RE
Roger Ebert
Described the film as a melodrama and swashbuckler steeped in expressionist gloom, making it feel like a horror film.
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.
Directed byPaul Leni
Written byVictor Hugo, J. Grubb Alexander, Bela Sekely, May McLean, Marion Ward, Walter Anthony, Charles E. Whittaker
Budgetover $1 million, making it one of Universal's most expensive silent films
Critical Consensus
7.6
IMDb
7.3
TMDB
The Man Who Laughs is celebrated for its haunting Expressionist visuals and its influence on both the horror genre and comic book iconography.
The Cast
Trivia
The grotesque permanent grin of the character Gwynplaine was a direct inspiration for the design of the Joker in DC Comics.
Conrad Veidt wore a dental device with metal hooks to pull back the corners of his mouth into a permanent grin.
The film was one of the first Universal films to transition from silent to sound using the Movietone system.
While it has no audible dialogue, it was released with a synchronized musical score and sound effects.
Veidt's dental device made it almost impossible for him to speak, which resolved the studio's dilemma about whether to include dialogue.
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