Der letzte Mann (1924)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

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
Neumann-Schüler	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
F.W. Murnau

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Carl Mayer		writer

Produced by
Erich Pommer	....	producer

Original Music by
Giuseppe Becce
Florian C. Reithner
Karl-Ernst Sasse		(1996)
Werner Schmidt-Boelcke

Cinematography by
Karl Freund

Film Editing by
Elfi Böttrich		(new version)

Production Design by
Edgar G. Ulmer

Art Direction by
Robert Herlth
Walter Röhrig
Alfred Hitchcock		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Waldemar Jabs	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edgar G. Ulmer	....	assistant director

Special Effects by
Ernst Kunstmann	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Baberske	....	assistant camera
Günther Rittau	....	camera operator
Hans Natge	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Universum Film (UFA)

Distributors

• Universum Film (UFA) (1924) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Etablissements Louis Aubert (1925) (France) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures (1925) (USA) (theatrical)
• Wardour Films (1925) (UK) (theatrical)
• Australasian Film Ltd. (1925) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Universum Film (UFA) (1925) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1972) (USA) (TV) (network premiere)
• Continental Home Vídeo (2002) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Continental Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (1993) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Divisa Home Video (2004) (Spain) (DVD)
• Grapevine Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Kino Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Transit Film (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Universum Film (UFA) (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

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:

The first "dolly" (a device that allows a camera to move during a shot) was created for this film. According to Edgar Ulmer the idea to make the first dolly came from the desire to focus on Jannings face during the first shot of the movie, as he moved through the hotel. They obviously didn't know how to make a dolly technically, so they created the first one out of a baby's carriage.They then pulled the carriage on a sort of railway that was built on the studio.

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)

uniform vs identity

There can be no doubt that costumes were highly important in The Last Laugh. The topic was actually build upon a costume anywise. The doorman's uniform was a symbol for prestige, high-honor, the key to be well treated in every situation. He was giving extreme importance to his outlook while he was working as a doorman. We saw this when he was twisting his mustache in front of the hotel. Not only him but also his family and his neighbors even show great respect to his uniform as well. Neighbors stop patting their carpets not to spread dust on his uniform, men bow and take out their hats when he passes by, at home niece's mother sews the button of the uniform with great care... It seems that by doing all this, they are appreciating the prestige the costume has brought to their lives and in a way showing appreciation by keeping it in perfect shape. Last Laugh there wasn't much of a contrast in terms of colors. The contrast was in terms of the different treatment the doorman received after his job loss. It was clear that after the loss of his job, nobody was friendly to him anymore. Also the contrast between the rich and the poor was underlined. There was a parallel editing of the ex-doorman drinking his soup in the toilet and the rich people having their dinner at the hotel's restaurant.

There were lots of dolly ins and outs, tracking movements, dialectical montage, close-ups and parallel editing in it. Dollies are often used in shocking situations. It is used when the ex-doorman's relative sees him working at the toilet. As it is a shocking situation, camera dollies-in very fast to the woman's horrified face. The same function of dolly-in occurs when the ex-doorman comes to the hotel in the morning and sees from far away the new doorman. It is a fast dolly as well. With these unexpected dollies, the audience is always kept tense knowing that the reality may strike at any moment. Dialectical montage is seen quite a lot of times as well. It occurs when the doorman looks left and then we see the wedding dress. Therefore we understand that it is the dress he is looking. On the whole doorman's uniform seems to be controlling his life and that he is blindly obeying what the uniform brings to him. In this way, he is like a citizen unquestioning the authority of the government. Finally, Last Laugh is a classics which have influenced and will continue to influence other artistic works through generations.