| Photos (see all 5 | slideshow) |
| 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) | |
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| Trois couleurs: Rouge | The Notebook | 8½ | Belle de jour | Dodsworth |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb Germany section |
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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.