The Elephant Man (USA, 1980)

This was David Lynch's first big budget (mainstream) film, this time based on a true story. The story is of an Englishman who suffered severe deformations in his body. The movie was shot in black & white (David Lynch would later declare he would rather choose black & white than color for his next films), the atmosphere is sad and depressing at times, but always trying to stay true to the real story. The first scenes are pure David Lynch, with strange elephant images and noises. Most of the actors are from England, and Anthony Hopkins plays the doctor who finds and treats the elephant man at the London Hospital. The elephant man talks quite a lot in the film, although in real life he could barely open his jaw and barely pronounce any word at all. Did you know he actually got a free room where he could stay the rest of his life at the London Hospital thanks to a letter written by the Queen of England?