The Last Laugh

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Vidhu K @RT05616094 Aug 23, 2025 Murnau's ingenious, towering work about man's ultimate sin, of falsely attributing a person's worth to their occupation and social standing and a reminder that an act of kindness goes a long way. See more Dawn B @RT17905508 Dec 6, 2024 The last laugh. You find out who your friends are eh! Like that it makes unusual statement towards the end. Read me book b.utt. 7.2/0. D.B. See more Leaburn O @RT35452347 Aug 8, 2023 One of the best of the silent era. Murnau was a master storyteller of parables. A lot to dissect in this movie but sadly it's a tale of a man who put too much stock in his societal status. Saw this one on YouTube where there is a good quality version with a nice score. See more Thomas V @TomVee May 2, 2023 There's really not much I can add that hasn't been said already about this beautiful, moving film. True, it might seem absurd to us just how revered a simple doorman could be by his neighbors simply because of his opulent uniform, but the Germans sure did love their uniforms back in the day. Sure, Murnau's camera movement set a new standard, but for me, what's most impressive is the elegant storytelling through images and Emil Jannings' marvelous performance. Not a single title card until the end, and none are needed. One of the all-time greats. See more georgan g @RT98616417 Mar 26, 2021 Glad I read about the societal issues this film represented, along with how working class individuals were affected. Lighting and camera work were well done. The beginning of modern film making. See more William L @RT77267842 Jan 27, 2021 Not only a massive leap forward from a technical perspective, but a unique interpretation of the role of the image of oneself in society, which strikes an oddly relevant tone with the rapid emergence of social media as the true depiction of a subject despite reality. Murnau presents the nameless doorman as the victim of a terrible fall from grace, whose sole crimes are essentially unavoidable - growing old, and wishing to still be of use. He maintains a way to support his family, but both he and the world around him treat his plight as a shameful defeat, as he attempts to retain the physical manifestation of his position, his uniform, with all the peculiarities of symbolism that such an article carries with it in German culture. Set design and camerawork elements that Murnau and his production team pioneered in The Last Laugh would become industry standard following its release. (4/5) See more Read all reviews

The Last Laugh

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