The Man Who Laughs (1928)
April 27, 1928Release Date
The Man Who Laughs (1928)
April 27, 1928Release Date
Plot.
Where to Watch.
Currently The Man Who Laughs is available for streaming online, rent, buy or watch for free on: Tubi TV, FlixFling
Streaming in:🇺🇸 United States
This Movie Is About.
Cast & Crew.
Mary Philbin
Dea
Conrad Veidt
Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie
Julius Molnar
Young Gwynplaine
Olga Baclanova
Duchess Josiana
Brandon Hurst
Barkilphedro
Cesare Gravina
Ursus
Stuart Holmes
Lord Dirry-Moir
Sam De Grasse
King James II
Josephine Crowell
Queen Anne
Károly Huszár
Innkeeper
George Siegmann
Dr. Hardquanonne
Zimbo the Dog
Homo the Wolf
Delmo Fritz
Sword Swallower
Deno Fritz
Sword Swallower
Henry A. Barrows
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Richard Bartlett
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Les Bates
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Charles Brinley
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Carmen Castillo
Dea's Mother (uncredited)
Allan Cavan
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
D'Arcy Corrigan
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Carrie Daumery
Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
Howard Davies
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Nick De Ruiz
Wapentake (uncredited)
Louise Emmons
Gypsy Hag (uncredited)
J.C. Fowler
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
John George
Dwarf (uncredited)
Jack A. Goodrich
Clown (uncredited)
Charles Hancock
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Lila LaPon
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
George Marion
Man at Chatham Prison (uncredited)
Torben Meyer
The Spy (uncredited)
Joe Murphy
Hardquanones Messenger (uncredited)
Edgar Norton
Lord High Chancellor (uncredited)
Broderick O'Farrell
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Lon Poff
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Frank Puglia
Clown (uncredited)
Henry Roquemore
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Templar Saxe
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Allan Sears
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Scott Seaton
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Louis Stern
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Al Stewart
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Anton Vaverka
Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited)
Paul Leni
Director
Victor Hugo
Novel
Gilbert Warrenton
Director of Photography
Edward L. Cahn
Editor
Walter Anthony
Writer
May McLean
Writer
Marion Ward
Writer
Charles E. Whittaker
Writer
Carl Laemmle
Producer
William Axt
Music
Sam Perry
Music
Erno Rapee
Music
Charles D. Hall
Art Direction
Thomas F. O'Neill
Art Direction
Joseph C. Wright
Art Direction
David Cox
Costume Design
Vera West
Costume Design
Jack Pierce
Makeup Artist
J. Grubb Alexander
Adaptation / Continuity
Paul Kohner
Production Supervisor
Maurice Pivar
Supervising Film Editor
Bela Sekely
Story Supervisor
Media.
Details.
Release DateApril 27, 1928
StatusReleased
Running Time1h 50m
Content RatingNR
Genres
Wiki.
The Man Who Laughs is a 1928 American synchronized sound romantic drama film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both sound-on-disc and sound-on-film processes. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's 1869 novel of the same name, and stars Mary Philbin as the blind Dea and Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine. The film is known for the grotesque grin on the character Gwynplaine's face, which often leads it to be classified as a horror film. Film critic Roger Ebert stated "The Man Who Laughs is a melodrama, at times even a swashbuckler, but so steeped in expressionist gloom that it plays like a horror film."
The Man Who Laughs is a romantic melodrama similar to films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The film was one of the earliest Universal Pictures films that made the transition from silent films to sound films using the Movietone sound system introduced by William Fox. The film was completed in August 1927 but was set for general release as a "sound" film in October 1928 with sound effects and a musical score which included the song "When Love Comes Stealing".
The film entered the public domain in the United States in 2024.Today, the film is best known as the visual inspiration for the classic comic book supervillain, the Joker.