Review of The Elephant Man (1980) by James H — 19 Mar 2010

I'm not even going to try and avoid the cliché here, because it is totally worthy of it- this is an all-time classic. An absolutely wonderful film from David Lynch, with some fine acting from Hopkins but extraordinary acting from John Hurt.

This is a heartbreaking story about the torment and degradation suffered by a man with a horrific disformity. When the pub-goers are dancing him around his room, you find yourself almost screaming for them to stop.

Hurt was so good that you often forgot this character was being played by an actor- only occasionally does Hurts distinctive voice come through, reminding you that this "Elephant Man" is a human being.

I'm not sure how acurate the fine plot details are (generally speaking, I believe it's spot-on) but I'm struggling to find a fault in this film. Quite simply brilliant. Heartbreaking. But brilliant.