The Man Who Laughs: Standard Edition – Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1928
Director: Paul Leni
Writers: J. Grubb Alexander, Walter Anthony, May McLean, Marion Ward, Charles E. Whittaker
Cast: Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt, Julius Molnar, Olga Baclanova, Brandon Hurst, Cesare Gravina, Stuart Holmes, Sam De Grasse, George Siegmann, Josephine Crowell, Károly Huszár

Release Date: August 17th, 2020
Approximate Running Time: 110 Minutes 15 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.2:1 Aspect Ratio / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: PG (UK)
Sound: LPCM Stereo With English Intertitles, LPCM Mono With English Intertitles
Subtitles: N/A
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: OOP

"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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information given about the transfer, “4K restoration of the film completed by Universal Pictures."

The Man Who Laughs comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.4 GB

Feature: 32.6 GB

So many films from the silent era are lost, and while some imperfections remain, The Man Who Laughs looks incredible for a film that is 98 years old. For the most part, image clarity is solid, black and grey levels are strong throughout, compression is solid, and there are no issues with digital noise reduction.

Audio: 5/5 (LPCM Stereo), 4/5 (LPCM Mono)

This release comes with two audio options, a LPCM stereo mix with English intertitles scored by the Berklee School of Music and a LPCM mono mix with English intertitles that features the 1928 Movietone score. The track with the Berklee School of Music score sounds excellent, while the track with the 1928 Movietone score has background hiss and does not sound as robust.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, stills galleries: production stills (26 images), behind the scenes (24 images), costume/make-up tests (57 images), exhibition/trade ads (45 images), programs/posters/heralds (28 images), and memorabilia (12 images), a video essay by John Soister titled Paul Leni and The Man Who Laughs (13 minutes 44 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by David Cairns and Fiona Watson titled The Face Deceives (33 minutes 18 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with Kim Newman (12 minutes 23 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles).

Summary:

Paul Leni directed The Man Who Laughs. His other notable films include Waxworks (Das Wachsfigurenkabinett), The Last Warning, and The Cat and the Canary.

The son of an exiled nobleman is left disfigured because his father refused to bend to the king's will.

When discussing The Man Who Laughs, everything begins and ends with the iconic image of its protagonist. Before you have even seen a moment of this film, that image already puts you in a state of mind that’s reinforced as the story unfolds. It’s such a striking image that the creators of Batman used it as a template for the Joker.

While the protagonist's gaping smile gives the impression that The Man Who Laughs is a sinister film in the same vein as The Hunchback of Notre Dame or The Phantom of the Opera, the result is something closer to a melodrama than a horror film. Where revenge is central to those other two mentioned films, The Man Who Laughs is a thought-provoking film that explores disabilities, how others see us, and how that shapes one’s psyche.

There are two things that are central to The Man Who Laughs. The first and arguably the more significant is Conrad Veidt’s (The Student of Prague) extraordinary portrayal of the protagonist. While his performance relies heavily on the physical movements of his limbs, it is ultimately his gaping smile that conveys the most. Another performance of note is Mary Philbin (The Phantom of the Opera—1925 version) in the role of Dea, a blind woman who falls in love with the protagonist. Her inability to see allows her to connect with the protagonist in a way no one else can.

The second thing central to The Man Who Laughs is Paul Leni’s direction. He would tragically die just a year later after completing one more film, The Last Warning. Although his output as a director is not that prolific, based solely on Waxworks and the four films he made for Hollywood, there is a clear case to be made that he is one of the best silent-era filmmakers when it comes to delivering visually striking moments.

The narrative is flawlessly constructed; it does a superb job drawing you in and building momentum to its exemplary finale, where the protagonist is besieged by an angry mob. Another strength of the narrative is how effectively it employs comedy and tragedy. The production design should not be overlooked, as it does an outstanding job creating a believable world in which this film takes place. Ultimately, The Man Who Laughs is an extraordinary film that has not lost any of its power in the nearly 100 years since it was released.

It’s unfortunate that this release is now OOP, since Eureka's release is The Man Who Laughs' best home media release to date. Highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer