The Man Who Laughs (1928 film)
| The Man Who Laughs | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Paul Leni |
| Produced by | Paul Kohner |
| Screenplay by |
J. Grubb Alexander Walter Anthony Mary McLean Charles E. Whittaker |
| Based on |
The Man Who Laughs by Victor Hugo |
| Starring |
Mary Philbin Conrad Veidt Brandon Hurst Olga V. Baklanova Cesare Gravina Stuart Holmes Samuel de Grasse George Siegmann Josephine Crowell |
| Music by |
Ernö Rapée Walter Hirsch Lew Pollack William Axt Sam Perry Gustav Borch |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Warrenton |
| Edited by |
Edward L. Cahn Maurice Pivar |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
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Release date
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Running time
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10 reels |
| Country | United States |
| Language |
Silent English intertitles |
The Man Who Laughs is a 1928 American silent horror directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name and stars Mary Philbin as the blind Dea and Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine. The film is known for the grim carnival freak-like 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 (1923). The film was one of the early Universal Pictures productions that made the transition from silent films to sound films, using the Movietone sound system introduced by William Fox. The film was completed in April 1927 but was held for release in April 1928, with sound effects and a music score that included the song, "When Love Comes Stealing," by Walter Hirsch, Lew Pollack, and Ernö Rapée.
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