Number 146 on the top 1000 films of all time is the historical drama The Elephant Man.
Based on the shocking true life story, the Elephant Man follows the life of the severely deformed Joseph Merrick (John Hurt.) Rescued from the carnival freakshow Doctor Treever (Anthony Hopkins.) Joseph Merrick starts trying to integrate him back into society.
What made this film so powerful is its timelessness. It's set during the Victorian era, but its themes are as relevant now as they were then. Granted, we're a great deal more liberal and freak shows are a thing of the past, but there is still a strong fear of the unknown. This is bred from ignorance and results in hatred, especially in the hatred that Merrick experiences.
After he is rescued and is staying in a hospital, a night porter charges members of the public to gawk, taunt and abuse Joseph Merrick. This disturbing scene was wonderfully accompanied by circus music. Circus music is supposed to represent joy and happiness, but it was distorted into something evil here.
Another powerful scene which sees Merrick running from an angry mob culminates in him yelling "I'm not an elephant. I'm not an animal. I'm a human being." This is something we forget when we're so steered by our own ignorance.
Stepping off my liberal soapbox for a second, the acting was terrific. Anthony Hopkins was very sympathetic as Dr Treever. It was a far cry from when he played a very different doctor - I am of course talking about Dr Hannibal Lector in the Silence of the Lambs. But the obvious star was John Hurt. Even wearing prosthetics that took 7 hours to apply, he still brought a great humanity to the character.
Legend has it the prosthetics were so remarkable they inspired the Oscars to create an award honouring best make-up in film.
The Elephant Man was a poignant film that challenges our fear of the unknown. Hurt and Hopkins were both great and the outstanding prosthetics was the icing on top of a brilliant cake.
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