The Elephant Man
Opening Image : We see the beautiful eyes, mouth, and face of Merrick’s mother. Theme Stated : Watching Merrick head back to a carriage to return to his “owner” (Bytes), Treves hopes Merrick is an imbecile. He can’t imagine going through life in his condition otherwise. The movie will challenge its characters (as well as the audience) to find humanity within a character who takes fear of sickness to its outer limits. Save the Cat : Treves sheds a tear when he first sees Merrick. Set-Up : Treves travels deeper and deeper into darkness in search of The Elephant Man. In between his two approaches, we see him at work performing miserable, primitive surgery. He needs a case of extreme deformity to study, to salvage his medical career. Catalyst : Treves gets a private showing and first sees Merrick. Debate : Treves takes Merrick back to present him before his colleagues. His presentation is answered with applause by the horrified doctors. Merrick returns to Bytes a
