Customer Reviews

Man Who Laughs [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read Victor Hugo's THE MAN WHO LAUGHS in 9th grade. First the Classics Illustrated version and then the book itself. I had already read HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and TOILERS OF THE SEA and loved them both. Caught in that awkward transitional age between junior high and high school during the turbulent 1960's, I could identify with Hugo's doomed romantic heroes and heroines.

It was only years later that I found out about a silent film version of the book and it was many years after that before I obtained a poor VHS copy of it. Now at last there is an excellent DVD home edition thanks to Kino International which presents the film in as good a condition as we are ever likely to see. It consists of a combination of two prints one from England and the other from Italy which accounts for an Italian intertitle showing up in the middle of the disc (oops!).

As mentioned in another review the film is a gallery of the grotesque with emphasis being placed not surprisingly on faces. Just note Sam De Grasse as King James and venerable silent villian Brandon Hurst's first appearances in the prologue and you'll see what I mean. Check out Cesare Gravina as Ursus whose facial expressions are a show unto themselves. There are several well known silent film veterans in this film including George Siegmann and Josephine Crowell from BIRTH OF A NATION. Special mention must be made of Olga Baclanova (FREAKS) as the jaded duchess Josiana. This is her finest hour on film. The art direction and the cinematography are stunning and if you look up during the concert scene you'll notice a ceiling (13 years before CITIZEN KANE).

The first two-thirds of the film are riveting but it runs out of steam when it turns too conventional at the end. Some of the camera speed seems a little fast at times and the original Movietone score, although beautifully restored (the best of that vintage I've ever heard), is occasionally annoying especially the sound effects and specifically the song WHEN LOVE COMES STEALING which was thrown in to help sell sheet music and promote the film. Too bad Kino couldn't have offered us a modern score as well to choose from.

Despite these flaws I still give the film 5 stars for the performance of Conrad Veidt, the incredible lighting and photography, and the fact that as a silent film there is nothing quite like it. The DVD has a number of interesting extras as well. Finally as you can tell from the cover, it was this film that gave Batman creator Bob Kane the idea for the look of the Joker. It also plays an important part in the resolution of Brian De Palma's THE BLACK DAHLIA.

Long thought to be a "lost" film of the silent film era, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS gets a wonderful restoration in this Kino Video DVD. Based on a minor Victor Hugo novel, the film tells the story of Gwynplaine, a nobleman who, as a child, has a horrible grin carved on to his face and is forced to work as a strolling player. Only the beautiful Dea, the blind girl he rescued when both were children, sees him as the kind soul he really is. Both stylistic and fast paced, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS grabs your attention with it's stunning visuals and moving performances. As the tragic Gwynplaine, Conrad Veidt turns in a heart rending performance. This is all the more remarkable when you consider the fact that Veidt could only act with his eyes due to the dental appliances that forced his face into a ghastly grin. Veidt's make-up made such a strong impression that his Gwynplaine would eventually become immortalized in popular culture as the villainous Joker in the Batman comics. Mary Philbin is touching the blind Dea. As a spoiled Duchess who is both drawn and repulsed by Gwynplaine, Olga Baclanova (who looks amazingly like Madonna in this flick) brings a strong sexual tension to her role. As the evil jester-adviser who is responsible for our hero's plight, Brandon Hurst successfully embodies a perverse mix of humor and evil. This film moves at good clip, while telling its masterful story. Folks who have read the book, may not take kindly to the "happy" ending of the film. Nevertheless, this is a wonderful adaptation of Hugo's work and is definitely worth recommending.

