A Moody Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (4 December 2007)

Am I wrong or is this David Lynch's masterpiece (which was only the second movie he directed!)? Many have commented on the great qualities of this film but I want to add one comment about one of the actors: Freddie Jones who played the evil freak show "owner" of John Merrick. Among movie bad guys, he stands out as the personification of evil for the sake of greed. An actor of lesser skills playing this role would have done an injustice to the entire film. Bravo Freddie! With this flawless production, one can feel the moodiness and dreariness of Victorian England literally dripping off the screen. Add to that the acting of John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins plus the supporting parts of John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller and the aforementioned Freddie Jones and The Elephant Man is one for the ages.