The Elephant Man

David Lynch brings his eye for the uncanny to this sensitive retelling of the life of John Merrick (John Hurt), a Victorian-era British man whose severe facial deformities made him a social outcast, but whose intelligence and gentle spirit were recognized by a London surgeon. Channeling the dream-state expressionism of silent cinema via cinematographer Freddie Francis’s gorgeous black-and-white cinematography, THE ELEPHANT MAN is a triumph of Hollywood filmmaking shot through with avant-garde vision, earning eight Academy Award nominations, including best picture, director, and actor.