My previous exposure to Paul Leni's 'The Man Who Laughs' probably coincides with the experience of many others: the knowledge that the central figure was the inspiration for Bob Kane's villain The Joker and a number of atomspheric stills printed time and again in magazines such as Famous Monsters of Filmland. When I learned that Kino would be releasing this on dvd I eagerly awaited viewing it. What I expected was a good film and an interesting addition to the Universal's horror classics. What I received far surpassed my highest expectations. This is a masterful piece of cinematic art. Every aspect from camera work and set design to screen performance (the scenes with Conrad Veidt and Mary Philbin are magical) secure this film a seat alongside other great silent films such as Sunrise or Metropolis. From the opening scenes in the royal boudoir and secret torture chambers I was captivated. Each minute brought new characters, some beautifully sad, some contemptibly corrupt, but always fascinating, their expressions superbly captured by the silent camera. I cannot recommend this film highly enough.

Baes on Victor Hugo's 1869 novel, "The Man Who Laughs" is the morbid tale of Gwynplaine, an English clown doomed to a life adorned with a perpetual grin. His surgical smile was implanted on him by devilish gypsies. Gwynplaine is raised beside lovely Dea, whom we rescued as a baby. Dea is blind and can see only the beauty of his soul. As a complication, the sexy Duchess Josiana is attracted to, and repelled by Gwynplaine, all at the same time. A sensual, robust epic, "The Man Who Laughs" involves court intrigue, secret scandals, and a simple boy's enduring true love. Conrad Veidt played the lead in 1919's "Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". Lured to America in 1926 by actor John Barrymore, Veidt co-starred with him in the classic "Beloved Rogue". Then Universal's Carl Laemmle tapped him for the lead in "The Man Who Laughs". Years later, in 1941, Veidt played Major Strasser in "Casablanca". Just 6 months after it's release, Conrad Veidt died of a heart attack playing golf(8th hole) in Los Angeles, Calif.. The director of "The Man Who Laughs" was also a German import. Paul Leni's production of "Cat and the Canary" installed him as Universal's reigning terror-director. In Leni's "The Man Who Laughs", light is not so important as shadow. Backgrounds unveil misty fog and swirling smoke. Paul Leni finished one more film before an infected, ulcerated tooth caused his early death from blood poisoning. Kino's exceptional DVD of "The Man Who Laughs" represents the successful American-Italian joint restoration of the 75-year-old movie. Slowed by a creaky second-half, "The Man Who Laughs" bogs down in a final melodramatic chase. But don't misunderstand. Silent horror-film fans will relish Leni's macabre art design and relentless animal passion. Just 3 years later, Universal once again photographed a tall, mysterious black-caped stranger; strolling European streets through a dark, swirling fog. This time they called it "Dracula".

"The Man Who Laughs" is one of those near-forgotten silent films that deserve much more praise and attention, especially as it was well received in the late 1920s following the success of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Phantom of the Opera" which are in a similar category. In fact, Lon Chaney would have suited this role of yet another pitiful grotesque mutant, but due to his contract with MGM, the German-born producer, Carl Laemmle, chose a German crew which resulted in a definite German Expressionist flavour to this film. In the lead is Conrad Veidt, playing perhaps his best ever role as the mutilated man with a permanent grin on his face, and next to Mary Philbin, who starred in "The Phantom of the Opera", Veidt's performance is most moving and impressive. Unable to move his mouth due to the huge, grotesque grin, Veidt expresses the character's deep and strong emotions with his eyes and body language, for which the silent film is the perfect medium. The story for this unusual film is based on a 17th century French novel, but several changes were made to adapt it to the screen and win over American audiences especially. The scene is still 17th century with good sets and costumes of the period, and the overall mood is reminiscent of the gloomy, shadowy German Expressionist cinema of the 1920s, but Conrad Veidt's character demands viewers' full attention and almost detracts from the rest of the film's fine qualities. Working closely with fellow-German director Paul Leni (who directed "Waxworks", an earlier successful Expressionist film) Veidt manages to convey all the emotions of a man laughed at and treated like a clown due to his freakish face, at the same time struggling to feel worthy of a woman's love. Apart from this superb expressive character portrayal, the story is rich in royal court intrigues, not unlike stories such as The Three Musketeers and The Iron Mask, with treacherous assistants to the King, and a reckless, seductive duchess. `The Laughing Man', as he is called in his circus/freak show, becomes a pawn for the corrupt characters of the royal house, which separates him from his love and his circus show partner, Dea; the blind girl. There are some very stirring and beautiful scenes between these two players, and one of them is highlighted with the original Movietone soundtrack song, which was becoming all the fashion in the late 1920s. Restored to good-as-new condition like the picture quality, this soundtrack made for the film is well-suited and sounds very much like the music of early sound films. There are also a number of bonus features on this DVD such as a 20-minute short "the making of" documentary, a short candid home video of Veidt and other European stars such as Jannings and Greta Garbo, as well as extensive photo galleries of stills, photos and all kinds of promotional material concerning the film. There is also an insert with a good article written by the author of various books about early films and Conrad Veidt so that anyone from serious fan to general curious viewer should be well satisfied. While not as popular as Chaney's films `the Hunchback' and `the Phantom', "The Man Who Laughs" definitely deserves a place up there along with other top quality productions from the late silent era.

