The Last Laugh

The Last Laugh of A Old Man
F.W. Murnau is considered one of the most innovative directors of the silent era. During his short career before his death in a road accident, he highly introduced the subjective point of view camera through his developed directional and technique skills in early period. Murnau’s technical mastery of describing his characters makes his films exciting to see. When people think Murnau, the most two famous films that ultimately come up in their minds are: Nosferatu (1921) and Sunrise (1927). But in between of those films, he made a well known masterpiece called “Der Letzte Mann” or “The Last Man” (Which was renamed “The Last Laugh” in America), because the name “The Last Man” was already taken.
“Der Letzete Mann” or “The Last Laugh” was written by Carl Mayer and was produced by a German film, Kammerspielfilm. The film is a narrative story with the central character is an old porter and his differential evolved performing in complex situations. Through the film, Murnau created phantasmagoric visions that defined and emphasized his character: he was who he was because of what surround him.
The very first scene of the film was begun with the portrayed descending of the camera toward the hotel lobby with the association of a harmony combinational tons of violin, piano, and flute. The rotational door opened as an introduction of the film. An image of an old elegant porter appeared inside a raincoat in front of a luxury hotel: Atlantic. He was busy working in a bad weather, but he looked confident and full of himself as he’s whistling for cabs and saluting arriving customers in the torrential raining night. However, the burden of aging doesn’t seem to pardon anyone. As the time can’t be stopped, he was getting older as well as losing his strength. Because of being fond of his job, he didn’t accept a fact of being decrepitude. He put himself into a risking sogginess to carry the customers’ heavy luggage. It’s his responsibility as a porter... [continues]

Read full essay