A compassionate, tragic look into the life of one unfortunate yet fascinating intellectual

Rating: 9/10 (13 March 2018)

The Elephant Man is a drama film based on the life of Joseph Merrick and starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins. Directed by David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet), it is a compassionate, tragic look into the life of one unfortunate yet fascinating intellectual.
In 1880s London, surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins) visits a carnival in his local area and stumbles upon a freak show as its most popular attraction. While there he discovers that the show's main exhibit is "The Elephant Man" (John Hurt), a man with hideous birth deformities giving him an almost elephant-like appearance. Intrigued by this poor man's plight, Frederick rescues the so-called Elephant Man to learn more about his condition, only to discover that he is far more intelligent than his monstrous appearance suggests.
Easily one of David Lynch's best films, The Elephant Man effectively paints a human portrait of the titular character and showcases him in the positive light he most certainly deserves. Despite being more linear than most of Lynch's work, the film still contains many of his directorial trademarks, including close-ups on eyes and flashes of surreal imagery. John Hurt gives a terrific performance in the title role and the makeup effects applied to his face were fantastic. Interestingly enough, this film helped serve as a catalyst for Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to introduce the "Best Makeup" category at the Academy Awards.
I rate it a solid 9/10