In concept, the whole thing must have sounded very exciting. Bring together one of Germany's greatest expressionist actors, an up and coming expressionist director, an astonishing grotesque premise from a renowned author, and bring them all under the control of a big budget Hollywood studio, complete with a hot Hollywood star sharing the lead. Unfortunately, "The Man Who Laughs" fails to merge these influences successfully.

The film begins to suffer from an identity crisis in the first two scenes. In the first, a very Hollywood scene depicts the introduction of the over-the-top villain and a transparent back-story, all set to an annoyingly direct score, intended to shock the heart rather than stir the soul (it fails in both accounts, anyway). However, the second scene, in which we meet young Gwynplaine, is perhaps the most gorgeous piece of German expressionism that has ever been committed to film. The lighting, framing of shots, scenery, acting, ambient sounds, and stunningly sensitive score all dazzle the soul and senses, leaving one to crave more.

Unfortunately, no other scenes matching the quality and tone of this one are to be found in the film. As it progresses, things seem to deteriorate further and further, beginning with Mary Philbin depicting the adult Dea. Philbin is quite beautiful but, in typical Hollywood style, doesn't seem expected to actually do any acting. This is not to say that all or most early Hollywood actors couldn't act, but rather that acting ability was rarely as important as a memorable name and pleasing face. The only acting Philbin attempts to do in this film comes when her default look of mildly amused complicity turns to a frown from time to time. This is severely disappointing when the film arrives at moments that are clearly intended to be touching (the false Gwynplaine performance immediately comes to mind). As a central focus of the film, Philbin expends little effort, therefore undoing so much of the magic that Veidt, Leni, and even Cesare Gravina (Ursa) work so hard to create.

The film just continues to disintegrate from there. In a strange mixing of Germany and Hollywood, it's often unclear when the film is trying to be dark and when it's looking for cheap, light laughs. At best, the story that unravels could be considered a romantic tragi-comedy, but it's sometimes hard to tell what mood Leni is going for -- the bright cheer of Hollywood or the dark recesses of German expressionism. One thing is for sure, though. There are no elements of horror in this film at all, and apart from Gwynplaine's face, there are no grotesque elements either. The fact that "The Man Who Laughs" manages to get grouped into these categories undoubtedly owes more to the sinister movie poster than the film, itself.

As the film reaches its climax, it becomes clear that American influence has ruined any chance for this film's redemption. Gwynplaine suddenly becomes a Hollywood swash-buckler, fencing with nobles and leaping across roofs. He is aided by his loyal canine companion, who always seems to show up in the knick of time, doing the most amazing tricks to assist the good guys in their plight. This all seems gratuitous and disingenuous to a film that was already wavering under the weight of too many American-sensible impositions. In typical Hollywood style, even Hugo's powerful ending is changed to provide a light-hearted romantic conclusion.

