“The Man Who Laughs” (1928) starring Conrad Veidt & Mary Philbin / Z-View
The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Director: Paul Leni
Screenplay: J. Grubb Alexander, Walter Anthony, Mary McLean, Charles E. Whittaker; based on THE MAN WHO LAUGHS by Victor Hugo.
Stars: Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Olga Baclanova, Brandon Hurst, Cesare Gravina, Stuart Holmes, Samuel de Grasse, George Siegmann, Josephine Crowell.
Tagline: The Man Who laughs With Conrad Veidt as the clown on whose face was carved a horrible, leering grin.
The Plot…
Lord Clancharlie is executed when refuses to kiss the hand of King James. Vengeance is also taken on Lord Clancharlie’s young son, Gwynplaine. His face is cut so that it appears he always sports a horrific impossibly wide smile.
Exilled young Gwynplaine struggles to find shelter in a winter storm. He discovers a baby girl still in the arms of her dead mother who froze to death. Gwynplaine picks up the infant and continues his search for shelter. Ursus, a traveling showman takes them in.
Years pass. Ursus raises both Gwynplaine and the baby he named Dea. Dea loves Gwynplaine. Even though he loves her, he feels unworthy due to his disfigurement. Ironically, Gwynplaine’s disfigurement has made him famous as “The Laughing Man”. Ursus, Gwynplaine and Dea travel from village to village to perform plays Ursus has written for them. People come to see the show. What they really want to see is the freak… the Laughing Man.
Word of The Laughing Man reaches the royal court. Could this laughing freak be the heir to Lord Clancharlie? If so, can he be allowed to live?
Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…
To get Gwynplaine’s horrific smile, Conrad Veidt had to wear dentures with metal hooks that pulled back the corners of his mouth.
Conrad Veidt’s appearance in The Man Who Laughs inspired writer Bill Finger and artists Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson to create The Joker, who is the most famous of all Batman villains.
The Man Who Laughs (1928) rates 4 of 5 stars.
Wow! That is interesting! I never would have guessed that the Joker started in a 1928 movie; I always assumed he was created by the people writing the Batman comics!
Well, he was created by the people writing/drawing the Batman comics, but it is surprising to see what influenced them and how great the influence was. As always, thanks for your comments Steve!