The Last Laugh

One of the most important films in the development of cinema, The Last Laugh, directed by the legendary German expressionist director, FW Murnau, tells the story of a doorman who is being slowly suffocated by the pressures of society and capitalism. The film incorporates revolutionary filmic techniques including for the first time, the moving camera. Up until this time, int he primitive stage of development, the camera was static. In one scene, the camera spins in circles around the main character, which was revolutionary at the time. Martin Scorcese used this scene in a homage during his film Mean Streets. In the end, all the great autuers owe The Last Laugh their due.

Last Laugh sports some magnificent photography, almost any time you freeze-frame you're looking at a great image. I don't know the details of cinema history, but a lot of the techniques seemed very advanced for the time... dolly shots, reverse zooms, and so forth. What Murnau does with the revolving doors is particularly impressive. The story is good, but moves too slowly, and Jannings plays it rather broad.

Irony be damned. The movie should have ended fifteen minutes earlier.

The protagonist, dreaming not of being one of the geusts he serves, but instead of regaining the position most prestigious for his class, namely the best suitcase-handler ever, shows how the last the Last Laugh is had by someone elsel. It is for the upper class who, along with the lower class, ensure those dreams stay limited.

I don't think I've been less entertained by a classic movie. It did help me realize I would never be as film savvy as other people. When my film class discussed this everyone else saw all these hidden meanings and a reason for every shadow. My lone contribution was"...this seems like bullshit."

On a purely technical level, this film is a masterpiece, full of stunning visuals and inventive camerawork. Every scene, nay, every shot is at the very least gorgeous. That being said, The Last Laugh is a melodrama, and with that label comes a number of necessary features that don't exactly appeal to me. I didn't find the story too slow, but I did find it overly sentimental. The ending is atrocious, but that's forgivable. It can be (literally) ignored.

Such audacious and astonishing technique that it rivals any film I've seen, silent or otherwise. Murnau's grasp of film grammar, photography, special effects and composition is without peer. The story is simple but he makes it compelling melodrama. The ending is ridiculous, but that's about the only flaw to level against it (other than perhaps moving a bit slowly). An incredible film.

The dynamic camera moves are phenomenal, and the purely visual storytelling (no intertitles, excepting the closeups of notes, newspapers, and such) is very well done. It's a bit too cynical and manipulative for my taste (the sarcastic ending introduction was amusing, but a bit juvenile), but powerful nonetheless.

It's like watching a kid filled with enthusiasm over a new toy. A pure joy to watch.

T.L.L was Murnau/Freund's astonishing response to Griffith, employing a relatively fluid mobile camera to track movement and distort space to blow the possibilities of the medium wide open. Their work continues to impress, and the use of lighting to create atmosphere and mood and relay narrative information is second to none in early pioneering cinema. Jannings gives a truly iconic performance, and its tragi-comic tone is highly ambiguous, ending on a farcical note that masks a savage irony.

Even though there are some great dream scenes and experimental sequences it doesn't change the fact there is only form but no substance. The only narrative of weakening of an old man (Germany) against the Atlantic Hotel (Anglo-American Atlantic area) is too superficial & childish. I hated that self-righteous man who envies richness and glory. And if I should stick to the allegory, sorry but this is what expects you if you lose a battle (Germany in WWI). Not for my taste.

One of those movies that make it seem like the director is from 80 years in the future.

Thin on plot, but makes up for it with brilliant camerawork.

Have my reservations about the story, but I'm a -huge- fan of dp Karl Freund's work in this film, among other things. And, yeah, Emil Jannings.

On a technical level, The Last Laugh is pretty impressive. Love the dynamic camera work. The story is slow-paced and rather simple though, but because you can't help but care and feel sorry for Jannings' character those flaws are easily brushed aside. A shame about that ending, because I'm a cynical asshole I choose to believe the movie ended before the Deus Ex HappyEndina.

Even though this might be one of the earliest films to take advantage of camera movement, it is by no means unaccomplished. There is no shot in this movie that is not deliberately crafted by Murnau to achieve a certain resonance in the viewer. Something that is lost in most filmmakers of today, bombarding us with senseless use of techniques that look flashy, but ultimately don't tell us anything. This is the purest form of cinema, visual poetry without any need to rely on language.

Murnau makes his camera do anything he wants it to. Long swooping shot, complex tracking shots, dramatic push-ins. Very impressive for 1924. Almost as impressive was Emil Jannings, who plays an incredibly sympathetic and likable character, all without the aid of intertitles. Yes, the ending is tacked on, but the written explanation for it helps me to forgive it a little bit. My main complaint with this movie is that, well, not a lot happens. But it's done so well that I don't really care.

Well this makes Slumdog Millionaire seem even less inspired considering that they have almost the same story, contrivances and all. Except in The Last Laugh's case, the fortuitous third act is a studio mandated non-sequitor that the director basically turns into a joke. What a punk.

"The Last Laugh can really best be understood as a horror story." - Andrew Schenker

Murnau's best film, and in my experience the pinnacle of cinematic technique in the silent era. There is a lot of depth and texture in the cinematography, and the spare use of intertitles lends it seamless progression. A film perfectly told in images. People accuse Emil Jannings of overacting, but I find his expressionism theatrical and fascinating (Orson Welles contended that an actor can be too broad, but never too big). His character is heartbreaking. The optimistic ending reeks of cynicism.

A visual masterwork by genius of cinema Murnau. Not the best story, especially epilogue, but it is groundbreaking visually. For example, first dolly was built for this film. A must see.

Fantastic imagery, from the shots to the camera movements to the wonderful silent acting. Emil Jannings is fantastic and does wonders to keep you involved in a film with pretty much no inter-titles. The film's only real flaw is how long it takes to set things up, and until you really grasp what's going on it's a bit dull, but from that point it takes off with a wonderfully structured story.

#24#, rw1, ratings, "Project 100-80-60-40-20"-1924#2

good movie

Strong silent, especially good for its time, with a memorable performance from Jannings. I think Murnau made the wrong choice with the ending and should have stuck with what happens before the final subtitle. Interesting commentary on how many take pleasure in the misfortune of others, though understanding that level of scorn given the job he gets demoted from takes some serious suspension of disbelief.

01.17 Hobbit

Reminds me of why I can't stand Michael Haneke.

I love Emil Jannings as a silent actor, but there he really seems to go overboard with his expressions. The movie is slow, which helps put you in the melancholic state of mind the story's plot encourages (that of a man with a prestigious job losing it, and losing the respect of his community). Then there's the technical side, with some amazing (for the 1920s, anyway) effects, including a "to-the-sky" revolving door and wobbly buildings. Quite powerful if you can sit through the slow pacing.

Few times have I seen such a collection of unlikeable characters, the protagonist included. Not only do I hate them, but I also don't believe in them. No amount of technical achievements can save this film from being an unpleasant experience. A huge disappointment.

90.50

Great cinematography, camera work and direction. The acting seemed solid and I liked how the story didn't rely on intertitles.

Cinematographically innovative, visually beautiful, but ideologically corrupt and somewhat overacted (even for Kammerspiel).

This might become one of my favourites if I watch it again.

Writing is very crude, so is the emotion, but some moments are brilliant. Above all that masterful dream sequence. It belongs to the ages, it feels like.

Emil Jannings is larger than life, and Murnau's craftsmanship is impeccable in most regards, making this an essential silent era picture. Their great talents would find better use, however, if the story did something more than to tug on the viewer's pity. The lack of development creates the sense of a very slow pace despite the fast-changing set pieces and busy editing. If you can appreciate the art of cinema in its purely visual, there is still a lot to admire here.

