16. John Hurt As John Merrick In The Elephant Man
When I first heard about The Elephant Man, I was expecting your typical monster of the week movie that they would show right after the Saturday morning cartoons. Fifteen minutes in to the movie, I could tell I was in for a completely different type of experience. The movie depicts the life of John Merrick, who in real life was actually named Joseph Carrey Merrick, who suffered from severe deformities throughout his short life. In the film, John, played by John Hurt, leads a life of suffering and ridicule from the public because of his deformities and is forced to live as a sideshow exhibit. It is not until a doctor by the name of Frederick Treves, played by Anthony Hopkins, rescues him from the circus and helps him to live a somewhat normal life at the hospital. John Hurt is so convincing as John Merrick that you would think that with all that make-up he wouldnt have to put much effort in to acting, but its his real understanding of how hard a life it must have been for John Merrick that he really brings a great performance. Make-up artist Christopher Tucker designed the look for this character from real life casts of Joseph Merrick. The make-up garnered so much attention that the following year that the Academy organization decided to add a category honoring make-up artists after letters of protest were sent to them for not presenting the movie with an Oscar that year for their make-up effects. Had this movie came out when an Oscar category existed for make-up, Christopher Tucker would have surely won and rightfully so for bringing such a distinctive from the late 19th Century to the modern film age. 15. Doug Jones As The faun In Pans Labyrinth
Movies about mythical creatures and fantasy worlds have always been a favourite of mine. One that stands out as being both beautifully directed and visually stunning is Pans Labyrinth. Guillermo Del Toro created an enchanting world that allows the main character named Ofelia, played by Ivana Baquero, escape her cruel stepfather during a time of war. Assisting her in her escape is a faun that resembles a goat-like creature with the stature of a man yet still is animal-like physically. The faun, played by Doug Jones, really is a beautiful creature to look at with a lot of thought put in every minute detail of the design. The horns on the faun curve back and around to the front which gives it an even balance to the face that is smooth with strong skeletal structures that pronounces its mythical aura. The body is very textured like the bark of a tree but doesnt come across as too rigid, especially when Doug performs in it. David Martí and Montse Ribé were the make-up artists that help create the faun and all of the other creatures. Their hard work, along with their make-up team, earned them a well-deserved Oscar for best make-up.