The Man Who Laughs is one of the best love stories of the silent era and it is in essence the best Lon Chaney movie not starring Lon Chaney. Conrad Veidt gives the performance of his career as Gwynplaine, a man of royal blood who is punished for the sins of his father. He has a horrible grin carved into his face so he is forever smiling on the outside or "Laughing at his fool of a father" Gwynplaine is given this horrible scar by the infamous gypsies the Comprachios, he is abandoned by them and is taken in by a carnival traveler called Ursus along with a poor blind baby who is named Dea. Gwynplaine grows up a shattered man with no sense of pride in his life other than his deep love for Dea. He feels as if he doesn't deserve Dea and has to become something more than the "clown" the world has cruelly dubbed him as.
Geez those who think Gwynplaine is the inspiration for the Joker couldn't be farther from the truth. Visually yes but Gwynplaine is the only truly decent character in this film. The film is also miscorrectly labeled as a horror film, it is actually a tragedy in my opinion. However the classification of a horror film isn't far off, Paul Leni deeply roots the set and make-up design in his natural German Expressionism. The shadows and set designs are beautiful and is really the last example of this masterful method of film-making. No star knows how to better match this than Conrad Veidt, the star of the masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr Calagari. This performance is breathtaking, every scene he is in he dominates. His on screen presence is huge and overwhelming in a great way. It's a genuinely touching story and we feel deeply for Gwynplaine when we might not feel as much for other characters.
Geez those who think Gwynplaine is the inspiration for the Joker couldn't be farther from the truth. Visually yes but Gwynplaine is the only truly decent character in this film. The film is also miscorrectly labeled as a horror film, it is actually a tragedy in my opinion. However the classification of a horror film isn't far off, Paul Leni deeply roots the set and make-up design in his natural German Expressionism. The shadows and set designs are beautiful and is really the last example of this masterful method of film-making. No star knows how to better match this than Conrad Veidt, the star of the masterpiece The Cabinet of Dr Calagari. This performance is breathtaking, every scene he is in he dominates. His on screen presence is huge and overwhelming in a great way. It's a genuinely touching story and we feel deeply for Gwynplaine when we might not feel as much for other characters.