I don't mean to imply that Hollywood of the 1920s was only good for turning out feel-good tripe. Who could forget classics like John Barrymore's Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, or Lon Chaney's The Hunchback Of Notre Dame? Still, a very populist and non-artistic American sensibility clearly raped the production of this film, whether it came from the Hollywood producers, themselves, or from a misguided attempt on the part of a young German filmmaker to please his new audience.

Finally, this mess of a film is the product of another meeting of two worlds that is worth discussing. "The Man Who Laughs" was produced right at the tail end of the silent film era, when films with audio were already beginning to appear on the scene. Though it seemed impossible to exploit this new frontier when Veidt was clearly incapable of speaking while his mouth was harnessed into an exaggerated smile, a bold decision was made. "The Man Who Laughs" was released with an audio track containing synchronized scoring and ambient sounds, even while containing none of the actor's lines nor voices. This experiment is fascinating to watch eighty years later and, while I feel that it fails to work throughout most of the film, it certainly does have its moments.

All in all, this is a film worth seeing for Conrad Veidt's performance, the film's experimental audio track, and that unforgettable second scene. However, there's little else in terms of visuals, story, acting, or composition to make this film worth watching. Enjoy it once; then leave it for the dust bunnies.

"The Man Who Laughs" was made to capitalize on the success of "The Phantom of the Opera," made three years before. Mary Philbin, the object of the Phantom's love, stars in this film as Dea, a bind orphan who is loved by the title character played by Conrad Veidt. She would marry Veidt but he is reluctant thinking that if she knew what he looked like she would laugh at him. Although this film was made by Universal it has the feel of the films made in Germany during the silent era and is directed by Paul Leni.

The story is set in 17th century England. King James II condemns the father of the title character to the Iron Maiden and his son, Gwynplaine, is horribly disfigured by a band of gypsies so that his face has a permanent grin. Conrad Veidt plays Gwynplaine. "The Man Who Laughs" is a sympathetic character who finds happiness of a kind in a traveling show as a clown where people seeing him find they laugh uncontrollably. Little do they know that his smile is permanent! Gwynplaine is seen by a jaded Duchess (seductively played by Olga Baclanova) who takes a bizarre interest in him until the secret of his identity is revealed.

The film has the original soundtrack that includes music, sound effects and some voices. This film was made after "The Jazz Singer" so its influence is evident. Conrad Veidt is outstanding in the title role. He must literally act with his eyes and he conveys the emotions of his character with great expression. One must admire Conrad Veidt for his superb acting abilities. His silent film performances in the "Cabinet of Dr Caligari" and "Waxworks" are particularly excellent but he also turned in great performances in smaller roles, such as King Louis XI in "The Beloved Rogue." It is sad to think that all he is usually remembered for is as Major Strasser in "Casablanca."

The print issued by Kino is first-rate and the original sound has been re-mastered expertly but, of course, it does not come close to the THX of today. Although I enjoyed the film I could not help wondering what if the character of Gwynplaine had been written with a more sinister twist. He is a sympathetic character because of his inner goodness and tortured soul, and we feel sorry for him. But what if he was bitter about his disfigurement and sought to kill those who wanted to use and humiliate him instead of simply seeking to cover his face?

I know that the world of cinema frowns upon sad endings, but "The Man Who Laughs" with a harmonious happy ending is just plain... blasphemy. The ending in the novel is similar to that of Romeo and Juliet. The Girl dies, and the Boy follows her. They are reunited in Death. Why couldn't a serious European director like Paul Leni stick to the original plot?

I was looking forward to seeing this when I found out that the main character (Gwynplaine) was the basis for the design of the Joker character in Batman.

The movie itself was very good. I felt the editing was a little choppy in a couple of areas, but not enough to lose track of the story as a whole.

The music was interesting. Since this movie was made about the time that "talkie" movies were emerging, it was nice to have the original score to listen to while watching.
I did find the sound effects a bit distracting at some times, but just right at others.

Having never read the book, I can't say how I thought it compared to it. However the ending seemed a bit abrupt and typical of the "Hollywood ending" we're all used to seeing.

