Daily Dialogue — February 17, 2014
OPERATING ROOM — THE LONDON HOSPITAL
We see a bellows pumping air into the open grate of a cast iron stove. We hear moaning in the background. The coals flare to a fierce glow. From the mouth of the stove protrude the handles of several cauterizing irons, their heads imbedded in the coals. Up above the irons, Treves stands by a waist-high operating table covered with black leather. His face is illuminated by an oil lantern held by a nurse.
The room is fairly dark owing to the oppressive overcast sky seen through two windows. There is also a large sink, a cupboard containing dressings, gags, manacles, emetics and other unattractive things, and two hard chairs.
TWO STUDENTS and two other DOCTORS, MR. FOX and MR. HILL, are present. The two Students are pulling with constant pressure on a rope tied to the patient’s leg. Treves and Mr. Fox are working on a chest wound caused by a machine accident. There are gear-wheel marks getting progressively deeper as they near a great open gash. Mr. Hill places a cotton mask over the patient’s nose and mouth and applies drops of chloroform. The patient struggles, but soon his moans subside and he is unconscious.
TREVES: How long has this man been here?
FOX: Three quarters of an hour.
TREVES: Mmmm. Hodges, Pierce come closer. Mr. Hill, take hold of the rope please. It’s a machine accident. I expect you’ll be seeing a good deal of this.
The two medical Students come forward. They stare uneasily at the gaping wound, which bubbles each time the man takes an agonized breath.
Treves and Fox quickly and expertly tend the wound as Hodges and Pierce look on.
TREVES (off handedly): Abominable things these machines. One can’t reason with them.
FOX: What a mess.
Treves now notices that the student’s faces have gone a trifle ashen.
TREVES: What got you into medicine, Hodges?
HODGES: My father, sir. He’s built quite a successful practice. I hope to take it over one day.
TREVES: Is that your case as well, Pierce?
PIERCE: Yes sir. Though of course I do have a great desire to help my fellowman.
Treves smiles at them knowingly.
TREVES: Of course you do realize that medicine has changed quite a bit since your father’s time. In those days we didn’t even wash our coats. In fact, the sign of a truly accomplished surgeon–was his black operating coat, so stiff with dried blood and pus that it could stand up by itself in the corner. I’ve still got mine upstairs… You don’t mind blood, do you?
HODGES & PIERCE: Oh no, sir. (etc.)
TREVES: Good, that’s one thing we’ve always plenty of.
— The Elephant Man (1980), screenplay by Christopher De Vore & Eric Bergren & David Lynch
The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is surgery. Today’s suggestion is by Daniel Cossu.
Trivia: When Paramount studio executives were shown a cut of the film, they wanted the film’s opening and closing surrealist sequences to be cut. Executive producer Mel Brooks, according to producer Stuart Cornfeld, said to them: “We are involved in a business venture. We screened the film for you to bring you up to date as to the status of that venture. Do not misconstrue this as our soliciting the input of raging primitives.”
Dialogue On Dialogue: Commentary by Daniel: “Comparing the script to the film, the script is both description heavy and dialogue heavy. At some point during the production the filmmakers realized that the unnecessary dialogue could be cut. The bit about how “medicine has changed” sounds particularly superfluous since we are already seeing how different the practice was back then compared to now. What remains in the final film is much more refined, visual and efficient.”
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