Earlier in the movie he said, "I wish I could sleep like normal people." Imagine never being able to lay horizontal to sleep? The things we take for granted. Despite being horribly disfigured his only desire in life: "I tried so hard to be a good person."
R.I.P Joseph Carey Merrick (John Merrick) the Elephant Man. You were always a normal human being at heart. You've taught us to never judge a book by it's cover.
I always cry the way he takes the pillows off the bed. He takes them off the bed and puts them on the table with such grace and softness. This just shows how gentle Joseph Merrick really was.
@@jamesfitzpatrick8300 I first saw this film on cable TV, when I was 8 or 9, back in the early 1980s. This is still one of the most powerful and emotional scenes I can recall in my life.
That last scene where his mother's apparition welcomes him into heaven (afterlife) is absolutely beautiful and haunting. Davis Lynch successfully used his mind and talents for this film. What an achievement.
A very deeply moving film very well done John hurt gives the performance of a life time ! As great as deniro was in raging bull everytime I watch the elephant man I sometimes think hurt should have gotten it I’m glad he was nominated
It's sad, but weirdly triumphant as well. After a lifetime of being treated like shit, his death ends up being on his own terms rather than on someone else's. Even if he didn't intend to die, he still went out because of his own actions rather than anyone else's.
What a terrible and absolutely heartbreaking way to end. Not for Joseph but rather for the people. They've ridiculed him and dehumanized him just solely based upon his looks. This movie brings an excellent point about human nature, and what truely makes us human.
To be treated as this man for the color of ones skin is why for some, life is like a living death. To be degraded to the point where one no longer has any self respect, hope or sense of pride. Americas ghettos reflect that hopelessness on a massive scale. Some men feel as monsters to the world. Some hide that hurt in the deepest part of themselves.
@@brainysmurf74 whilst racism is still a profound issue, I don’t think ethnic minorities were marginalised quite as badly as mr Merrick. Edit: they were shunned in different ways, he was treated like a sub human and the minorities treated like property. A slight but present difference
in actuality, Merrick died between 3pm and 4pm. His nurse had brought him food (I think oatmeal), and a book around 2:30pm or so. Around 4 o'clock she returned and noticed Merrick was lying down motionless..and the rest is history. RI.P Joseph Carey Merrick!
@@joesherry6732 that was the thought until recently. If you search for the death of the elephant man you’ll find clips from “meet the elephant man” where they investigated and found that an artery may have been compressed and stretched causing brain death.
@neolithic.cosmonaut 🥰🙌👏what a wonderful way to begin a new day:the "in extenso" poem I've been looking for since my man and I met Mister Joseph Merrick thanks to David Lynch!We left the movie theater with no word because silence kept us closer to this exceptional and heroic young man.Later un the evening I burned an extra incense stick for him and my husband said:"The Queen should make him posthumous title a KBE for the honour of Humanity,don't you think?"He was a man of few words and many thoughts...Thanks again dear cosmonaut neighbour,take care of yourself and be happy!💖👵🐈⬛.
The pain and hurt Joseph Merrick went through is horrendous (and we can only imagine the suffering he felt). Then finally an amazing man like John Hurt could show a glimpse of the trauma. RIP to two amazing men.
Merrick had a miserable and painful life as we never can imagine. But, in the end, while many suffer a awful death, he died from the most wished way that all of us want to die someday: sleeping, in a kindly place and in peace. Thank you, Mr. Lynch. You made all of us more human after your masterpiece.
@@lylahale5284 What do you expect of a man who's been dehumanized and made a laughingstoke an entire lifetime? I'd be surprised if he wasn't sour. He couldn't work, thus used his deformities to earn. It was absolutely fine.
