Review: The Elephant Man

The Elephant Man (1980) ****
Director: David Lynch (Twin Peaks, Dune, Mullholland Dr.)
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud

All the awards and accolades this film has received are well-deserved. It's not quite a perfect film, but it's perfectly cast, performed, and directed. While I'm not a fan of David Lynch's work, I believe this is his best film, and John Hurt's performance as the title character is amazing. This film may not exactly fit into the "horror" genre, but horror elements are certainly there. And I was surprised to learn from the production documentary that the make-up effects were based on a full body cast made from the real "Elephant Man," John Merrick, and this film offers just a glimpse of the literal horrors and terrors Merrick was subjected to throughout his life.