful? I think they have. It is not easy to come to such a blunt conclusion, as the directors have used many comparably different techniques to bring there characters across although taking many similar routes along the way.
On personal preference I found The Elephant Man to be the more epic of the two. I felt the ending was magical as John Merrick chose to end his life upon the drug that euphoria creates rather than subject himself to the possibilities of the hurt he has already experienced. Barber’s Adagio for Strings captures the atmosphere perfectly, possibly bringing the audience to tears