Review: 'The Man Who Laughs" (1928) - What's Behind The Famous Smile?
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- Опубліковано 18 вер 2024
- Have you seen that photo and wondered what the film was about? And if it was worth seeing?
"The Man Who Laughs" is a pretty interesting film from a number of angles, but chiefly it's remarkable for the central performance of Conrad Veidt in that amazing makeup by the legendary Jack Pierce (the man who created the iconic Frankenstein makeup among many others).
While not a perfect film it does raise some fascinating and rather painful questions, and ventures into some pretty unusual areas of the human experience ... yet its themes are intensely relatable.
I'd highly recommend this film if you are curious about what's behind this frequently-shared image, or if you are curious to see a really offbeat and interesting silent film with plenty of surprises. Also, if you'd like to see silent film acting at its best, Conrad Veidt would be hard to beat in this performance.
"The Man Who Laughs" (1928) directed by Paul Leni.
Based on the novel by Victor Hugo
Screenplay:
J. Grubb Alexander
Walter Anthony
Mary McLean
Charles E. Whittaker
Cast:
Mary Philbin as Dea
Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine
Brandon Hurst as Barkilphedro
Julius Molnar Jr. as Gwynplaine (child)
Olga Vladimirovna Baklanova as Duchess Josiana
Cesare Gravina as Ursus
Stuart Holmes as Lord Dirry-Moir
Samuel de Grasse as King James II Stuart
George Siegmann as Dr. Hardquanonne
Josephine Crowell as Queen Anne Stuart
Copyright for the film remains with the film-makers. Any material included here is used only for the purposes of film review.
Music: www.bensound.com
What a great review! That is, I agree with every word, especially about Conrad Veidt. I only saw this for the first time recently and loved it. An extraordinary film, that makes you forget you're watching a silent production ( if that makes sense).
Thanks for your great comments, NA! It really is an unforgettable film - and so unique. Veidt should have been a much bigger star, his talents are astonishing. He brings so much poignancy to his roles.
@@TengyTalksTVMovies - agreed! Bela Lugosi is the perfect Dracula (of course) but Conrad Veidt (who was also considered) would have been very interesting too. A wonderful actor.
@@naparry4772 Veidt would have been amazing as Dracula!
Conrad Veidt also in 'The Hands of Orlac' [dir. Robert Weine ('The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), and reviewed by Tengy Talks TV & Movies ] and 'Wax Works' [dir. Paul Leni ('The Man Who Laughs')] , among silent horror/fantasy works.
I'd love to see Wax Works. There are so many silent greats I have not caught up with yet....
Bob Kane and Bill Finger the co-creators of Batman were indeed inspired by Conrad Veidt's image in their creation of the Joker. Veidt's suberb performance as Major Strasser in Casablanca defined Nazi arrogance. German Expressionism that a film like Cabinet of Dr Caligari represented added to the atmosphere invoked by early Universal horror pictures. Experimentation with subject matter and the presentation of its creative execution was an admirable achievement in silent films; sometimes a scene or in a number of moments within a given film. From the clips accompanying your impacted review Veidt's performance is definitely compelling. The elements of horror , fantasy and science fiction were quite appealing ingredients when added to a films narrative. Veidt like Lon Chaney Sr. and other notable talents of independent creativity were the method actors of their day. They certainly did stand out among the other players who followed traditional hamminess.
Thanks for another insightful comment. :) I read that Lon Chaney Sr. was original intended to play Gwynplaine, but I'm glad that Conrad Veidt was the one who eventually inhabited the role. The sensitivity and emotion he brought to his performance would be hard to surpass, even for another master of silent acting like Chaney.
The silent film period is indeed a fascinating one and I very much admire and appreciate the experimentation and creativity of that period.
Olga Baclonova also in von Sternberg's 1928 'The Docks of New York', which I commend.
She was an interesting performer with great screen presence.
Though the least important thing about it is the inspiration for the Joker, it speaks to how powerful the concept of Gwyn is. I feel like you can't watch it and not see the Joker and Harley. I kept thinking of Suicide Squad (2016). For instance, like how the Joker drew graffiti all over his lair, not unlike the graffiti in The Man Who Laughs. In the Joker (2019), the Joker has a medical condition where he laughs uncontrollably when he like feels social anxiety. (Harley isn't in it but will be in the sequel.) That makes me think of how Gwyn can't hide his toothy grin and some characters perceive it as him laughing at inappropriate times.
I haven't seen Joker or Suicide Squad, but it sounds like there are some interesting connections there, for sure. :)
You'll love another adaptation of a French classic.
Monte Cristo (1929) is a French silent film directed by Henri Fescourt,
Fescourt used four cameramen to best capture movement, and often filmed in real locations mentioned in the novel, including the prison of Chateau d'If. The film has been critically praised as "an epic triumph of the silent cinema at its height," distinguished by its combination of commercial cinema dramatics and techniques used by French impressionist filmmakers (including micro-flashbacks, extreme close-ups, zip-pans, energetic moving camera, and extreme shifts in focus). The BFI's Silent Film Guide writes that "the elegance and orchestration of the film-making is extraordinary" and praises the lavish scenes at the Paris Opera and Monte Cristo's mansion as "staggeringly opulent."
Lil Dagover who was with Conrad Veidt in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, she played Mercedes.
scene of the opera
ua-cam.com/video/hTV60-vivC4/v-deo.html
in the description has the link to the full movie
Thank you so much for the recommendation, Jean Pierre, that film looks extraordinary! I know little of early French cinema, except for the amazing work of film pioneer Georges Méliès (I will be presenting a video on one of his films soon).
I look forward to seeing Monte Cristo very much :)
Thanks for watching and for your wonderful comments :)
There was an interdependence between the two
"It was the penetration of two misfortunes into the ideal which absorbed them. The rejected found a refuge in each other. Two blanks, combining, filled each other up. They held together by what they lacked: in that in which one was poor, the other was rich. The misfortune of the one made the treasure of the other. Had Dea not been blind, would she have chosen Gwynplaine? Had Gwynplaine not been disfigured, would he have preferred Dea? She would probably have rejected the deformed, as he would have passed by the infirm. What happiness for Dea that Gwynplaine was hideous! What good fortune for Gwynplaine that Dea was blind! Apart from their providential matching, they were impossible to each other. A mighty want of each other was at the bottom of their loves, Gwynplaine saved Dea. Dea saved Gwynplaine. Apposition of misery produced adherence. It was the embrace of those swallowed in the abyss; none closer, none more hopeless, none more exquisite."- The man who laughs by Victor Hugo
What a beautiful quote. Thank you for sharing it :)
This is one of those films that while everyone seems to know about it very limited people have actually watched it. I still need to as I know it is where the Joker originally came from in the Batman series.
The version without the voiceovers is so much better...if you zoom in on Gwynplaine during the scene where Dea wakes up and finally touches his mouth, he is literally trembling with emotion. Very effective acting... Conrad and Mary are both crying. It's a beautiful love scene! I want to know why Conrad Veidt has no star in Hollywood. He was a brilliant, beautiful soul...gone too soon.
Thanks for your great comments. I completely agree about Veidt - he should have been a much bigger star. He had it all. Absolutely tragic that he died so young. A fascinating and sensitive soul, from what I have read.
Good movie 😌
There's a lot to appreciate in this one, that's for sure :)
@@TengyTalksTVMovies 🙃
its a great movie and you did a wonderful job with your review!
Greetings from The Cottage on the Hill West Ireland, check out Mr Sardonicus, 1961. Interesting film, same face.
Hi Sean! Thanks for the recommendation - I'd love to see Mr Sardonicus. I've heard good things about it. :)
Gwynplaine reminds me a lot of Edmond Dantes. Both are part of romanticism.
They suffer victims of injustices for political reasons, both save women who end up becoming their future great love, Gywnplaine a dea and Edmond a haydee. That woman who laughs at the boat and remembers Edmond walking away with haydee. Both protagonists left the country that made them suffer so much to start their lives in another place.
Scene from the movie The Prisoner of Château d'If.
ua-cam.com/video/nYcWST09vcs/v-deo.html
What an interesting parallel! Thanks for sharing your insights :)
Can you tell me how you watched this? It seems to be near impossible to find in my country.
I think I might have seen it on Dailymotion, or somewhere like that? Sorry, it was a while back, I can't quite remember....but it was on some site like that, I'm pretty sure. :)
PS: A very well done review, I can't think of a thing that you missed.
Thanks for being so encouraging - I really appreciate it :)
Great commentary on The Man Who Laughs 1928 movie.
I really liked this video of this great silent film by the great German actor Conrad Veidt.
This actor has acted in great Classics of silent and sound films.
His deformed character in this movie as Tengy says in the video is a precursor to the famous character The Joker from the Batman series.
I think there is also another movie with a similar deformed character, a movie that I find interesting from William Castle Mr. Sardonicus 1961.
Thanks, Marco - I haven't seen Mr Sardonicus, but I would like to. Mr Castle made some very interesting films.
I will be reviewing another Conrad Veidt film very soon - The Thief of Bagdad. Mr Veidt seems like he was such an interesting person, as well as a very compelling performer.
@@TengyTalksTVMovies Thanks for your reply Tengy, Mr. Sardonicus is a movie that deserves to be seen,
The Thief of Bagdad 1940 is a great adventure film classic with a great performance by Conrad Veidt as Jaffar.
I have also seen another Conrad Veidt film with the great actress Joan Crawford
A Woman's Face 1940 George Cukor, I think it is a film with a very interesting plot as well.
Greetings.
I never understood the horror film moniker - more than anything it's a super sad love story.
Again, love this movie, really happy to see someone shining a light on it! As great as Conrad Veidt is, the first 15 minutes of this movie, with the little boy, is as emotionally harrowing as anything I can think of. I've seen this movie lots of times.....but I've seen those first 15 minutes about a hundred times! 😂 Veidt was definitely one of the great actors of the silent era; he's great as the evil king in "Beloved Rogue", with John Barrymore! A real fun movie! And I agree, Mary Philbin is great in this. This is a much better movie than "Phantom Of The Opera", in my opinion, which I always thought was ok, but there are lots of better silents/Chaney movies. (The Penalty and He Who Gets Slapped are two!). I never put two and two together with Olga Vladimirovna Baklanova and "Freaks"! / Lastly: when I watch a silent movie and the soundtrack is lousy? I just turn the sound off and watch it in silence. I feel like I can "hear" the movie better that way, and a bad score can totally ruin a movie. Back in the silent days, critics would get private screenings and NOT have musical accompaniment. So when I turn the sound down, I just pretend I'm a critic living in the 1920s! 😂 Loved the review! One day I hope someone reacts to this one!
So glad you enjoyed this video, it was a real thrill for me to finally get to see this movie. Veidt is amazing in every role I have seen him in. I have noticed a few of the silent movies I've watched have had bad redubbed soundtracks added and I find it really distracting (I have a reaction video for Phantom of the Opera coming up soon, and the soundtrack on that was the same).
Interesting that the critics eschewed soundtracks back then - I like your approach of turning it down and imaging yourself back then.
Thanks again for your great - and very interesting - comments :)
@@TengyTalksTVMovies Hey Tengy! Yeah, I so love your channel, and I have SO much to catch up on. And I must say.....the latest video is one I haven't seen yet! So I'm holding off until I watch it, then I'll check out the reaction! Anyways: the critics actually didn't eschew music accompaniment; studios didn't provide it for the screenings! The reasoning was that if they got a bad review, they could blame it on not having music! 🤣 I'm working on music right now (i'm a musician) so I'm going to keep hitting a video during my breaks, and I'll probably leave lots of comments....but absolutely no obligation to respond to every one of them, since some of the videos I'll be commenting are older and the movies may not be as fresh in your mind. See you on the next one, Cinema Sister! :D
PS: What I meant is that if it's annoying to have a flood of, like, ten comments from me, I wouldn't be hurt if you didn't address them all! I don't want to be a pest! But other than that.....blah blah blah. Ok, back to work for me. see you on the next one!
