Der letzte Mann (1924)

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Writer:

Carl Mayer (writer)

Release Date:

5 January 1925 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious Hotel is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Uniform | Rain | Neighbor | Shadow

Cast

Emil Jannings	...	Hotelportier [hotel porter]
Maly Delschaft	...	Seine Nichte
Max Hiller	...	Ihr Bräutigam
Emilie Kurz	...	Tante des Bräutigams
Hans Unterkircher	...	Geschäftsführer [hotel manager]
Olaf Storm	...	Junger Gast
Hermann Vallentin	...	Spitzbäuchiger Gast
Georg John	...	Nachtwächter [night watchman]
Emmy Wyda	...	Dünne Nachbarin
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
O.E. Hasse

Also Known As:

The Last Laugh (USA)
Le dernier des hommes (Belgium: French title) (dubbed version) (France) [fr]
A Última Gargalhada (Brazil) [pt]
Der Hotelportier (Austria) [de]
El último (Spain) [es]
El darrer home (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
L'ultima risata (Italy) [it]
Le dernier rire (France) [fr]
O Último dos Homens (Portugal) [pt]
O teleftaios ton anthropon (Greece) [el]
Portier z hotelu Atlantic (Poland) [pl]
Sista skrattet (Sweden) [sv]
Viimeinen mies (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

77 min | Germany:101 min | Spain:90 min (DVD edition) | USA:90 min

Country:

Germany

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | Finland:S (1967) | Spain:T

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Universum Film (UFA)

Trivia:

Director F.W. Murnau and screenwriter Carl Mayer originally wanted the film to end with the death of the doorman at the bathroom. Executives at UFA pressed them to conjure up a happy ending before the film's premiere in order to maximize its economic potential. Murnau and Mayer, obviously annoyed by this, created a cynical epilogue, showing the doorman having inherited from an eccentric hotel guest, who bequeathed his entire estate to the last person seen before he died. The executives also pressed the artits to change the film's title from "The Last Man" to "The Last Laughter".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: A hand-cranked camera is reflected in a glass door.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Das Leben geht weiter (2002) (TV)

A classic movie from the silent era that is well worth hunting out

Warning - Possible spoilers lie within.

This is the first silent movie I have watched in its entirety, having previously found myself becoming restless and distracted, I normally find them quite difficult to watch. I came across the Criterion edition of the movie in a large collection of Laserdiscs that I purchased recently, and decided to give it a try. I was speechless.

'The Last Laugh' (or 'The Last Man', as its translation would lead you to believe, is a touching story from director F.W. Murnau about an un-named Hotel Porter & Doorman (played excellently by Emil Jannings) who, through no fault of his own, is demoted to Lavatory attendant, and we hereby watch as his life collapses around him. It's an incredibly emotional story - during his downfall, as his friends and family mock him, Jannings' depressed, hunched-over figure can be painfully sad to watch. I found myself filling up in the scene when he finally hands his beloved porter's uniform over to the night watchman.

A landmark in the era of silent films, Murnau used some very clever camera tricks (such as smearing vaseline on the camera lens for 'dream' sequences). It was also one of the first films to use a completely free moving camera with no tripod, testimony to the success of this can be seen immediately in the first scene as the film starts. There are also no title cards in the film. Nor are they needed - The story is carried perfectly by the actors and on no occasion do you feel that you don't know what is going on.

I won't give anything away here, but there are some people that may feel the ending is a little out of place - However, I had grown so fond on Jannings' character that in a way, I was relieved to see the film move on from the final scene where he is sat hunched on the seat in the washroom - and for him to finally have 'The Last Laugh' so to speak :o)

If you have any interest in old cinema, and have not seen this, or just fancy a change from all of the samey Hollywood flicks being churned out right now, I suggest you hunt out a copy right away. Highly recommended.