Karl Freund's cutting-edge cinematography can still make the eyes pop in this purely visual film. So purely visual that there are no intertitles in this film. And yet we're never unsure of what's happening in this keen, original picture which, though it's fifteen minutes too long, is a momentous piece of direction by the ingenious F.W. Murnau, with finely detailed lighting effects, featuring a crack performance by Emil Jannings, who would become the first Best Actor Oscar winner.

The film is engaging and does keep you watching but in the end leaves you with a feeling of sadness that is quite unpleasant.

Best paired with: Electric Wizard's self-titled and Aqualung by Jethro Tull

Technically proficient, but lacking an intriguing story. Jannings is good. The score (not even sure if it was original) was the best part.

excellent silent cinema. on the trials of old age, and attachment to a now unattainable past. the photography is something to behold, and there is one sequence in particular (drunken dreamland) that is astonishing. perhaps a little overlong in places, notably in the ending, but otherwise brilliant.

Murnau didn't work much in the sound era before his death in 1931, but even if he had, one suspects his great, silent films, including "The Last Laugh," would be the ones people would remember him best for anyway.

The movie shot about 90 years ago shares some excellent acting, direction and story. Good watch.

Fantastic silent comedy -- it's a melodrama as well, but it's the comedic elements, along with the amazing cinematography and visual storytelling, that really stand out.

Excellent for most of its runtime. Expert camera techniques. The transformation of our hero from a towering pillar of confidence and manhood to a wilting mess is devastating. He falls apart because he loses his purpose & his spiral is perfectly and heartwrenching. I appreciate the message in the final 20 minutes or so but it isn't earned. There is a rare intertitle explaining that the twist is improbable but that doesn't excuse the choice. It doesn't derail the film, only rattles the foundation.

04 eylul 2012 & Murnau'nun 1924'te cektigi Der Letzte Mann, donemine gore cok cesur ve deneysel sayilabilecek kamera hareketlerine sahip. Cok sasirtici. Abartmadan soyluyorum ki; abstract ruya sekansi doneminin cok ilerisinde bir is. Film, 1. Dunya Savasi sonrasi onuru ayaklar altina alinan Alman halkini bir adam uzerinden anlatiyor ve son on dk'si da, Alman halkinin mutlu sona dair umutlarindan besleniyor. Hitler'in iktidara gelmesini saglayan da iste tam olarak buydu.

#183

ruya sekansi, kamera kullanimi, son olmasi gereken sahne

Jannings is perhaps the only person in history who enjoyed their job as a doorman. Just goes to show in the corporate world, the humiliations never, ever end.

I can barely believe this was made in 1924

watched: 2011, 2021

The camera finally breaks free of the tripod; Murnau's enthusiasm for pushing film as a medium beyond being just filmed theater rivals Griffith's love of editing. He also dares to dispense with intertitles, and it works - a simple story combined with Jannings' embellished acting make for a riveting time. Even the tacked-on happy ending is not immune to Murnau's caustic cynicism.

I could of course be mistaken here, but I believe this is where the infamous "Deus es Mexicana"-ending was first established... - Jannings' trolling around and the cinematography makes it worth a watch, but like other Murnau-films I've seen it fails to elevate itself from the immediate impressions and ends up boring me

this film just moves like no other

178

Don't see how the ending spoils the whole thing, I really liked it.

173

Score based on distant memory.

# 184

A gripping melodrama, with great visuals and delightful overacting. The thing that keeps it from being a favorite of mine is that it's too damn slow. Silent movies tend to have trouble keeping my attention in the first place, and when the plot advances so slowly I have a hard time getting into it. Another problem is the obviously tacked on ending, but I think Murnau did a good job of subverting the studio by giving the sugary ending a distinct aftertaste of cynicism.

Visually stunning and a superb performance from Emil Jannings.

Seria uma obra-prima sem tamanho se não fosse pelo epílogo, certos, ele tem n razões de ser, mas sendo enxuto eu o veria com olhos mais drásticos que me apeteceriam mais. DVD Obras-primas do cinema Expressionismo Alemão Volume 2