The Last Laugh
Quick Summary
The Last Laugh (German: Der letzte Mann) is a 1924 German silent film directed by F.W. Murnau. It is a prime example of German Expressionism in cinema, a style that sought to convey subjective emotions and psychological states through visual distortion and dramatic techniques.123
The film stars Emil Jannings as a proud hotel doorman who is demoted to a washroom attendant, a change that devastates him. Murnau utilized innovative camera work, including a mobile camera that moved through the film's settings, to immerse the audience in the protagonist's emotional journey. This subjective camera style, achieved through techniques like cameras mounted on bicycles and overhead wires, was groundbreaking for its time. The film is notable for telling its story almost entirely through pantomime, with only one title card used throughout its 77-minute runtime.21
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History of filmGermany…was Der letzte Mann (The Last Laugh, 1924), a film in the genre of Kammerspiel (“intimate theater”), that made him world-famous. Scripted by Carl Mayer and produced by Erich Pommer for UFA, Der letzte Mann told the story of a hotel doorman who is humiliated by the loss of…
Read More…was Der letzte Mann (The Last Laugh, 1924), a film in the genre of Kammerspiel (“intimate theater”), that made him world-famous. Scripted by Carl Mayer and produced by Erich Pommer for UFA, Der letzte Mann told the story of a hotel doorman who is humiliated by the loss of…
Read More- street film
…of outstanding street films, notably The Last Laugh (1924), directed by F.W. Murnau, who used the camera subjectively in his portrayal of an aging doorman played by the famed actor Emil Jannings. The disintegration of society and the return to traditional values that characterized street films foreshadowed the movement toward…
Read More…of outstanding street films, notably The Last Laugh (1924), directed by F.W. Murnau, who used the camera subjectively in his portrayal of an aging doorman played by the famed actor Emil Jannings. The disintegration of society and the return to traditional values that characterized street films foreshadowed the movement toward…
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