Conrad Veidt plays an excellent role. His facial expressions portay a range of emotions, even with the makeup he had to wear.

Mary Philbin (his love interest) is wonderful. Her part as the blind orphan is done very well, and not over-acted.

Olga Baclanova. WOW! What a vamp! Watch her in this movie, and then think back to Madonna from the early 90's. You could hardly tell they are totally different people. They look that much alike!

Overall, I really like this film, but not as much as I had expected.
It's worth watching for film history buffs, or if you're in the mood for an unconventional love story.

A child's face is carved into a permanent laugh by comprachicos, gypsies who mutilate children and sell them as freak attractions...the child's nobleman father is tortured and killed in an Iron Maiden by James II...the child, abandoned in a snow storm, finds a baby clutched in the arms of its dead mother and, carrying it, staggers on to finally find shelter in the caravan of Bruno, a traveling maker of entertainments at public fairs...the baby grows into the beautiful, blind maiden Dea (Mary Philbin) and the child, now the man Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt), is the most popular attraction at the fairs as The Man Who Laughs.

What an interesting, melodramatic, romantic adventure this movie is. With direction by Paul Leni and starring Conrad Veidt, it features many of the strong visuals and unusual story telling of the German silent expressionists. When Gwynplaine's real identity as the heir of an English peer is discovered by the evil court functionary, Barkilphedro, he is plunged into the decadent, corrupt practices of Queen Anne's court. At the climax, he will be recognized as a peer, but will be forced to marry the Duchess Josiana, who up to then had been given possession of his rightful properties and fortune. But will he? He loves Dea and she, him, but he believes no woman can love him with his grotesque face. The conclusion of the movie brings together courage and true love, corruption, false arrest and a rousing chase through the streets of London until Gwynplaine is reunited with Dea and their happiness is assured.

Veidt had to wear artificial teeth hooked up to an appliance that pulled his cheeks back and up. The look later inspired the face of the The Joker. Since the lower half of his face was fixed into the rictus of a laugh and largely immobile, Veidt had to use his eyes to bring a range of emotions to the part. He does a startlingly good job of it. There's no question when Gwynplaine feels love, hurt, uncertainty, resolve, anger. His face isn't used to evoke horror; in fact, much of the time Gwynplaine covers the lower half of his face with his hand or arm, or a handkerchief. He dreads being seen as a freak. When he does uncover his face, it has an effect.

The movie has all of the characteristics that some modern audiences have come to disparage as typical of a "silent film." The emotions are exaggerated, facial expressions and gestures can be over-wrought. They are, of course, because the actors and directors were without sound. This particular movie holds up as still engrossing because of several aspects. First, the story is compelling and the hero, Gwynplaine, is completely sympathetic. There is cruel injustice, fascinatingly evil and corrupt characters, chases and arrests, and a satisfying ending. Second, the look of the film is first rate. We've entered a world of grotesqueness and off-center imagery. The grandeur and detail of the sets and costumes and the large cast make it apparent a bundle of cash was spent on the film. The scenes at the fairs are crowded with dirty, memorable faces, sideshows and attractions. The play of the man who laughs which features Gwynplaine and Dea is lit at night by stage candles. Members of the cast, painted as clowns with drawn-on laughing mouths, surround Gwynplaine and Dea in a vivid and unsettling tableaux. Third, even modern audiences should be caught up in Conrad Veidt's skilled and complex portrayal of Gwynplaine. Almost as fascinating are two other characters. Brandon Hurst plays Barkilphedro as a gleeful spider. With his sharp, exaggerated features and black clothes, he's a sight to see. Stuart Holmes plays Lord Dirry-Moir, betrothed to Duchess Josiana. He is an amusingly high camp picture of an effete and untrustworthy member of the noble class.

The Kino DVD is in very good shape. There are several extras on the disc as well as a four-page booklet that gives a detailed background by John Soister on the movie.