"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."
(Isaac Watts, sursa wikipedia)
Asa isi incheia Joseph Merrick, omul care suferea de o deformare fizica severa, care are denumirea de sindromul Proteus, scrisorile probabil catre cel care l-a protejat si ajutat spre sfarsitul vietii, Sir Frederick Treves. Joseph Merrick este unul dintre the 19'th century freak, un monstru deseori aratat la circ, impreuna cu femeia cu barba, cei mai inalti sau cei mai mici oameni, considerati in secolulul al XIX-lea adevarate creaturi.
Stim cu totii ca Michael era foarte impresionat de viata lui Joseph Merrick, The elephant man. In interviul pentru EBONY Jet, in 1987, mentioneaza cat de mult l-a emotionat povestea acestui om, si cat de mult se regaseste in ea. Trecand peste toate controversele lansate de presa sau prin presa din anii '80, prin care se sustinea ca Michael ar fi fost interesat sa cumpere oasele lui Joseph Merrick (zvonuri negate vehement in interviul Oprah meets Michael)povestea acestuia din urma este cu adevarat impresionanta, cele mai multe informatii se gasesc pe wikipedia (link la nume).
In May 1987 reports began circulating that Michael Jackson had offered the Royal London Hospital up to $1 million for Merrick's remains. The reports included quoted statements from the Hospital and from Jackson's publicists.Jackson responded by including a dance sequence with an animated elephant man skeleton in the 1989 video for "Leave Me Alone", which also parodied other press stories about him. He directly denied the reports in his 1993 interview for Oprah Winfrey:
That's another stupid story. I love the story of the Elephant man. He reminds me of me a lot, and I could relate to it. It made me cry because I saw myself in the story, but no, I never asked for the—Where am I going to put some bones? and why would I want some bones?… Someone makes it up, and everybody believes it. If you hear a lie often enough, you start to believe it.
In 1981, a avut loc premiera filmului care infatiseaza viata, suferinta dar si cat de mult a ajutat Joseph Merrick medicina (in ziua de azi exista peste 200 de oameni care sufera de acest sindrom). Pelicula este o adevarata opera de arta, regizata de David Lynch, avandu-i cap de afis pe Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt si Anne Bancroft. Desi este filmat in anii '80, faptul ca este alb-negru sterge acest aspect, putem jura ca David Linch s-a intors in timp si a prins faptele in momentul in care se intamplau. Bineinteles ca actiunea a suferit putine modificari, iar din cauza faptului ca Sir Frederick Treves avea o prietenie stransa cu Merrick, l-a determinat sa ii schimbe acestuia numele in registrele sale si in cartea pe care a scris-o cu ajutorul informatiilor pe care le-a obtinut din analizele facute asupra lui Joseph (The Elephant Man and other reminiscences
(1923), in John, astfel regasindu-se si in film.
In the David Lynch film The Elephant Man, Treves is played by Anthony Hopkins. The English actor Frederick Treves, Sir Frederick Treves' great-nephew, plays the character of Alderman.
Terorizat de cel care il arata multimii drept monstru, Joseph Merrick isi gaseste linistea intr-un spital de orbi, unde nimeni nu putea vedea deformarea odioasa.
He became something of a celebrity in Victorian high society. Alexandra of Denmark, then Princess of Wales and later Queen Consort, developed a kindly interest in Merrick, leading other members of the upper class to embrace him. He eventually became a favourite of Queen Victoria. However, Treves later commented that Merrick always wanted, even after living at the hospital, to go to a hospital for the blind where he might find a woman who would not be repelled by his appearance. In his final years, he found some solace in writing and visiting the countryside.
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker and visual artist. Over a lengthy career, Lynch has employed a distinctive and unorthodox approach to narrative filmmaking (dubbed Lynchian), which has become instantly recognizable to many audiences and critics worldwide. Lynch's films are known for surreal, nightmarish and dreamlike images and meticulously crafted sound design. Lynch's work often depicts a seedy underside of small town America (particularly Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks), or sprawling California metropolises (Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and his latest release, Inland Empire). Beginning with his experimental film school feature Eraserhead (1977), he has maintained a strong cult following despite inconsistent commercial success. (wiki)
Filmul a primit opt nominalizari la Oscar, patru la Golden Globes, doua la Grammy si una la Writers Guild of America, (se pare ca in SUA , criticii au fost destul de reticenti la acest film), dar a castigat foarte multe premii la nivel mondial: de la Bafta, unde a avut cinci nominalizari si a castigat trei premii, la premiile Caesar, British Societu of Cinematographers, French Syndicate of Cinema Critics, London Critics Circle Film Awards; a avut chiar si o nominalizare la Awards of the Japanese Academy. (imdb)
Povestea, propulsata de film, dar si de piesa de teatru din 1979, in care a jucat Phillip Anglim, castigator al premiului Tony pentru rolul lui Merrick, urmat de David Bowie, a fost sursa de inspiratie pentru mai multi artisti:
- Guitarist Buckethead has titled several songs referencing Merrick, including "John Merrick - Elephant Man Bones Explosion" a song and imaginary ride on the album Bucketheadland 2Secret Recipe, a DVD with several bonus MP3 songs. Among them included the song titled "John Merrick Lectures". In 2006 Buckethead released the album The Elephant Man's Alarm Clock again referencing Merrick this time as an entire albumreleased in 2003.
- Heavy metal band Mastodon has written several songs about Merrick. The last track on the first three of their studio albums is a reference to Merrick. They are: on Remission, "Elephant Man;" on Leviathan, "Joseph Merrick" and on Blood Mountain, "Pendulous Skin."
Una dintre cele mai emotionante momente, desemnata si cel mai trist moment dintr-un film de catre Entertainment Weekly in 2006, este cand: he is harassed by a group of boys at a train station, and accidentally knocks down a young girl. He is chased, unmasked, and cornered by an angry mob, at which point he cries out:
