The film was liberated enough to need only one narrative title board to help tell its story, it proved an important development towards the director's purist, set-free chiaroscuro in Faust.
The Last Laugh (1924)
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Reviews Counted:24
Fresh:24
Rotten:0
Average Rating:9/10
Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: One of the most brilliant of all German silent films, F.W. Murnau's THE LAST LAUGH uses a constantly moving and subjective camera to capture the emotional anguish of a man whose life is suddenly... One of the most brilliant of all German silent films, F.W. Murnau's THE LAST LAUGH uses a constantly moving and subjective camera to capture the emotional anguish of a man whose life is suddenly devoid of meaning. Because of his age, an elderly doorman at a hotel finds himself ignominiously demoted to washroom attendant. Particularly galling to the poor man is the loss of his uniform, which gives him pride and prestige. Crestfallen, he spends the day wandering the city, getting drunk and dreaming of suicide, mourning the loss of his dignity, and trying desperately to hang on to a shred of hope. [More]
Starring: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Emilie Kurz, Hans Unterkirchner
Starring: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Emilie Kurz, Hans Unterkirchner, Olaf Storm, Hermann Vallentin
Director: F.W. Murnau
Director: F.W. Murnau
Screenwriter: Carl Mayer
Producer: Erich Pommer
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Reviews for The Last Laugh
Karl Freund's ground-breaking and historically important cinematography can still take the breath away.
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.
Même après plus de 80 ans, The Last Laugh demeure un film qui ne vieillit tout simplement pas.
The film is notable for its smooth, moving, tracking camera and its complete lack of intertitles, making it a true universal experience.
...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.
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...
There 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.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 83% 83% | Harry Potter and the H… |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 75% 75% | Julie & Julia |
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 78% 78% | The Hangover |
| 49% 49% | Taking Woodstock |
| 26% 26% | The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard |
| 47% 47% | The Girl From Monaco |
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