Rent The Man Who Laughs (1928)
3.7 of 5 from 89 ratings
1h 50min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
One of the most visually striking of all the later silent films, 'The Man Who Laughs' reunites German Expressionism director Paul Leni and cinematographer Gilbert Warrenton from their horror hit the previous year, 'The Cat and the Canary' (1927). Both films are often considered to be among the earliest works of legendary horror classics from Universal Studios, yet the undeniably eerie 'The Man Who Laughs' is more accurately described as a Gothic melodrama. However, its influence on the genre and the intensity of the imagery - art director Charles Hall and makeup genius Jack Pierce would go on to define the look of those 1930's Universal horror landmarks - have redefined it as an early horror classic, bolstered by one of the most memorable performances of the period. Adapted from the Victor Hugo novel, 'The Man Who Laughs' is Gwynplaine (an extraordinary Conrad Veidt), a carnival sideshow performer in 17th-century England, his face mutilated into a permanent, ghoulish grin by his executed father's royal court enemies. Gwynplaine struggles through life with the blind Dea (Phantom of the Opera's Mary Philbin) as his companion - though she is unable to see it, his disfigurement still causes Gwynplaine to believe he is unworthy of her love. But when his proper royal lineage becomes known by Queen Anne, Gwynplaine must choose between regaining a life of privilege, or embracing a new life of freedom with Dea. The startling makeup on Veidt was the acknowledged direct inspiration for The Joker in the 1940 Batman comic that introduced the character, and film versions of The Joker have been even more specific in their references to Leni's film. While 'The Man Who Laughs' contains powerful elements of tragedy, doomed romance, and even swashbuckling swordplay, its influence on horror cinema is most pronounced. Leni died suddenly at the age of 44 a year after this film (with Veidt also unexpectedly passing away too soon in 1943), and 'The Man Who Laughs' endures as one of the most haunting and stylish American silent films, made just as that era was coming to a close. - Actors:
- Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Julius Molnar, Olga Baclanova, Brandon Hurst, Cesare Gravina, Stuart Holmes, Sam De Grasse, George Siegmann, Josephine Crowell, Károly Huszár, Zimbo the Dog, Delmo Fritz, Deno Fritz, Henry A. Barrows, Richard Bartlett, Les Bates, Charles Brinley, Carmen Castillo, Allan Cavan
- Directors:
- Paul Leni
- Producers:
- Carl Laemmle
- Writers:
- Victor Hugo, J. Grubb Alexander, Walter Anthony, May McLean, Marion Ward, Charles E. Whittaker
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Horror, Romance, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A Brief History of French Poetic Realism, A History of British Queens in Film, That's All Fawkes! Top 10 Films Set in the Stuart Era, Top Horror Franchise Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 17/08/2020
- Run Time:
- 110 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono, English LPCM Stereo, Silent
- Subtitles:
- None
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.20:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Kim Neman on Paul Leni: An Interview the author and horror expert
- The Face Deceives-, a video essay by David Cairns and Nona Watson
- Paul Leni and "The Man Who Laughs": a video essay by John Soister
- Stills Galleries
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Reviews (3) of The Man Who Laughs
Terrific silent horror. - The Man Who Laughs review by NP
The extent of initial brutality in this silent film is pretty shocking. There’s something deeply unpalatable about watching the early days of Gwynplaine’s (Conrad Veidt) tragic and troubled life, and the grotesque theatricality of the players only reinforces that. Truly, you needed to be made of stern stuff to watch this kind of film back in the silent era.
Silent films are very much an acquired taste, but I would suggest this is worth anyone’s time. My score is 8 out of 10.
2 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Grin and Bear It - The Man Who Laughs review by griggs
Conrad Veidt has to grin and bear it for the entire film, and it's one of the saddest performances I've seen. A dental contraption fixes his mouth in place, so Gwynplaine's misery has to travel through his eyes alone. It arrives intact. Whenever a crowd howls with laughter, he looks like a man hoping the stage will swallow him.
Yes, the Joker was born here, though that's the least interesting thing about it. Paul Leni brings German Expressionism to Universal by the crate-load: crooked fairground sets, faces lit like gargoyles, shadows with ambitions. You can see the studio's entire horror cycle limbering up in the wings.
The trouble is the melodrama. Mary Philbin's blind Dea is sweet enough to rot teeth, while the court intrigue keeps elbowing the nightmare out of frame. It's long, episodic and occasionally overstuffed, and a wolfdog called Homo manages to upstage several of the humans.
Nearly a century on, Veidt is still having the last laugh.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Silent Horror. - The Man Who Laughs review by Steve
After Paul Leni arrived at Universal studios, the expressionism of German horror began to be standard in Hollywood too. His third US film is an adaptation of a novel by Victor Hugo about a boy who is disfigured by the king and grows up with a hideous grin which masks his ceaseless misery.
Conrad Veidt is heartbreaking as the suffering grotesque who joins the circus. It's the pathos of a man so mutilated he can never reveal how he feels. Mary Philbin supports as a blind woman, fated never to see her own beauty. And because she can touch the lips of the clown, she is fooled that he's always happy.
Leni is brilliant at the visuals, but less gifted at narrative and while it looks like art, the pace is slow. The expressionist sets of 17th century England are excellent. There isn't the social critique of the novel, but it does expose the brutal oppression of the poor by the aristocracy. The wealthy are as physically hideous as the members of the freak show that exploits the young outcast.
There is something primal about the monstrous characters we encounter in silent horrors. They ask ask us to relive one of the terrible fears of childhood, that we ourselves are uniquely unlovable, and the love we need to survive cannot be returned. These figures are eternal, universal nightmares.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.