I feel as if joseph merrick seemed to be the only man in the whole wide who realy and truthfully knew what it felt like to be isolated because you were diffrent and this scene just proves how much he just wannted to be normal and was really willing to hurt himself for it he just wanted to be normal and I have to say I would give him a big hug
I cry a river everytime that I see this or that I think about Joseph Merrick. I just want him to know that we love him and I would give him the biggest hug if he were still alive. His story is heartbreaking, but in the end, he was happy, he wrote poems and had a doctor who loved him and stood beside him, he died in happiness and in peace. This comforts me. Rest in peace, dear Joseph Carey Merrick, you will always hold a special place in my heart. I love you.
Spencer Bean I’m sorry but who doesn’t? You have no soul if you don’t at least FEEL emotion when watching this film. Even if you don’t show it, you are not human if you don’t feel it.
The ending is like nothing else. I would like to believe that when he dies in the end he is reunited with his mother. That is, she comes back for him or is waiting for him. Powerful imagery.
They say he was a Believer/follower of Jesus if this is true then he definitely United with her. In a perfect world no Pain or suffering no illness just Beauty and peace.
@@frillylily8005 yet Jesus left him in the most miserable sufferable state promising fake dreams. Shameful . Being religious makes you see the world differently. Believing you have a second chance do you don't care. A loving god wouldn't let you be born in this sorry state when you have no choice
I saw this film when I was 15 and it was one of the most transformative and painful experiences that I had up until that point in my life. My Mon and Dad met John Hurt in a London Hotel some years later and told him about the effect that the film had on me. He smiled knowingly and was grateful for being given the opportunity to portray such a beautiful man and to affect many people in a similar manner. This film will always stand alone for me.
I saw this movie as a very young child. It moved me, even then. I researched the real life story and wrote a report to share with my elementary school class. I like to believe that it had an impact on the other children, whom you know can be so cruel.
@@missmelody6185 I will forever be grateful that I has the opportunity to see this film although it was very upsetting. It definitely shifted my focus and priorities such that I ended up working with special needs children (ASD primarily in school settings) and at L'Arche (in Montreal and Ottawa). Merrick was a modern Christ figure who reveals our hearts and challenges us to embrace the vulnerable and "unattractive" - essentially a mirror to our own insecure self which seeks love and acceptance. No doubt you had an impact on your class..
This made me feel so sick the first time. Dying after the best day of his life. If it was intentional, and I can’t help but believe it was, he must have thought that there couldn’t possibly be any day better than that, and ended it all in peace and happiness.
@@squibbsoundsbru do you really not look at what you’ve typed and not see how cringy and attention fishing that shit is when you use it that way. y’all are characters that’s for sure
I need to watch this movie again. I feel so bad for Joseph Carey Merrick aka The Elephant Man. He died at only age 27. His Mom died when he was young, and he was close to her. And his Dad rejected him and neglected him after his Dad got remarried. This Joseph Merrick lived a lonely life. Yes, he had a friend in Dr. Treves. But Joseph Merrick led a lonely life. It's not his fault that he was born with the medical conditions and deformities he had. It was painful for him to live uncomfortably with all the chronic pain he had with all of his deformities and physical & medical conditions. And emotionally it was hard on him to be isolated and alone. A lot of things that people take for granted such as sleeping on your back on pillows, Joseph couldn't do. Ever since I've had my jaw surgery and suffered from an accident which triggered a stroke - I haven't been able to sleep in normal position either. I have to use many pillows on my bed for support, and I can only sleep with U-shaped neck pillows as my "pillow" to stabilize my neck and jaws so that I don't have any more shifts in my jaws, neck, and other body joints. I think I have Ehlers Danlos syndrome - where joints dislocate just from moving in bed, etc. Anyways, I can so relate to Joseph Carey Merrick in that I can't sleep like a normal person. I have to use neck pillows as my pillow. I can't eat hard, crunchy foods like I did prior to the jaw surgery. Let's just say that a lot of things changed and I had to alter my life after the jaw surgery, after the accident, and after the stroke. I also have RSDS-CRPS - Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy - meaning that my body hyperreacts to any hits and blows to my body and the nerves shoot up like it's burning in flames and it takes my body very long to heal from small injuries. I started having RSDS after the jaw surgery and the accident. Anyways, I really empathize with Joseph Merrick. If there is such a thing as reincarnation - I hope in Joseph Merrick's next life - he is put in a body where he is free from deformities and medical conditions. He suffered greatly - emotionally and physically - in his life as the Elephant Man. If anyone wants to complain about his or her life or they start taking many things for granted - he or she needs to look at and read Joseph Merrick's story for some humility. Joseph Merrick's life was harder than many people's lives. He suffered more than most people. Sometims life isn't fair for some people. If I lived in New York City, I would've gone and watched Bradley Cooper play The Elephant Man this month on Broadway. Anyways, this last sleep scene, directed by David Lynch, is beautifully filmed. It's a very touching scene. Thanks for sharing this video clip with us.
