The Elephant Man (1980) 4K Restoration
The 4K image is breathtaking, and shows off the capabilities of a well cared for restoration.
It goes without saying, 4K Ultra-High Definition releases are treats in their own right, but there’s an extra layer of satisfaction when beloved work from a bygone era of filmmaking is given a well deserved new life.
With a sharp picture, rich blacks, and a natural grain structure, StudioCanal’s 2020 4K restoration of The Elephant Man (1980) — scanned from the original 35mm camera negative, supervised by David Lynch—provides viewers an experience that feels both pristine and incredibly contemporary.
The Elephant Man tells the achingly heartbreaking story of John Merrick (John Hurt), a man whose full body and facial disfigurements have robbed him of an ordinary life, reducing his existence to daily ridicule as a main attraction in a traveling Victorian era freak circus operated by his greedy handler, Mr. Bytes. With a deteriorating body, and spectators that routinely consider him too grotesque to gaze at for even passing amusement, Merrick’s saving grace comes in the form of Dr. Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins), a surgeon who brings Merrick back to the London Hospital for examination.
Though not without its share of delicious surrealism, Lynch’s sophomore effort is one of the most uncomplicated and linear — not to mention compassionate — films in the director’s filmography, rightfully earning him his first Oscar nomination for Best Director. The film received eight total nominations including Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for John Hurt’s remarkable performance as John Merrick, and caused an uproar in the industry when the Academy failed to recognize the make-up team for their extraordinary design and prosthetics work. The make-up category as presented today was first introduced in 1981, a year following the outcry.
StudioCanal released their dual 4K UHD/1080p Blu-ray box set on April 6, 2020, with Criterion issuing their own edition on Sept 29, 2020. Even though Criterion utilized Canal’s transfer, there’s one change that’s a little perplexing: Criterion flattened highlights across the board, giving the dynamic black and white anamorphic photography a smoother, grayer tone. This is merely an observation, not a declaration claiming one right or wrong.
If you own a 4K player, StudioCanal’s edition of The Elephant Man is an absolute MUST OWN. The image is breathtaking, and shows off the capabilities of a well cared for restoration. While the 4K disc is region free, the 1080p Blu-ray discs — feature, plus bonus features — are region B locked, and require a region-less player for playback.
