Der letzte Mann (1924)

Calificación de los usuarios:

8.1/10   

Director:

F.W. Murnau

Guionista:

Carl Mayer (writer)

Fecha de Lanzamiento:

5 enero 1925 (USA)

Género:

Drama

Plot:

An aging doorman, after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious Hotel is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbours and society.

Plot Keywords:

Hotel | Uniform | Rain | Neighbor | Shadow

Comentarios de los usuarios:

A classic movie from the silent era that is well worth hunting out

Reparto

Emil Jannings	...	Hotelportier [hotel porter]
Maly Delschaft	...	Seine Nichte
Max Hiller	...	Ihr Bräutigam
Emilie Kurz	...	Tante des Bräutigams
Hans Unterkircher	...	Geschäftsführer [hotel manager]
Olaf Storm	...	Junger Gast
Hermann Vallentin	...	Spitzbäuchiger Gast
Georg John	...	Nachtwächter [night watchman]
Emmy Wyda	...	Dünne Nachbarin
listado alfabético del resto del reparto:
O.E. Hasse

También conocida como:

The Last Laugh (USA)
El último (Spain) [es]

Duración:

77 min | Germany:101 min | Spain:90 min (DVD edition) | USA:90 min

País:

Alemania

Color:

Negro y Blanco

Relación de Aspecto:

1.33 : 1

Sonido:

Silent

Clasificación:

Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating) | Finland:S (1967) | Spain:T

Locaciones de Filmación:

Berlin, Germany

Compañía:

Universum Film (UFA)

Trivialidades:

The first "dolly" (a device that allows a camera to move during a shot) was created for this film. According to Edgar Ulmer the idea to make the first dolly came from the desire to focus on Jannings face during the first shot of the movie, as he moved through the hotel. They obviously didn't know how to make a dolly technically, so they created the first one out of a baby's carriage.They then pulled the carriage on a sort of railway that was built on the studio.

Errores:

Personal o Equipo Visible: A hand-cranked camera is reflected in a glass door.

Conexiones de Película:

Apareció en Mortelle randonnée (1983)

A classic movie from the silent era that is well worth hunting out

Warning - Possible spoilers lie within.

This is the first silent movie I have watched in its entirety, having previously found myself becoming restless and distracted, I normally find them quite difficult to watch. I came across the Criterion edition of the movie in a large collection of Laserdiscs that I purchased recently, and decided to give it a try. I was speechless.

'The Last Laugh' (or 'The Last Man', as its translation would lead you to believe, is a touching story from director F.W. Murnau about an un-named Hotel Porter & Doorman (played excellently by Emil Jannings) who, through no fault of his own, is demoted to Lavatory attendant, and we hereby watch as his life collapses around him. It's an incredibly emotional story - during his downfall, as his friends and family mock him, Jannings' depressed, hunched-over figure can be painfully sad to watch. I found myself filling up in the scene when he finally hands his beloved porter's uniform over to the night watchman.

A landmark in the era of silent films, Murnau used some very clever camera tricks (such as smearing vaseline on the camera lens for 'dream' sequences). It was also one of the first films to use a completely free moving camera with no tripod, testimony to the success of this can be seen immediately in the first scene as the film starts. There are also no title cards in the film. Nor are they needed - The story is carried perfectly by the actors and on no occasion do you feel that you don't know what is going on.

I won't give anything away here, but there are some people that may feel the ending is a little out of place - However, I had grown so fond on Jannings' character that in a way, I was relieved to see the film move on from the final scene where he is sat hunched on the seat in the washroom - and for him to finally have 'The Last Laugh' so to speak :o)

If you have any interest in old cinema, and have not seen this, or just fancy a change from all of the samey Hollywood flicks being churned out right now, I suggest you hunt out a copy right away. Highly recommended.