4. The Last Laugh (F.W. Murnau)
Friederich Wilhelm Murnau may be the least recognizable name on this list, but he is certainly one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. A contemporary of Fritz Lang and G.W. Pabst, F.W. Murnau directed two films whose influence can be directly traced to the horror and romance genres today: Nosferatu, a Symphony of Horror (an unauthorized reworking of Bram Stoker's Dracula) and Sunrise (number five on
Sight and Sound's critics list of the best movies of all time). Murnau, a 6'11" gay man, was a rare talent, famous for his take on Expressionistic style that included concerted camera movements like the famous tracking sequence through the brush in Sunrise (at the
beginning of this clip). He made around twenty films in Germany including Nosferatu, Faust, Phantom, and The Haunted Castle before moving to Hollywood to make films for Fox Studios in 1927. These films include Sunrise, the lost film 4 Devils, and Our Daily Bread. In 1924, while still in Germany, Murnau made The Last Laugh (Der Letzte Mann in its original German) a drama about an old doorman at a hotel that loses his position to a younger man. The Last Laugh is less surreal from a narrative perspective than films like Nosferatu or Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the set design is more naturalistic than traditional German Expressionist movies, but that doesn't limit its effectiveness. Murnau's camera captures the damaged psyche of the old man, played by the great German actor (and Murnau regular) Emil Jannings, who is tossed aside by his work, neighbors, and family when they determine he is no longer of use. A compelling criticism of how society deals with the working class, Murnau's impressive and moving cinematography makes The Last Laugh compelling and entertaining. The tacked on happy ending is admittedly ridiculous (a title card comes up to say that it wouldn't have happened in the real world but the screenwriter took pity on the character) but it is a testament to Jannings's performance that you want him to be happy despite everything. His yearning to be respected and understood as a human being manifests itself as a fear of being ridiculed, and Murnau lets Jannings command the screen in the classic silent, yet modern, film The Last Laugh.