+VelvetGal5 Merrick was treated badly by many ignorant, mean-spirited people, I once read in a library. The article went on to say that nonetheless, he did not become a misanthrope, for if anyone had reason to, it would be him. A gentle soul trapped in a deformed, suffering body. Anyway, my goodness, sorry to hear about your sufferings. You sound like a gentle soul, too...not that I'm inferring you are being treated badly by mean people, of course. Take care.
Adagio for Strings , the song playing has to be one of the most beautiful , emotional and stirring songs ever played and written by man , and a perfect homage to the spirit of this masterpiece of a movie and to the man himself , Joseph Merrick you are eternally beautiful now and forever !
the music played in the scene was written decades earlier, the director had simply heard the piece and thought it fit for this scene. but i agree that it fits perfectly!
That is "Adagio for Strings", by Samuel Barber, a great American composer. There's also a choral version title. "Agnus Dei". One of the most powerfully moving pieces of music ever written.
Amazing scene, even the music is sad t the start then lifts when he starts taking the pillows off his bed, he is finding peace. The saddest part is he chooses to end things after a wonderful night out with his friends where he is applauded by society and he knows he is loved.
Joseph Merrick was one of the few in a billion human beings with a genuine pure heart with absolutely no shred of hate for anyone in this world, despite the fact that he was mistreated so much.
To me I find this sad is because when you watch the movie u want to see John get the peace he so much deserves but due to how cruel us humans can be we denied him that so when he does die to me he finally found that peace he so much deserved.
Masterpiece. I was 18 when leaving the theatre and totally blown away. For weeks this movie haunted me. Performance, music, cinematography and direction at its best.
God I cry everytime I see this ending, I know wherever Mr. Merrick is at he is happy and safe. I don't think there are that many beautiful souls out there in the world like John's.
Tis true my form is something odd. But blaming me is blaming God; Could I create myself anew, I would not fail in pleasing you. If I could reach from pole to pole, Or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the soul, The mind's the standard of the man.
I would love to have a time machine just so I could go back to when Joseph was around. I’d be he’s friend!!! What a wonderful man. He walked through fire and came out unscathed. So gentle and kind even to those who looked upon him as a monster.
I am crying as I write this. I cannot watch this without shedding tears, he removed the pillows and slept like everyone else just to feel “normal” once at least despite the fact that it would end his life. I am sure we can all associate our own struggles in life which is one of the true great aspects of this masterpiece.
Barber's Adagio for Strings being used for this scene will crush your soul, move you to tears, yet in the most beautiful way. One of, if not the saddest pieces of music ever written. You can feel the emotion run through you.
One of the saddest film scenes ever made.. I remember watching this film as a child and it taught me a lot about empathy, especially with people who are born differently. I am a grown man of 50yr old now and it still brings a tear to my eye watching this scene. We think we have it bad sometimes, but just imagine what people like this have suffered in their existence on earth.. poor soul.
His only dream was to lay down. He might not me the same, but he knew that he would die. R.I.P Joseph Carry Merrick. Made me cry. This movie has been so good and sad.
