A Beautiful Mind

Rating: 10/10 (12 March 2003)

THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) **** John Hurt, Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, John Gielgud. David Lynch's masterpiece of the human spirit about the true-life account of John Merrick, a hideously deformed man in England's Victorian Age, who was taken in by a physician after a hellish stint in a freak show. Hurt rises to the occasion and delivers a heart wrenching Oscar nominated performance emoting under tons of make-up to full effect. Equally good is Hopkins in low-key form as the humanitarian doctor. Beautiful black and white photography resonates the production; nominated for 8 Academy Awards including Lynch and Best Picture. Best scenes: Hurt's recital of the 23rd Psalm and his immortal line: "I am not an animal, I am a human being!" Incredibly powerful ending perfectly accentuated by the classical "Adagio For Strings". Dare not to be moved. One of the best.  Trivia note, look for little person Kenny Baker during the carnival sequences; he's the guy inside R2-D2 in `Star Wars' and the head bandit in `Time Bandits'.