We’ve got three Blu-ray copies of THE MAN WHO LAUGHS to give away in our competition.
Eureka Entertainment to release Victor Hugo’s THE MAN WHO LAUGHS; one of the most iconic and influential silent films of all time, starring Conrad Veidt and Mary Philbin. Available from 17 August 2020 for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK. Presented from Universal’s 4K restoration, as part of The Masters of Cinema Series, featuring a Limited-Edition O-Card Slipcase (First Print Run of 2000 units only].
.
To be in with a chance to win a copy, just send your answer to the question below to [email protected] with the header ‘MANWHOLAUGHS’ to arrive before 11:59pm on Sunday, August 28th, 2020
The Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under what French title ?
A) L’Homme qui rit
B) Da Da Da ich lieb dich nicht du liebst mich nicht aha aha aha
C) 99 Luftballons
One of the most visually striking of all the later silent films, The Man Who Laughs reunites German Expressionism director Paul Leni and cinematographer Gilbert Warrenton from their horror hit the previous year, The Cat and the Canary (1927). Both films are often considered to be among the earliest works of legendary horror classics from Universal Studios, yet the undeniably eerie The Man Who Laughs is more accurately described as a Gothic melodrama. However, its influence on the genre and the intensity of the imagery—art director Charles Hall and makeup genius Jack Pierce would go on to define the look of those 1930s Universal horror landmarks—have redefined it as an early horror classic, bolstered by one of the most memorable performances of the period.
Adapted from the Victor Hugo novel, The Man Who Laughs is Gwynplaine (an extraordinary Conrad Veidt), a carnival sideshow performer in 17th-century England, his face mutilated into a permanent, ghoulish grin by his executed father’s royal court enemies. Gwynplaine struggles through life with the blind Dea (Phantom of the Opera‘s Mary Philbin) as his companion – though she is unable to see it, his disfigurement still causes Gwynplaine to believe he is unworthy of her love. But when his proper royal lineage becomes known by Queen Anne, Gwynplaine must choose between regaining a life of privilege, or embracing a new life of freedom with Dea.
The startling makeup on Veidt was the acknowledged direct inspiration for The Joker in the 1940 Batman comic that introduced the character, and film versions of The Joker have been even more specific in their references to Leni’s film. While The Man Who Laughs contains powerful elements of tragedy, doomed romance, and even swashbuckling swordplay, its influence on horror cinema is most pronounced. Leni died suddenly at the age of 44 a year after this film (with Veidt also unexpectedly passing away too soon in 1943), and The Man Who Laughs endures as one of the most haunting and stylish American silent films, made just as that era was coming to a close. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the film on home video for the first time ever in the UK.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- LIMITED EDITION O CARD (2000 UNITS)
- 1080p presentation on Blu-ray from Universal’s 4K restoration
- Uncompressed LPCM 2.0 (stereo) score by the Berklee School of Music
- Uncompressed LPCM 2.0 (mono) 1928 movietone score
- A brand new interview with author and horror expert Kim Newman
- A brand new video essay by David Cairns
- Paul Leni and “The Man Who Laughs” – featurette on the production of the film
- Rare stills gallery
- A collector’s booklet featuring new writing by Travis Crawford, and Richard Combs
THE MAN WHO LAUGHS, one of the most iconic and influential silent films of all time, is OUT NOW on Blu-ray and can be purchased Here https://amzn.to/3fOy9xM
