This isn't a movie review, it's an afterthought
The story is not told. This film is anti-commercial and anti-capitalist. Coincidentally, I'm watching "German Philosophy of Romance" these days, and some parts of the film fit well with some of the things the book talks about.
There are two scenes in the film, one is the black smoke rising from many chimneys, and the other is the image of workers and industrial machines that appear when Elephant Man has nightmares. These two shots are not directly related to the story of the movie, but why are they in them?
I personally understand that this film is reflecting the bourgeoisie and business's connivance of the evil of human nature, and the degeneration of the living environment that these indulgences inevitably produce. Although the elephant man is ugly, he is still a human being, even polite and artistic (modelling). But just because of his ugliness, most people in this world just want to benefit from him, including the circus who use him to sell tickets, and those vulgar people who just want to see fun from him and entertain themselves.
No one wanted to hear what he said or thought at all. That is what I often say, business or capital does not pay attention to individuals. Individuals are just a small part of the business operation of the whole society. If a certain part is broken, it is enough to replace it. So in the recent Didi driver murder case, from the Didi platform, a customer is just a piece of data. In the eyes of business and capital, this customer is not a human being. Business society treats people as "captive animals". This is a "slavery society" in a new era, and technology (such as big data, the Internet), etc., makes people more digitized and flat. "Consumer is God" is probably the most beautiful lie ever used to glorify the slogan of this new slave society.
The budding period of Romanticism, which was also about after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, is roughly the same as the background period of this film. Romantic philosophy influenced many later great philosophers, including Nietzsche and others.
Let's talk about movies. There are two types of people in movies, one is nobles (princesses) and intellectuals (doctors). One is the vulgar masses (drunks). The attitude of the latter has remained unchanged, that is, ridicule, humiliation, and pleasure. And the nobles, although there are many nobles just for "hot spots", but at least they have maintained restraint in their behavior (even if it is hypocritical). This may be the biggest difference between the two types of people. I believe the director is not saying how good the nobles are. In many cases, the first step to a higher level of civilization is to "install a dress". Those who are willing to pretend show that they have the shame of "needing to pretend" in their hearts.
When the elephant man shouts: I am not an animal, I am a human being. This line is the theme of the movie. In business society, we individually are an insignificant part of the collective collective (think Chaplin's "Modern Times"), we are just a screw in the social assembly line, providing energy to the society from birth to death . Personal attributes are suppressed, and business invades the soul.
The Elephant Man finally finished his model. He cried and said, "Finally finished." The director gave this group of models a lot of shots. It was a church. Why a church? Why did the elephant man cry? I personally understand that this is an expectation that the belief in the human and soul will return. And there are also good people in the movie, such as doctors and actresses. These people are the hope that faith can return.
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