Michael Shannon on “The Elephant Man” (1980). My favourite David Lynch film, a poignant and starkly rendered biographical film about Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century Englishman who became a celebrity in London society but was best known for the severe deformities caused by an unknown medical condition. John Hurt’s portrayal of Merrick is deeply moving, characterized by a profound sensitivity and humanity beneath layers of prosthetic makeup, which required up to eight hours a day to apply. His perf