@@TTM9691 I appreciate your comments. Always nice to chat to another person who enjoys old movies :)
@@TTM9691 Awesome! Enjoy your music making, and I hope you enjoy Genuine if you get a chance to see it. (spoiler alert: I wish I'd been able to watch the full length version rather than the 45 minute edit, so I'll leave it to you which version you watch. I just couldn't find a full length copy with english intertitles)
where did you watch this i want to watch this so bad
I think I saw it over on Dailymotion :)
This version of Victor Hugo's classic is very beautiful.
Gwynplaine had her father killed by order of the king and her face was mutilated and Dea had her mother killed by the firo and ended up blind. Two people fall victim to poverty and the powerful who ended up being adopted by a philosopher and artist, they end up falling in love. Dea is blind, she is the only one who sees Gwynplaine as a human being. Society sees him as a monster and a clown. She shows genuine feelings for him, unlike Josiane who only wants sex, love goes beyond sex. Dea is the only one who goes beyond appearances and loves Gwynplaine. Victor Hugo inserting the ugly, disabled people in his story when they are excluded in the storys.He inserts the marginalized.
Paul Leni wanted the end of the film to be faithful to the original text and to have the deaths of Dea and Gwynplaine, but ended up convinced to end the story with a happy ending.
Thank you Hella for your insightful and interesting comments. I must admit I have not read Victor Hugo, but knowing he also wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame, including, as you point out, the deformed and marginalised people of society, only increases my admiration for him and my curiosity about his work. I hope I get the chance to read some of his stories. Thanks for watching and commenting :)
It is strange, If one were to ask another what emotion they would choose if they were only able to express one, I think many would choose to smile.
We think of the smile as warm, engaging, comforting and welcoming, yet I see now how much sadness can also sit behind a smile.
I found how you described his eyes telling his truth, while his face cannot, as an excellent observation.
My father was someone who people would say could smile with his eyes, I never really understood that growing up. but I think I am beginning to feel it.
Conversely there are others whom people exclaim as having sad eyes, I suppose you could say this is where the term tears of a clown may come in.
Since the world changed, and face masks became the norm, we have had to emote much more with our eyes. Made me think about human emotion beyond the surface level of the face, I wonder in the long run how much will affect anything, probably not long enough to move the counter.
As for the film, it seems that people always fear the unknown or different, rather than celebrate the individuality and wonder of humanity.
I see parallels with Frankenstein in the judgement of the appearance of the so called monster, though the book differs to the film in conclusion.
I take from this film that we all wear a mask at times, be it physical, or the mask of a smile, and we will only truly get to understand those deeply by looking past the outer façade, and reaching the truth within.
It really is incredible that films and other mediums from so long ago, still hold so much weight and power today, I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Great review by the way too.
Yes it is amazing that this film from almost 100 years ago is still so potent and moving - a testament to the source material and to the talents of those involved in making it.
The parallels with Frankenstein are interesting, also with Phantom of the Opera and Hunchback of Notre Dame - all explore humanity feelings toward disfigurement, and the ways that outer appearances don't always reflect what it inside. They raise some very interesting and confronting questions.
A great classic of cinema.
The man Who laughs is a great book by Victor Hugo who also wrote Les Misebles, The hunchback of Notre Dame and Toilers of the sea.
The hunchback of Noter dame and The man Who laughs has great similarities, after all both are written by Victor Hugo, the difference is that Esmeralda only loves Phoebus and Dea corresponds to Gwynplaine's love.
The film is part of Universal's deformed trio in the silent movie era along with The Hunchback of notre dame and Phantom of the Opera.
These three films have stunning scenery, they are really great films.
If in the 1923 version of the hunchback of notre dame Phoebus's evil personality was changed so that Esmeralda would have a happy ending. Josiane had her narcissistic personality maintained. In the novel, Phoebus is a scoundrel who only wants sex with Esmeralda and Josiane wants Gwynplaine to be her sex toy.
The book won two other adaptations, the 1971 series and the 2012 film that features the style of Tim Burton.
The man Who laughs (2012)
ua-cam.com/video/lhl7XH0WKRE/v-deo.html
Thank you so much for your insightful comments, and for the link to the 2012 film adaptation - it looks really interesting.
It's been a long time since I saw the Phantom of The Opera, and I think I have only seen the Charles Laughton Hunchback - I would be very curious to see the earlier version.