The Last Laugh

Plot

The Last Laugh tells the story of an aging, proud hotel doorman (Emil Jannings) who finds his identity and self-worth entirely wrapped up in his prestigious uniform and position at the Atlantic Hotel. When the hotel manager, believing the old man can no longer handle the physical demands of his job, demotes him to a lowly bathroom attendant, the doorman's world collapses completely. Unable to face his family and neighbors with his new, humiliating position, he steals his old uniform to wear home each evening, desperately maintaining the facade of his former status. The deception is eventually discovered, leading to public humiliation and a complete breakdown of his spirit as he becomes the object of pity and ridicule in his community. In the film's controversial epilogue, the doorman inherits a fortune from a wealthy American who dies in his arms, allowing him to return to the hotel as a rich man, dining lavishly while his former colleagues look on in astonishment.

Historical Background

The Last Laugh was produced during the Weimar Republic, a period of intense cultural and artistic flowering in Germany following World War I and the devastating hyperinflation of 1923. The film emerged from the German Expressionist movement but represented a move toward more realistic settings and psychological depth, marking a transition in German cinema from the stylized, studio-bound fantasies of earlier Expressionist films to what would become known as 'New Objectivity.' The year 1924 was particularly significant as Germany had just stabilized its currency through the introduction of the Rentenmark, leading to economic recovery and increased investment in cultural productions. The film's themes of social status, dignity, and the devastating effects of unemployment resonated deeply with German audiences who had experienced extreme economic instability and social upheaval. The hotel setting itself reflected the cosmopolitan, modernizing Berlin of the 1920s, while the doorman's plight spoke to broader anxieties about technological progress making human labor obsolete in an increasingly mechanized society.

Making Of

The production of The Last Laugh marked a significant collaboration between director F.W. Murnau and cinematographer Karl Freund, who together developed revolutionary camera techniques that would influence cinema for decades. Freund designed and operated what became known as the 'unchained camera,' mounting it on a trolley system that could glide smoothly through the hotel set, creating unprecedented fluidity of movement. The famous opening shot, which appears to descend from the heavens into the hotel lobby, was achieved by mounting the camera on an elevator and using a specially constructed set. Emil Jannings, already a major star in German cinema, underwent extensive preparation for his role, studying real hotel doormen and practicing their distinctive movements and posture. The production team built an enormous, multi-level hotel set that allowed for dramatic camera movements and angles, including shots that would sweep up and down the grand staircase. Murnau was notoriously demanding on set, often requiring dozens of takes to achieve the precise emotional tone and visual composition he wanted. The film's lack of intertitles presented a unique challenge, requiring Murnau and his team to devise purely visual methods of conveying exposition and emotional states.

Visual Style

Karl Freund's cinematography in The Last Laugh revolutionized film language through its unprecedented camera mobility and subjective visual perspective. The film features what was then called the 'unchained camera' technique, with the camera gliding through space in ways that had never been seen before, including the famous opening shot that appears to descend from above into the hotel lobby. Freund employed innovative techniques such as mounting the camera on bicycles, elevators, and even strapping it to his chest to achieve fluid movement through the elaborate hotel set. The cinematography uses visual distortion to convey psychological states, with the world appearing to warp and spin during the doorman's drunken scenes through the use of special lenses and camera movements. Lighting techniques borrowed from German Expressionism create dramatic contrasts between the opulent hotel and the doorman's humble living quarters. The camera often assumes the doorman's point of view, particularly in scenes where he feels humiliated, with low angles making others appear to look down on him. The film's visual storytelling is so complete that it eliminates the need for intertitles entirely, with the cinematography conveying narrative information, emotional states, and character relationships purely through visual means.

