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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1563

The Last Laugh

192490 minGermany

Video edition: Internet Archive
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: English.
This copy runs: 87:39
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Internet Archive · F. W. Murnau · Internet Archive source edition

Synopsis

An aging hotel doorman takes pride in the uniform that earns him respect in his neighborhood. When his employer moves him to a less prestigious job, he tries to conceal the humiliation from his family and neighbors. Emil Jannings turns a change of clothing into a crisis of dignity, identity and belonging.

Cast

Emil Jannings

Maly Delschaft

Georg John

DirectorsF. W. Murnau

Historical context

The film belongs to the intimate German chamber-drama tradition, which explores ordinary lives through gesture and setting. A hotel entrance, a courtyard and a uniform become signs of social rank in a community quick to judge appearances.

Behind the scenes

Murnau and cinematographer Karl Freund use a remarkably mobile camera to follow the doorman and suggest his changing state of mind. Dialogue intertitles are largely avoided; movement, facial expression and visual detail carry the story.

Reception and legacy

The extravagant epilogue changes the tone and invites a second look at the world's respect for wealth. The film remains an important reference in discussions of camera movement and storytelling through images.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits BFI — Murnau and The Last Laugh Festival do Rio — Brazilian title and credits Image: Universum Film AG (UFA), reproduced in The Movies Come From America, p. 157 / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 18, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Emil Jannings — Unknown author · Public domain
Maly Delschaft — Alexander Binder / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Georg John — Historical Salem Goldfilm card (1933); scan by Luetgemeyer / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

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