The Man Who Laughs (1928)

Director:

Paul Leni

Writers:

J. Grubb Alexander (adaptation)
J. Grubb Alexander (continuity)

Release Date:

4 November 1928 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

Gwynplaine, son of Lord Clancharlie, has a permanent smile carved on his face by the King, in revenge for Gwynplaine's father's treachery...

Plot Keywords:

Jester | England | Revenge | Clown | Gypsy

Cast

Mary Philbin	...	Dea
Conrad Veidt	...	Gwynplaine
Julius Molnar Jr.	...	Gwynplaine as a child
Olga Baclanova	...	Duchess Josiana
Brandon Hurst	...	Barkilphedro
Cesare Gravina	...	Ursus
Stuart Holmes	...	Lord Dirry-Moir
Sam De Grasse	...	King James II
George Siegmann	...	Dr. Hardquanonne
Josephine Crowell	...	Queen Anne
Charles Puffy	...	Innkeeper
Zimbo the Dog	...	Homo the Wolf (as Zimbo)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System) (musical score and sound effects) | Silent

Filming Locations:

Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Gwynplaine's grotesque grin was achieved with prosthesis. Conrad Veidt was fitted with a set of dentures that had metal hooks to pull back the corners of his mouth. The only scene in which he did not wear the prosthesis is the scene where he is ravished by the Duchess Josiana.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Barkilphedro first reads the blackmail note from Doctor Hardquanonne, we are shown a shot of the full text of the note. Toward the bottom, it says, "You are rich...". Seconds later, we see close-ups of the note. Words have been rearranged on the page to make the close-ups more readable and the lower portion now says, "You will be penniless," - a phrase that didn't appear anywhere in the original text.

Quotes:

Gwynplaine: [Via subtitles, to the House of Lords] A king made me a clown! A queen made me a Peer! But first, God made me a man!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Black Dahlia (2006)

Soundtrack:

WHEN LOVE COMES STEALING

Watch it twice in a row to take it all in!

This was our first Conrad Veidt experience. The Man Who Laughs is a spellbinding piece of visual art. Veidt's acting is sensational. I knew the plot of the story and wondered how he would portray feelings of sadness and regret with a permanent smile carved on his face. After viewing the tape, we were amazed how the emotions exuded from the TV screen. This is our second Mary Philbin experience and both of us prefer her acting in this movie to her role in The Phantom of the Opera.

We have viewed silents on the TV screen as well as the big screen. We discovered that there is more of the "larger than life" emotions projected and felt by the audience through the larger screenings that is somewhat missed on the 27" TV screen. Not so with this performance. My wife and I were both moved to watch it from the beginning...one more time.