CERT: PG | PLATFORM: BLU-RAY | RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 17TH
Though best remembered for inspiring the face of DC’s Joker, The Man Who Laughs, a 1928 silent movie directed by Paul Leni for Universal, is an important part of horror history. It now gets its first ever UK home release courtesy of Eureka.
Based on a Victor Hugo novel, it’s an eighteenth century-set tale. Conrad Veidt stars as Gwynplaine, who as a child had his face mutilated into a disturbing grin. He scrapes a living as a carnival performer, amusing audiences with his permanent ‘laugh’, but when Queen Anne’s court learns of his existence and true aristocratic heritage, the subsequent scheming throws this life into turmoil.
The movie packs a lot in – romance, political intrigue, swashbuckling action, and an enjoyably anti-authoritarian energy – but at the centre is Veidt’s incredible performance. You can see how he inspired the Joker, but Gwynplaine is a different character entirely, much more sympathetic, unable to believe that his blind companion could truly love him were she able to see his face; this heart-rending take on living with a deformity puts the film ahead of its time.
Yet it also had a massive influence on horror cinema; Leni’s eerie gothic visuals strongly informed the later Universal classics, and two of his main collaborators here – art director Charles Hall and make-up virtuoso Jack Pierce – would help define that series.
The 1080p presentation comes from Universal’s 4K restoration, and there’s a choice of soundtrack – a recently recorded score by the Berklee School of Music, or the (much tinnier) original movietone. Behind the scenes interviews and featurettes explore the film’s place in cinema history, plus there’s a booklet of essays.
