The Last Laugh
(Der Letzte Mann)
Live Piano Accompaniment by Yakov Gubanov
Screening on Film
Screening on Film
Directed by F.W. Murnau.
With Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft.
Germany, 1924, 35mm, black & white, silent, 85 min.
Print source: HFA
With Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft.
Germany, 1924, 35mm, black & white, silent, 85 min.
Print source: HFA
J is for Jannings... At Last
This tragic tale of an aging hotel doorman who is demoted to lavatory duty features a landmark Expressionist performance by the great character actor Emil Jannings, who imbues the character’s wounded pride with near-mythic resonance. The first film to bring German director Murnau to international acclaim, this silent film classic transforms the doorman’s humiliation at losing his cherished coat into a parable of the German obsession with the trappings of rank. The story is told without recourse to intertitles, relying instead on innovative visual exposition and the groundbreaking camerawork of Karl Freund.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
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Cinema A–Z: Treasures from the Harvard ...
The Last Laugh
Directed by F.W. Murnau, 1924
Live Piano Accompaniment by Yakov GubanovScreening on Film
Read more
Cinema A–Z: Treasures from the Harvard ...
The Last Command
Directed by Josef von Sternberg, 1928
Live Piano Accompaniment by Yakov GubanovScreening on Film
Read more
Cinema A–Z: Treasures from the Harvard ...
Trailers, Trailers, Trailers
Introduction by HFA Conservator Julie BuckScreening on Film
