Product Description

A landmark work in the history of the cinema, Der letzte Mann represents a breakthrough on a number of fronts. Firstly, it introduced a method of purely visual storytelling in which all intertitles and dialogue were jettisoned, setting the stage for a seamless interaction between film-world and viewer. Secondly, it put to use a panoply of technical innovations that continue to point distinct ways forward for cinematic expression nearly a century later. It guides the silent cinema's melodramatic brio to its lowest abject abyss before disposing of the tragic arc altogether. The lesson in all this? That a film can be anything it wants to be... but only Der letzte Mann (and a few unforgettable others) were lucky enough to issue forth into the world under the brilliant command of master director F. W. Murnau. His film depicts the tale of an elderly hotel doorman (played by the inimitable Emil Jannings) whose superiors have come to deem his station as transitory as the revolving doors through which he has ushered guests in and out, day upon day, decade after decade. Reduced to polishing tiles beneath a sink in the gents' lavatory and towelling the hands of Berlin's most-vulgar barons, the doorman soon uncovers the ironical underside of old-world hospitality. And then one day his fate suddenly changes... Der letzte Mann (also known as The Last Laugh, although its original title translates to "The Last Man") inaugurated a new era of mobile camera expression whose handheld aesthetic and sheer plastic fervour predated the various "New Wave" movements of the 1960s and beyond. As the watershed entry in Murnau's work, its influence can be detected in such later masterpieces as Faust, Sunrise, and Tabu and in the films of the same Hollywood dream-factory that would offer him a contract shortly after Der letzte Mann's release. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the original German domestic version of the work that some consider the greatest silent film ever made. SPECIAL FEATURES: New, progressive encode of the recent, magnificent film restoration, Der letzte Mann - The Making Of - documentary by Murnau expert Luciano Berriatúa [41:00], New and improved optional English subtitles (original German intertitles), Lavishly illustrated 36-page booklet with writing by film scholars R. Dixon Smith, Tony Rayns, and Lotte H. Eisner and more!!!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16384 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-01-21
• Rating: Universal, suitable for all
• Formats: Black & White, PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Synopsis
One of the most brilliant of all German Expressionist 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.

Customer Reviews

Stunning!
F.W. Murnau is truly one of the masters of the silent era. Masters of Cinema has started to release several of his masterpieces on DVD, and the quality of their releases is usually excellent. I also own their other Murnau films, but this one is my favorite.

In the film, Murnau doesn't use any text for dialogue, which means that the film is dependent on the visual look. The film serves us with some truly remarkable imagery, and Murnau's sense of images and conveying meaning through visual language is acute.

The story is fairly simple, but through the exploration of the characters inner life the film creates some vivid emotions and is truly expressive in its meaning. The audience really starts to care deeply with the main character, and he is well personified.

End of the line: if you are interested in German silent cinema, want to watch some films by Murnau, or in general you are a admirer of great cinema and want to explore areas unknown to you, Der letzte Mann is one of the finest gems of film throughout time.