Some may find this remarkable film difficult to watch, simply because of the subject: a grotesquely deformed man is rescued from a freak show and sheltered at a hospital in Victorian times by a brilliant surgeon. Although this theme teeters on the edge of embarrassment at odd moments, it always draws back from the brink, thanks to controlled performances from Anthony Hopkins (the surgeon), John Hurt (playing the title role under a mound of makeup, and really eliciting pity and sympathy), John Gielgud (the hospital chief, superior to his Oscar-winning work in Arthur), Hannah Gordon as Hopkins' wife and Wendy Hiller as the hospital's senior matron. Director David Lynch's treatment (magnificently shot in black and white by Freddie Francis) tends to the melodramatic, but the story is still affecting at most stages and even outstanding at times: see it and decide for yourself.

©ipc tx. Film content from TVTimes