The Last Laugh

Dir. F. W. Murnau.
Germany. 1924.
B&W. 91 min. (no soundtrack)

The crowning achievement of the German expressionist movement and one of the most notable artworks to arise form the Weimar Republic is Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's The Last Laugh.

Emil Jannings stars in the bleak fable of an aging doorman whose happiness crumbles when he is relieved of the duties and uniform which had for years been the foundation of his identity and confidence. Through Janning's colossal perfomance, The Last Laugh becomes more than the plight of a single doorman, but a mournful dramatization of the frustration and anguish of the universal working class, a phenomenon further enhanced by the contribution of Muranu and cinematographer Karl Freund.

Music composed and conducted by Timothy Brock, performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra

Available in 35mm