The Man Who Laughs (1928)
Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 1h 50min
- Drama, Horror
- 04 Nov 1928 (USA)
- Movie
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.
Director:
Writers:
Stars:
Photos and Videos
Cast
| Mary Philbin | ... |
Dea
|
|
| Conrad Veidt | ... |
Gwynplaine / Lord Clancharlie
|
|
 |
Julius Molnar | ... |
Gwynplaine as a Child
(as Julius Molnar Jr.)
|
| Olga Baclanova | ... |
Duchess Josiana
|
|
| Brandon Hurst | ... |
Barkilphedro
|
|
|
|
Cesare Gravina | ... |
Ursus
|
| Stuart Holmes | ... |
Lord Dirry-Moir
|
|
| Sam De Grasse | ... |
King James II
(as Sam DeGrasse)
|
|
| George Siegmann | ... |
Dr. Hardquanonne
|
|
| Josephine Crowell | ... |
Queen Anne
|
|
| Károly Huszár | ... |
Innkeeper
(as Charles Puffy)
|
|
|
|
Zimbo the Dog | ... |
Homo the Wolf
(as Zimbo)
|
| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
|
|
Tom Amandares | ... |
Shouting Man at wheel on ship (uncredited)
|
|
|
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 | ... |
Townsman (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)
|
Directed by
| Paul Leni | ||
Written by
| Victor Hugo | ... | (novel "L'Homme Qui Rit") |
| J. Grubb Alexander | ... | (adaptation) |
| Walter Anthony | ... | (titles) |
| May McLean | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Marion Ward | ... | () (uncredited) |
| Charles E. Whittaker | ... | () (uncredited) |
Produced by
| Carl Laemmle | ... | producer |
Music by
| The Berklee Silent Film Orchestra | ... | (4K restoration 2019) |
| William Axt | ... | (uncredited) |
| Sam Perry | ... | (uncredited) |
| Erno Rapee | ... | (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
| Gilbert Warrenton | ... | (photography) |
Editing by
| Edward L. Cahn | ... | (as Edward Cahn) |
Editorial Department
| Maurice Pivar | ... | supervising film editor |
Art Direction by
| Charles D. Hall | ||
| Thomas F. O'Neill | ... | (as Thomas O'Neil) |
| Joseph C. Wright | ... | (as Joseph Wright) |
Costume Design by
| David Cox | ... | (as Dave Cox) |
| Vera West | ||
Makeup Department
| Jack P. Pierce | ... | makeup artist (uncredited) |
Production Management
| Paul Kohner | ... | production supervisor |
Music Department
| Philip S. Carlson | ... | additional composer |
| Sonia Coronado Cuesta | ... | additional composer |
| Dai Haraguchi | ... | additional composer |
| Benjamin Knorr | ... | additional composer |
| Emi Nishida | ... | additional composer |
| Marcelle Simpson | ... | additional composer |
| Daniel Tauber | ... | additional composer |
| Joseph Cherniavsky | ... | musical director (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
| J. Grubb Alexander | ... | continuity |
Additional Crew
| Charles D. Hall | ... | technical director |
| Carl Laemmle | ... | presenter |
| Lew Landers | ... | production staff member (as Louis Friedlander) |
| Jay Marchant | ... | production staff member |
| R.H. Newlands | ... | technical researcher (as Prof. R.H. Newlands) |
| Thomas F. O'Neill | ... | technical director (as Thomas O'Neil) |
| Bela Sekely | ... | story supervisor (as Dr. Bela Sekely) |
| John M. Voshell | ... | production staff member |
| Joseph C. Wright | ... | technical director (as Joseph Wright) |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Universal Pictures (1928) (United States) (theatrical)
- Canadian Universal Film Company (1928) (Canada) (theatrical)
- European Motion Picture Company (1929) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Universal Film Manufacturing Company (1929) (Australia) (theatrical)
- Société Anonyme Universal-Film (1929) (Belgium) (theatrical)
- Universal Film (1929) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Kino Video (2003) (United States) (DVD)
- Kino Video (2003) (United States) (DVD) (Included in the "American Silent Horror collection")
- Kino Video (2003) (United States) (VHS)
- Magnus Opus (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
- Sunrise Silents (2004) (World-wide) (DVD) (dvdr) (NTSC) (PAL)
- Tribanda Pictures (2010) (Spain) (DVD)
- Elephant Films (2017) (France) (DVD)
- Mary-X Distribution (2019) (France) (theatrical) (re-release) (restored version)
- Eureka Entertainment (2020) (United Kingdom) (video) (Restored)
- Wicked-Vision Media (2022) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
- Wicked-Vision Media (2022) (Germany) (DVD)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Bret Wood (DVD package design)
- Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America (acknowledgement)
- Movietone (DVD sounndtrack)
- Vince Evans (DVD cover painting)
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
Forever disfigured by a wide, mirthless grin on his face, Gwynplaine, the orphaned son of a nobleman, rescues blind baby girl Dea in cold 17th-century England. Taken in by paternal carnival philosopher Ursus, the unloved boy grows into a kind, honest man who chooses to hide his grotesque deformity behind a black cloak, utterly convinced that beautiful Dea will never truly love him because of his horrible secret. Feeling unworthy of Dea's noble feelings, Gwynplaine soon crosses paths with aristocratic temptress Duchess Josiana, as a cruel and long-standing conspiracy in the palace of Queen Anne presents him with the burden of choice. Will poor Gwynplaine, the Man who Laughs, renounce everything in the name of love? Written by Nick Riganas |
| Plot Keywords | |
| Taglines | The Man Who laughs With Conrad Veidt as the clown on whose face was carved a horrible, leering grin. (Print Ad-Picket Line Post ((Mt. Morris, NY)) 7 December 1928) See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
| Certification |
|
Additional Details
| Also Known As |
|
| Runtime |
|
| Country | |
| Language | |
| Color | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
| Sound Mix | |
| Filming Locations |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | Gwynplaine's fixed grin and disturbing clown-like appearance was a key inspiration for comic book writer Bill Finger and artists Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson in creating one of the most iconic comic book villains ever, The Joker. See more » |
| Goofs | The opening scene happens in James II's reign (1685-1688), but Lord Clancharlie is sentenced to death in an Iron Maiden. This instrument of torture was invented in 1793 for display in museums. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Edited into Phobos (2019). See more » |
| Soundtracks | When Love Comes Stealing See more » |
| Quotes |
Gwynplaine:
[Via subtitles, to the House of Lords]
A king made me a clown! A queen made me a Peer! But first, God made me a man! See more » |