True story of a tragic freak

DAVID Lynch's moving film The Elephant Man (World 9.30pm, Original Running Time 124 mins) tells the true story of the unfortunate John Merrick, a grotesquely deformed man shown kindness for the first time in his life by an eminent doctor in Victorian London.

In his childhood, Merrick (John Hurt) was hideously abused as an inhuman freak, yet as an adult he is coaxed by Dr Treves (Anthony Hopkins) into revealing himself as a man of gentle and sensitive character.

Dr Treves helps Merrick overcome a dreadful speech impediment and, for a while, gives him back some human dignity.

Word gets out and Merrick becomes a celebrated member of Victorian society, even to the point of being persuaded by a celebrated actress to read Romeo to her Juliet.

The darker question raised by Lynch's film, and evoked by the grimy hellhole that is London during the Industrial Revolution, is whether or not Merrick has again merely been turned into a freak, albeit a more sophisticated one. Certainly, for all his new-found popularity, Merrick remains a sad and desperately lonely figure.

A moving depiction of a bizarre true story, The Elephant Man was nominated for eight Oscars, though it won none. Cinematographer Freddie Francis takes credit for the stunning black and white photography, and Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt both put in masterly performances.

THE alternative is another invention from the peculiar mind of horror specialist Stephen King. Sometimes They Come Back (Pearl 9.30pm, ORT 97 mins) stars Tim Matheson (To Be Or Not to Be ) as Jim Norman who returns to his old hometown after a 20-year absence to teach high school.