Country: Germany
Released: December 23th, 1924
Genre: Drama, Tragedy
Directed by: F.W. Murnau
Produced by: Erich Pommer
Released: December 23th, 1924
Genre: Drama, Tragedy
Directed by: F.W. Murnau
Produced by: Erich Pommer
Written by: Carl Mayer
Finding a subtitled version for Der Letze Mann was an absolute bitch. At first I tried copying any inter-titles into bing translate but all I got in return was incomprehensible gibberish; google translate wasn't much help either. Then I tried just reading the synopsis on wikipedia, a terrible idea because knowing exactly what happens completely spoiled the enjoyment of the movie. Finally I found a version with subtitles in Portuguese and just let out a resounding "fuck it," hoping that my Spanish would be good enough.
Thankfully it was.
The plot of Der Letze Mann is deceptively simple. Emil Jannings plays a nameless doorman at a swanky hotel in Germany. Despite being relatively poor he has gained the respect of the neighbours thanks to his job and swanky uniform. Things go south for him when his boss deems him too infirm to carry people's luggage and "demotes" him to a washroom attendant. Ashamed, our beleaguered protagonist steals his old uniform and tries to pass it off like nothing happened but is soon discovered by his friends. Ridiculed, he is forced out of his home to sleep in the bathroom of the hotel. The final scene ends with a kindly nightwatchman covering his huddled frame with a jacket.
Thankfully it was.
The plot of Der Letze Mann is deceptively simple. Emil Jannings plays a nameless doorman at a swanky hotel in Germany. Despite being relatively poor he has gained the respect of the neighbours thanks to his job and swanky uniform. Things go south for him when his boss deems him too infirm to carry people's luggage and "demotes" him to a washroom attendant. Ashamed, our beleaguered protagonist steals his old uniform and tries to pass it off like nothing happened but is soon discovered by his friends. Ridiculed, he is forced out of his home to sleep in the bathroom of the hotel. The final scene ends with a kindly nightwatchman covering his huddled frame with a jacket.
Or at least that's where it should have ended. The film proceeds to provide a completely unnecessary and absurd epilogue wherein our hero receives a massive inheritance out of bloody nowhere and becomes a millionaire. The last scene is literally just an extended sequence of him and the watchmen flaunting their newfound wealth.
What a fucking cop-out.
Ignoring these last twenty-minutes or so however it's a very good movie. I can't venture to say great but that's not really the movie's fault; again, reading the wikipedia article and spoiling the movie kind of sucked any enjoyment out of it.
Regardless the film is still solidly done and more importantly has something intelligent to say: namely on the hero-worship revolving uniforms in Germany (a holdover from Prussian militarism) up until the end of the Second World War. Jannings' uniform is distinctly army-like and he carries himself with the pompous swagger of a general. He even salutes his neighbours whenever he greets them and absolutely revels in their reverence. However he's not a bad guy. The film goes to great lengths to show that he's a gentle soul, bumbling and clumsy sure, but kind nonetheless. Which is why his fall from grace is so tragic, because it's for such shallow reasons. He loses his uniform and all his respect vanishes. To modern eyes it's almost comical how sanctimonious the characters get when a uniform is involved, but there's still some truth to those kinds of attitudes even today. Hell, just look at the States and their warrior-worship.
It feels almost cliche to talk about World War One at this point but I'm going to do it anyways because it's both relevant and because not enough people know much about the Great War Fuck you'd think World War Two happened two years ago what with how much it still influences popular culture, but World War One is oddly absent despite being far more influential in the "grand scheme" of things. Basically it was a big fucking deal, and it'll probably continue being a big fucking deal in European cinema, especially German cinema, until 'ol Adolf comes around. Not surprisingly this movie isn't exactly pro-war. Unlike Dr. Caligari, which criticized the political establishment and more or less absolved the sleepy German populace of any blame, Der Letzte Mann squares it's cites smack-dab on the German people and their admiration of military culture. Jannings gets heaps of love despite not doing anything but ware fancy clothes, yet when he loses his position he's cast aside almost instantly.Despite its critiques of military culture it never feels forced, probably because the film doesn't make use of a single inter-title. Seriously, save for one moment there isn't a single word of written dialogue or exposition. This is showing versus telling in its purest form with nothing but the acting and the camera to tell the story.
Speaking of which the camera work also deserves a mention. Largely regarded by critics as the first film to use shots as a form of expression in and of itself, the camera in Der Letzte Mann feels far more alive than previous films. I was surprised by how distinct the tracking shots looked, especially in the scene where Jannings' character walks through his neighbourhood after being discovered as a fraud. The long focus of the camera as it follows Jannings march through his neighbours' jeers helps emphasize how long the ordeal must have felt for his character. I also enjoyed the dream sequence where Jannings fantasized about being able to lift luggage like it was a balloon. While the blurred effects are heavy handed they're effective, and I found the simplicity of his fantasy endearing.
Overall a solid film throughout. A few of the scenes could have been shortened a bit and the last twenty minutes should have been cut-out entirely, but otherwise a good movie with a good lead performance. Check it out, just make sure you skip the epilogue.
It feels almost cliche to talk about World War One at this point but I'm going to do it anyways because it's both relevant and because not enough people know much about the Great War Fuck you'd think World War Two happened two years ago what with how much it still influences popular culture, but World War One is oddly absent despite being far more influential in the "grand scheme" of things. Basically it was a big fucking deal, and it'll probably continue being a big fucking deal in European cinema, especially German cinema, until 'ol Adolf comes around. Not surprisingly this movie isn't exactly pro-war. Unlike Dr. Caligari, which criticized the political establishment and more or less absolved the sleepy German populace of any blame, Der Letzte Mann squares it's cites smack-dab on the German people and their admiration of military culture. Jannings gets heaps of love despite not doing anything but ware fancy clothes, yet when he loses his position he's cast aside almost instantly.Despite its critiques of military culture it never feels forced, probably because the film doesn't make use of a single inter-title. Seriously, save for one moment there isn't a single word of written dialogue or exposition. This is showing versus telling in its purest form with nothing but the acting and the camera to tell the story.
Speaking of which the camera work also deserves a mention. Largely regarded by critics as the first film to use shots as a form of expression in and of itself, the camera in Der Letzte Mann feels far more alive than previous films. I was surprised by how distinct the tracking shots looked, especially in the scene where Jannings' character walks through his neighbourhood after being discovered as a fraud. The long focus of the camera as it follows Jannings march through his neighbours' jeers helps emphasize how long the ordeal must have felt for his character. I also enjoyed the dream sequence where Jannings fantasized about being able to lift luggage like it was a balloon. While the blurred effects are heavy handed they're effective, and I found the simplicity of his fantasy endearing.
Overall a solid film throughout. A few of the scenes could have been shortened a bit and the last twenty minutes should have been cut-out entirely, but otherwise a good movie with a good lead performance. Check it out, just make sure you skip the epilogue.
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