Search - Paul Leni's The Man Who Laughs on DVD

Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1927 DVD Release: 09/30/2003 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Restored/Remastered Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 50 mins Studio: Kino Members Wishing: 12 Genres: Drama, Romantic Drama, Period Film, Melodrama

Released with sound effects and a music score that included the song "When Love Comes Smiling" by Walter Hirsch, Lew Pollack and Erno Rapee, Paul Leni's near masterpiece remains one of the silent era's last great romantic melodramas. Based on Victor Hugo's 1869 novel -L'Homme qui Rit, The Man Who Laughs starred German import Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine, a carnival freak doomed to live life wearing a perpetual grin carved on his face by Dr Hardquannone (George Siegman because his father, Lord Clancharlie (Allan Cavan), had offended England's King James II (Sam de Grasse). Taken in as a child by Ursus, a mountebank (Cesare Gravina), Gwynplaine grows up alongside the beautiful but blind Dea (Mary Philbin). They fall in love but Gwynplaine refuses to marry her because his hideous face makes him feel unworthy. Queen Anne (Josephine Crowell), meanwhile, has ascended the throne and when she learns from her predecessor's evil jester Barkilphedro (Brandon Hurst) that the recalcitrant Duchess Josiana (Olga Baclanova) is in possession of Lord Clancharlie's estates, she decrees that the royal femme fatale must marry Gwynplaine, the rightful heir. Josiana, who has caught Gwynplaine's act incognito and arranged a rendezvous, is at the same time sexually attracted to and repelled by the "Laughing Man," but Gwynplaine, who realizes that the duchess' attraction has legitimized his right to love Dea, renounces his title and follows his heart to the new World. Although Kirk Douglas was long interested in producing a remake, The Man Who Laughs was instead filmed again as L'Uomo che Ride by Italian director Sergio Corbucci in 1966. Corbucci, however, changed the setting from Queen Anne to the infamous sixteenth century Italian court of the Borgias. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Conrad Veidt - Gwynplaine
Mary Philbin - Dea
Olga Baclanova - Duchess Josiana
Josephine Crowell - Queen Anne
George Siegmann - Dr. Hardqucinnone

A film that has long been associated with horror due to its strikingly grotesque central image, Paul Leni's touchingly melodramatic adaptation of author Victor Hugo's novel of the same name arrives on DVD courtesy of the folks at Kino. Presented in 1.33:1 full-frame, the image, without question, shows signs of age. This is not to say it is not entirely unacceptable as presented; on the contrary, for a film that was released in 1928, the image is presented commendably. The only real complaints one could make in terms of image quality is that it certainly shows obvious signs of wear, the print contains notable traces of debris, and the image itself jitters just a bit. The last complaint could almost be dismissed, though, as it gives the viewer a sort of artificial, nostalgic sensation of watching the film via projection instead of through a video source. Likewise, the musical score cracks and pops a bit here and there, but is evenly mixed and suits the image well. Curious viewers will no doubt be drawn to this disc courtesy of some tempting extras, as well. In addition to including a rare clip of the popular "At Home With..." series featuring star Conrad Veidt cavorting with the likes of Greta Garbo and Dolores Del Rio, an original documentary on the film's production offers rare insight concerning attempts to recreate the magic of The Hunchback of Notre Dame by luring in star Lon Chaney. An excerpt from the original Italian-language release offers a curious look at a foreign release print with hand-painted title cards; a gallery of production photos is also extensive and well presented. If viewers are up for a little reading, liner notes include an informative essay by John Soister detailing, among other things, the release of the film at the advent of sound. In addition, an excerpt from Hugo's original novel offers viewers a chance to see how the written word was translated for the silver screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide