The Last Laugh (1924)

A silent German film from the dawn of cinema

History claims that this film was the first to use the dolly shots

F. M. Murnau

After watching Tabu: Story of South Seas (1931) I was captivated by the silent film maker F. M. Murnau, Tabu was his last film and the director lost his life in a car accident at the age of 42. Prior to this Murnau has made a silent film named “The Last Laugh” (1924), which doesn’t even have an inter-title which was common in those silent era films.

It’s a story of an ageing doorman in a star hotel who is demoted to a meaner job as a washroom assistant. The doorman and his family members are proud of his uniform, this is the era of war and its natural for lower class bourgeois  section having proud of their uniform. Unable to bare the humiliation caused by the neighbours after the loss of the doorman job, he steals the uniform and get caught by the night watchman while returning it. The watchman takes pity on him and wraps his coat on the doorman in the washroom. Here the story ends with the card as below.

Only inter-title in the film

As the director took pity on the doorman and doesn’t want to end the story as a grey-tale, the doorman hits a fortune, by inheriting the wealth of an American millionaire. The story continues with the doorman and the night watchman enjoying a feast where caviar is thrown away as peanuts in the same hotel and leaves by tipping the entire staff.

Camera and Art work:

The script is very simple, but no the cinematography. The camera travels all the time, up, down, left and right, it also swings sometime in the air. The history claims that this film was the first to use the dolly shot, Point of view shots, playing with shadows and lightings. The scene in the revolving door where the ageing doorman enters and the new doorman exiting is an apt POV.

Also the opening shot which travels through the elevator (which is open as in olden days) follows through the hallway and exiting to the main door. Sometimes the camera is unmovable, like when the doorman is shocked due to an irate customer, the camera stands still with the swinging door coming in and out.

Miniature scene

This has to be a first film to take a miniature set, like a train passing through the camera with the hotel in the background. It seems the entire set of the bourgeois buildings were constructed real time.

Expressionist:

Ageing doorman is played by Emil Jannings, ever shot in the film follows Emil, who gives the expression which is easily decipherable. It’s not only Emil all the character in film gives expression which is easily comprehensible by all. Considering the dream sequence in the film the German expressionist played a profound role in the film.

The film will make you to revisit it again just to enjoy the fantastic camerawork and the acting.