The Elephant Man

“Hurt is brilliant as Merrick, projecting in his anguished eyes and mournful body language a humanity past the makeup that embodies so convincingly the pain of Merrick, the original elephant man, whose rare disease was exploited by the people running a Victorian freak show.”

Martin Chilton, The Telegraph · 100

“This is a tale of redemption and transcendence, of the hunchback of London Hospital, of the noble phantom who want to go to the opera, of Beauty and the Beast. In Treves' account, though, the Beast was a Beauty. In Lynch's hands, so is this film.”

Richard Corliss, Time · 100

“A marvelous movie, shot in stunning black-and-white by Freddie Francis.”

Staff (Not Credited), Time Out · 100

“Hurt gives a tour de force performance, masterfully conveying emotions while unable to use his face or even much of his voice.”

Staff (Not Credited), TV Guide Magazine · 100

“David Lynch's superb and subtly ironic 1980 film reveals the shining humanity in a horribly disfigured--and horribly mistreated--young man who actually lived in England in the late 19th Century and was rescued by an enlightened Victorian physician.”

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times · 100