My 2nd Lynch picture, and a truly remarkable one. The first half, with the introduction of characters and exposition beautifully displays the excellent set production convincingly recreating 1880's London, dreary and nightmarish, as only Lynch could do it. Anthony Hopkins controls the first portion of the film, as we slowly learn with him the graphic details of the Elephant Man's mutation and maltreatment.
Once John Merrick himself is introduced as a character, rather than just being referred to as the creature, the story shifts to focus on him and his continued struggles to overcome to prejudice of the public society. Lynch is able to fully utilize his choice of black and white cinematography throughout, as well as crafting an uplifting story that wraps up with a truly emotionally overwhelming ending. An especially interesting film to see the mix between a traditional, conservatively-executed movie, with clearly evident touches of Lynch here and there.
