The Last Laugh

DVD Features:

Audio:

• Digital Stereo Orchestral Score

Additional Release Materials:

• Bonus Footage from Alternate Versions of the Film

Interactive Features:

• Scene Access
• Interactive Menus

• Production Photo Gallery

Product Description:

One of the most brilliant of all German silent films, Murnau's THE LAST LAUGH uses a constantly moving and subjective camera to capture the emotional anguish of a man whose life is suddenly devoid of meaning. Because of his age, an elderly doorman at a hotel finds himself ignominiously demoted to washroom attendant. Particularly galling to the poor man is the loss of his uniform, which gives him pride and prestige. Crestfallen, he spends the day wandering the city, getting drunk and dreaming of suicide, mourning the loss of his dignity, and trying desperately to hang on to a shred of hope.

Plot Keywords:

Betrayal | Silent | Vintage

Production Notes:

• A silent film with musical score.
• The original film score, composed by Giuseppe Becce, was lost. The new score was composed by Timothy Brock and recorded with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in 1993.
• Part of Kino Video's "Treasures from the Weimar Republic" series.
• According to Georges Sadoul in his "Dictionary of Cinema", studio head Carl Laemmle has one problem with the film's popularity: "Everybody knows that a lavatory attendant makes a lot more money than a doorman."

Cast and Crew: