听 "The Elephant Man" is a film that until recently has often been hard to get hold on video. It's a pleasure then to find it launched as part of Momentum's excellent 'Director's Chair' series of DVDs.
As with previous releases, the picture quality is very good. The print carries a few off flecks of damage, but these are not enough to prove troublesome. The layers of grey and black shadow that cinematographer Freddie Francis so carefully captured, is richly reproduced on the disc.
Given that David Lynch, along with his fellow sound designer Alan Splet, recorded this movie in stereo, it's perhaps appropriate that this DVD is presented in the same format. It works well and wreathes the front speakers in Lynch's sinister Victoriana soundscape.
What may disappoint some is the lack of extra features on this DVD. Lynch is not famed for discussing his movies, so a commentary from him was never going to prove likely. Instead there's a modest photo gallery and trailer. What does elevate this release is an excellent 64-page book that accompanies the disc. Author, James Oliver, also produced one for the DVD release of " The Graduate", and once again he efficiently highlights the points of interest.
Chapters: 28
Region: 2
Ratio: 2.35:1 (Anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
Extra Features: Scene selection, photo gallery, trailer, animated menus, accompanying limited edition book, multiple languages, subtitles.