I remember a scene earlier in the film when he shows Mrs Treves his mother's portrait. She was beautiful and he said he must have been a great disappointment to her. My heart broke at that point, and then again when I saw this scene. I just can't bear it.
I watched this for the first time in my film appreciation class (I'm a Telemedia major) and wow. I hope one day I can make someone feel the way this movie made me feel. Enlightened, sad, and dumbfounded at the same time. Such a beautiful film.
I’ve told people this MANY times. “The outside NEVER counts!!! It’s what’s on the inside that mattered!! Joseph Merrick proved that no matter how different you may look than others, you can still be the sweetest human ever. I saw this movie and it made me feel so sad how he was viewed by the other people. He could’ve lived a better life😩😩😩😩.
Thankyou my gran for showing me this film , I cry to this day watching knowing you had showed me brilliance and compassion, I seen this movie the first time when I was 5 in my grans arms the whole film 😢
I watched this movie last night for the first time and I have to say I have never felt such sorrow and compassion for a character in a movie as I did for Joseph Merrick, to see his happiness when he received his gift box of toiletries, and to see his joy when he went to the theatre, its such a beautiful and achingly sad movie.
I watched this movie so many times and at the end least he died peacefully in his bed trying to sleep like other people without any suffer and doesn't feel any pain 💔 at all 😢
Saw this yesterday for the first time and I was a blubbering mess at this scene. The music, Adagio for strings was absolutely perfect for this. This film is a masterpiece yet so heartbreaking 💔
we get to see a tiny bit of Joseph Merrick's life the acting the staging the music everything is perfectly surreal the saddest part of this film is that this really happened
dear orlandobabe, thanx for writing. I just want to add that Joseph has the most lovely eyes. Im sure everything would just melt away.I am always ''struck'' by their expression (I'm not talking about the film.) How could aqnyone not love this man? I hope he is at peace now. I wish it were possible to tell him how much he really is loved by so many people all around the world.
I'm so sorry to hear that. My Mum died recently. My friend, take courage in the life Joseph Merrick lived. Read the novel. Importantly, your Mum is in your heart my friend
The statement, “it is finished” (upon completion of his model cathedral) along with Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and the fact that he’s ending his own life make this one of the most moving scenes in film history.
Amazing scene. To give up your life for just a few moments of feeling "normal." Makes you contemplate what we all take for granted. Perhaps the most heart wrenching scene in cinematic history. And yes, the woman at the end of the scene is his Mother. She is also in the small picture on his night stand.
Merrick was something special and he was more human then anyone else he was called a freak and looked at but he reminds us that no matter how you walk or talk what colour your skin or hair is no matter how you looked or how you were born.....you will always be human.........may the elephant man Rest In Peace and always be remembered by humanity and god
My mother simply explained to me about the ending and I started crying...watching it is almost unbearable. It's just so beautiful and sad. All he wants to do is sleep like every other person does...He's just the most beautiful person...
This was a sad scene because are beloved Joseph Merrick has died. But we as the audience know he died peacefully and he finally got a chance to sleep like a normal human being. What a way to end this movie because he was content of what he had. He was finally treated as a human being, got a home he never had, made many friends that love and cares for him, and got a standing ovation from a crowd at a major theater performance. This is the best movie IMO, they don't make em like this anymore!
People say he tried an experiment to lay down flat like normal people, but I think he knew it would kill him. You've got to remember he'd have probably been in considerable pain and this was his way of ending things on his terms. Such a pure soul who didn't deserve anything that happened to him.
Watched this as a kid - heart breaking. I grew up in Bethnal Green - less than a mile from The London Hospital where this took place. Anthony Hopkins character was a very nice/kind person who I instantly liked as a 10 yr old. Great acting all round. Masterpiece.
Beautiful film. Amazing direction. David Lynch is a crazy, crazy man, but he knows his stuff. Such a tragically sad movie, but so well done. It's not Hollywood sad either, it's so...powerful and incredibly executed. Ah. Amazing.