Der letzte Mann [The Last Laugh] (1924)

(YouTube Streaming, September 2019) At this point, having seen most of the best-known movies of the 1920s, I’ll cheerfully recognize that almost all the movies I’m seeing from the decade are an obligation born out of a sense of historical duty. While I still have a few Buster Keaton movies to look forward to, most of the non-comic, non-fantastical films of the 1920s are simply unpleasant to watch. Overlong, overacted, technically primitive and usually of dodgy picture quality, they exasperate more than their enlighten or entertain. I’ve seen the best, I’m in no real hurry to see the rest—although I’ll forever defend Man with a Movie Camera as an essential. In other words, I was dreading The Last Laugh. While it’s refreshingly short at 90 minutes compared to many of its contemporaries, it’s also intimate and low-key, focusing on what happens to an ordinary man after he gets fired from his prestigious job. F. W. Murnau directs, which explain why I sought it out—and you can clearly see how, on a technical and storytelling level, the result is significantly better than most other movies of its time. The camera movements alone are audacious, clearly ahead of its time. There is a great metafiction twist in the film’s sole title card announcing an intentional departure from reality, the screenwriter intruding to provide a happy ending. All of this certainly helps make the film better than expected … without quite overturning my current reluctance toward silent cinema. But if this was among the most audacious of what was attempted then and it only raises mild interest, I’m not looking forward to the rest.