PRE-ORDER ONLY: RELEASE DATE - MAY 28, 2019
Flicker Alley, in
partnership with Universal Pictures, are proud to present Universal
Pictures' new 4K restoration of the 1928 silent classic, The Man Who Laughs,
accompanied by a newly recorded orchestral score by the Berklee School
of Music. Based on the novel by Victor Hugo, the story centers on the
extraordinary adventures of Gwynplaine (Conrad Veidt), whose wide and
mirthless grin inspired DC Comics’ legendary Batman villain, the Joker.
Veidt's character has become well known to most cinephiles. Orphaned as a
child, Gwynplaine is punished by the king for his father’s
transgressions by having his face carved into a hideous grin. Disfigured
and alone, Gwynplaine rescues a blind girl Dea (Mary Philbin), and both
end up starring in a sideshow where they fall in love. Because she
cannot see, Dea does not know about her lover’s tormented grin.
Masterfully directed by Paul Leni, The Man Who Laughs marks
Leni’s penultimate work. Having grown up in Germany during the era of
Expressionism, Leni embraces haunting characters, twisted sets, harsh
angles, and deep shadows. Heralded as one of the best American silents
emulating German Expressionism, The Man Who Laughs
presents Leni at his creative directorial peak. Originally released
silent, the film was enough of a hit for Universal in 1928 that the
studio released it with a synched musical score using the Movietone
sound-on-film process, presented here as a secondary audio track.
Part of Universal Pictures' ongoing silent restoration initiative, The Man Who Laughs honors
the studio's rich film history that has spanned more than a century.
The primary source element for this restoration was a 35mm composite
fine grain from the Universal Pictures vault, created in 1954 from the
nitrate original camera negative. NBCUniversal's restoration team was
able to stabilize and deflicker the film as well as repair scratches,
warps, and dirt. The 4K digital restoration was completed by
NBCUniversal StudioPost.
BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:
- Paul Leni and The Man Who Laughs - A visual essay by film historian and author, John Soister, on Leni's work at Universal during this period.
- Celebrating Universal’s Masterpiece - A new booklet essay written by renowned film historian and author, Kevin Brownlow.
- Notes On the New Score - A short essay by composer Sonia Coronado of the Berklee School of Music on their new score for The Man Who Laughs.
- Optional Secondary Audio Track -
In addition to the new Berklee School of Music score, the film’s
original 1928 Movietone score is presented here as a secondary audio
track.
- Rare Image Gallery - A slide show presentation of vintage marketing materials, trade ads, memorabilia, and more from The Man Who Laughs, courtesy of the Reel Heroes of Film.
