When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured..
The Verdict: A Melodrama Hidden Behind a Monster’s MaskIf you come to The Man Who Laughs expecting a proto-slasher or a traditional Universal monster movie, you will be surprised. While it provided the visual DNA for the Joker, Paul Leni’s 1928 film is actually a sprawling, high-stakes melodrama about class cruelty and...
Comparing the cinematic DNA and archive impact of two defining moments in cult history.
Paul Leni
Edgar Jones
Community
Log in to comment.
"The Verdict: A Melodrama Hidden Behind a Monster’s MaskIf you come to The Man Who Laughs expecting a proto-slasher or a traditional Universal monster movie, you will be surprised. While it provided the visual DNA for the Joker, Paul Leni’s 1928 film is actually a sprawling, high-stakes melodrama about class cruelty and the burden of being a spectacle. It is absolutely worth watching today, not just as a historical curiosity, but as a masterclass in how silent cinema could communicate complex int..."
Victor Hugo, Charles E. Whittaker, May McLean, J. Grubb Alexander, Marion Ward, Walter Anthony
United States
Drama, Romance, Mystery
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
still_frame
Deep dive into the cult classic
Discover similar cinematic experiences
A Directorial Spotlight on Paul Leni
