| The Last Laugh | |
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Theatrical Poster |
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| Directed by | F. W. Murnau |
| Produced by | Erich Pommer |
| Written by | Carl Mayer |
| Starring | Emil Jannings Maly Delschaft |
| Cinematography | Karl Freund |
| Distributed by | UFA |
| Release date(s) | December 23, 1924 |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | Weimar Republic |
| Language | Silent film |
The Last Laugh (German: Der letzte Mann (The Last Man)) is a German 1924 silent film directed by German director F. W. Murnau from a screenplay written by Carl Mayer. The film stars Emil Jannings and Maly Delschaft. It is the most famous example of the short-lived Kammerspielfilm or "chamber-drama" genre. It is noted for its near-absence of intertitles, none of which represent spoken dialogue.
In 2000, Roger Ebert included it among his list of Great Movies.[1]
The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra premiered its new score for the film in 2008.
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Jannings' character, the doorman for a famous hotel, is demoted to washroom (bathroom) attendant, as he is considered too old and infirm to be the image of the hotel. He tries to conceal his demotion from his friends and family, but to his shame, he is discovered. His friends, thinking he has lied to them all along about his prestigious job, taunt him mercilessly while his family rejects him out of shame. The man, shocked and in incredible grief, returns to the hotel to sleep in the bathroom where he works. The only person to be kind towards him is the night watchman, who covers him with his coat as he falls asleep.
Following this comes the film's only title card, which says: "Here the story should really end, for, in real life, the forlorn old man would have little to look forward to but death. The author took pity on him and has provided a quite improbable epilogue."[1]
At the end, the doorman reads in the newspaper that he inherited a fortune from an American millionaire named A. G. Money, a patron who died in his arms in the hotel bathroom. Jannings returns to the hotel, where he dines happily with the night watchman who showed him kindness. It is this ending that inspires the English language title.
Murnau noted that the story was absurd on the grounds that "everyone knows that a washroom attendant makes more than a doorman."[2]
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