Der Letzte Mann (The Last Laugh) (1924)
Average Rating: 9/10
Reviews Counted: 25
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 0
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 3
Fresh: 3 | Rotten: 0
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Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 3,822
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Movie Info
F.W. Murnau's German silent classic The Last Laugh (Der Letze Mann) stars Emil Jannings as the doorman of a posh Berlin hotel. Fiercely proud of his job, Jannings comports himself like a general in his resplendent costume, and is treated like royalty by his friends and neighbors. The hotel's insensitive new manager, noting that Jannings seems winded after carrying several heavy pieces of luggage for a patron, decides that the old man is no longer up to his job. The manager demotes Jannings to
Jan 5, 1925 Wide
Nov 11, 2003
Cast
-
Emil Jannings
The doorman -
Kurt Hiller
The Daughter's Fiance -
Emelie Kurtz
His Aunt -
Hans Unterkirchen
Hotel manager -
Max Hiller
Her bridegroom -
Georg John
Night Watchman -
Olaf Storm
Young Guest -
Hermann Vallentin
Guest with pointed bell... -
Emmy Wyde
Thin Neighbor -
Maly Delschaft
The doorman's niece
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All Critics (25) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (28) | Rotten (0) | DVD (9)
The 1924 film in which F.W. Murnau freed his camera from its stationary tripod and took it on a flight of imagination and expression that changed the way movies were made.
Top CriticThere are no titles in this film -- merely a few inserts to guide the viewer. And yet one is never in doubt as to the action of this admirable picture, which is a remarkable piece of direction, with exquisite lighting effects.
The film would be famous just for its lack of titles, and for its lead performance by Emil Jannings, which is so effective that both Jannings and Murnau were offered Hollywood contracts and moved to America at the dawn of sound.
One of Murnau's classic silent films features a great performance from Emil Jannings, who three years later became the first Best Actor Oscar winner.
Karl Freund's ground-breaking and historically important cinematography can still take the breath away.
...can still pierce a hardened heart - especially these days, when demotions and layoffs have become a daily occurrence and the streets are full of forlorn former doormen.
A Murnau silent classic featuring strong Emil Jannings performance.
It ends with an unconvincing cop-out happy ending.
A striking vision of contemporary horror finally presented in its original version.
The Last Laugh can really best be understood as a horror story.
Walk a mile in my shoes
Même après plus de 80 ans, The Last Laugh demeure un film qui ne vieillit tout simplement pas.
Widely regarded as an expressionist masterpiece.
One of the darkest commentaries (intra- and extratextually) on the cost of comfort and compromise in art and life.
I'll make the radical claim that losing around ten minutes would have made the film flawless. But it's almost made up for by that ending...
The film is notable for its smooth, moving, tracking camera and its complete lack of intertitles, making it a true universal experience.
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Foreign Titles
- Der letzte Mann (DE)
- The Last Laugh (Der letzte Mann) (UK)
