Lynch's Best Work in a Serious Vein

Rating: 8/10 (24 July 2013)

A Victorian surgeon (Anthony Hopkins) rescues a heavily disfigured man (John Hurt) who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity.
First of all, Mel Brooks produced this? And was able to convince the studio to let it be filmed in black and white (which was a great choice)? Well played, Brooks. You deserve far more respect than you are already given just for this.
Second of all, John or Joseph? The film calls him John Merrick, but apparently his name was really Joseph Merrrick. Why the discrepancy? Is he called John in the memoirs? This is confusing, and strange that (probably because of the film) he is now universally remembered as John.
While this is not Lynch's masterpiece (that has to go to "Blue Velvet"), it is possibly his best work critically. Obviously the Academy thought so. And apart from the fact it features a deformed man, there is nothing strange about the plot or themes. This may be Lynch's most "real" film, as even "The Straight Story" is pretty odd in a number of ways.