Everyone should see this movie.

Rating: 10/10 (14 August 2005)

No film has ever touched me the same way as The Elephant Man.
When you look at the surface and see the names David Lynch and Mel Brooks involved with this movie, you will most definitely get a different view than what it is actually like before you see it. What astonishes me about that fact is that it's also a central theme for the movie: Don't judge a book by it's cover.
I have seen more movies than I can count and this is by far the most emotionally human out of them all. There are several scenes which are so devastating, that you forget you're actually watching a movie. The way certain characters treat John Merrick are simply cruel. Especially after we find out what Merrick is REALLY like. On the outside, he's a disgusting mess, but on the inside...he's one of the kindest, most gentle characters that you can think of.
The academy completely robbed John Hurt of a much-deserved Oscar for best actor that year. I'll be the first to say that Deniro's performance in Raging Bull was also amazing, but Hurt played his role in a way that no other actor in the world could have. I saw none of John Hurt in The Elephant Man...just 100% John Merrick.
This film is almost perfect. I saw almost because I am still looking for flaws. So far, I haven't found any. The story is extremely uplifting and also very sad at the same time. The acting is out of this world, and David Lynch's directing really contributes to the greatness of the whole project. The last half-hour or so is especially noteworthy. In particular, the final scene with Barber's Adagio For Strings music (used also in Platoon) helping out a tremendous deal.
Everyone should see this movie. If you are not emotionally touched by it, then you are not human.