Innovations

The Last Laugh pioneered numerous technical innovations that would become standard in cinema, most notably the 'unchained camera' technique developed by cinematographer Karl Freund. The film employed what was essentially the first camera dolly system, allowing for smooth, fluid movement through space rather than the static shots typical of the era. The production team developed special camera mounts and rigging to achieve shots that would be commonplace decades later, including crane shots and tracking shots that follow characters through the elaborate hotel set. The film's use of subjective camera techniques, where the camera represents the character's point of view, was revolutionary and influenced the development of psychological cinema. Special lenses and filters were used to create visual distortions that convey the protagonist's emotional state, particularly in the famous drunken sequence. The production's complete elimination of intertitles was a bold technical and artistic choice that forced the development of purely visual storytelling methods. The film's lighting techniques, combining naturalistic and expressionistic approaches, created a distinctive visual style that influenced cinematography for decades. The elaborate hotel set was designed specifically to accommodate the innovative camera movements, with removable walls and specially constructed pathways for the camera equipment.

Music

As a silent film, The Last Laugh was originally presented with live musical accompaniment that varied by theater and location. The original German score was composed by Giuseppe Becce, who was UFA's house composer and one of the most prolific film composers of the silent era. Becce's score utilized leitmotifs for different characters and situations, with the doorman's theme changing as his fortunes shifted. In the United States, theaters typically used compiled scores using classical pieces and popular songs of the era. Modern restorations have featured newly composed scores by various artists, including a 2003 version by the Alloy Orchestra and a 2015 score by Timothy Brock that attempts to recreate the style of the original 1924 accompaniment. The music was crucial to conveying emotion and narrative flow, particularly in scenes without intertitles where the score had to provide emotional context. The film's most famous sequence, the doorman's drunken hallucination, was accompanied by dissonant, experimental music that reflected the visual distortion on screen. Contemporary screenings often feature live musical accompaniment, maintaining the tradition of the film's original presentation.

Memorable Scenes

• The opening shot where the camera descends from the heavens into the hotel lobby, establishing the grand setting and the doorman's importance; The scene where the doorman first sees his new uniform and his world collapses; The drunken hallucination sequence with its distorted camera angles and warped perspectives; The humiliating scene where the doorman is caught stealing his old uniform; The final banquet scene where the wealthy doorman enjoys his revenge while his former colleagues watch in astonishment

What Critics Said

Contemporary critics in Germany hailed The Last Laugh as a masterpiece, with particular praise for its technical innovations and Emil Jannings' performance. The film journal Film-Kurier called it 'a triumph of German cinema' and praised Murnau's direction as 'nothing short of genius.' International critics were equally enthusiastic, with The New York Times declaring it 'the most remarkable film of the year' and highlighting its revolutionary camera work. French critics, particularly from the avant-garde, embraced the film as evidence of cinema's artistic potential, with Henri Langlois later calling it 'one of the ten most important films in cinema history.' Modern critics continue to celebrate the film, with Roger Ebert including it in his 'Great Movies' collection and praising its 'breathtaking visual storytelling.' The film maintains a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on critical reviews, and is consistently ranked among the greatest films ever made in polls by Sight & Sound, Cahiers du Cinéma, and other prestigious publications. Critics particularly note how the film's visual techniques perfectly serve its emotional and thematic content, creating what many consider the perfect marriage of form and function in cinema.

What Audiences Thought

The Last Laugh was a tremendous commercial success both in Germany and internationally, with audiences particularly responding to Emil Jannings' powerful performance and the film's emotional story. German audiences, still recovering from economic instability, found the doorman's plight deeply relatable, and the film became a cultural touchstone for discussions about dignity and social status. In the United States, the film broke box office records for a foreign language film, with American audiences marveling at its technical achievements despite the cultural differences. The happy ending added for American audiences proved particularly popular, though some critics felt it compromised the film's artistic integrity. The film's success led to increased demand for German films internationally and helped establish the reputation of German cinema as technically and artistically superior. Contemporary audiences at revival screenings continue to respond strongly to the film, with many noting how its themes remain relevant in today's gig economy and discussions about the dignity of work. The film's emotional power transcends its silent format, with modern viewers often expressing surprise at how completely engaging the story is without dialogue.

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