The Man Who Laughs

Original title: Das grinsende Gesicht

1921
1h 27m

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France in the late 1600s, the son of a widowed lord is kidnapped by gypsies, who carve a permanent grin on the child's face. When the deformed boy grows up, he falls in love with a blind gir... Read allFrance in the late 1600s, the son of a widowed lord is kidnapped by gypsies, who carve a permanent grin on the child's face. When the deformed boy grows up, he falls in love with a blind girl named Dea, and joins a touring company as a performer. Calling himself Gwynplaine, he de... Read allFrance in the late 1600s, the son of a widowed lord is kidnapped by gypsies, who carve a permanent grin on the child's face. When the deformed boy grows up, he falls in love with a blind girl named Dea, and joins a touring company as a performer. Calling himself Gwynplaine, he develops an act in which he reveals his hideous face to the crowds for money. A sexually per... Read all

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5.9/10

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Featured review

6/10

Nothing To Laugh At

No, it's not the famous (and deservedly so) 1928 version, starring Conrad Veidt and directed by Paul Leni. This is an earlier version of the story about Franz Hobling, discarded as a child when his aunt decided he stood in the way of her son inheriting his father's vast wealth; sold and his face disfigured by an exhibitor of freaks; falling into the hands of the gentle showman Franz Weissmuller; falling in love with Weissmuller's blind adopted daughter, Lucienne Delacroix; and finally being restored to his inherited place in life, only to be mocked and derided.

It's not only the later version this must contend with. Two reels are missing from the version I saw, leaving the movie poorly paced and the characters' motivations undealt with -- but then, silent film was rarely a genre that explored motivation. That said, this movie does shows signs of dealing with Victor Hugo's tale of misery, perversion, and cruelty save among the most humble. The presentation of the film as it exists is good, with the images clean, and offered in a well-toned print, showing off the careful design and camerawork.