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The online film magazine Combustible Celluloid offers new movie reviews, DVD reviews, film reviews, actor interviews, actress interviews, director interviews, film books and all things cinema related for the thoughtful and passionate. Online for ten years! Over 3000 reviews!

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The Man Who Laughs (1928)

Rating: 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

No Joke

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy The Man Who Laughs on DVD

Following on the heels of the hit The Phantom of the Opera (1925) is the truly amazing The Man Who Laughs (1928, Kino, $29.95), a follow-up from the same studio (Universal) and the same producer (Carl Laemmle). Lon Chaney was originally expected to star, but he had moved on to new things by that time, and so the role went to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari star Conrad Veidt.

Veidt stars as Gwynplaine, a circus sideshow performer who, as a little boy, had his face disfigured by gypsies. Now he sports a permanent, freakish grin. (Batman creator Bob Kane reportedly based The Joker on this character.) Gwynplaine loves the beautiful blind Dea (Mary Philbin again), but doesn't believe that she'll truly have him. In the meantime, his caretaker realizes that Gwynplaine is actually a royal heir and tries to blackmail the phony duchess for some quick cash -- a scheme that predictably backfires.

DVD Details: Kino's disc doesn't have as many spectacular bonus features as the recent two-disc Phantom of the Opera set, but their picture and sound restoration are about as good as it gets.

Starring: Conrad Veidt, Mary Philbin, Olga Baclanova, Brandon Hurst, Julius Molnar Jr., Sam De Grasse, Cesare Gravina, Stuart Holmes
Written by: J. Grubb Alexander, Walter Anthony, based on a novel by Victor Hugo
Directed by: Paul Leni
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Running Time: 110 minutes
Date: October 17, 2003