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The Man Who Laughs

Turkish title: Gülen adam

“THE BREAKING HEART BEHIND THE LAUGHING FACE.”

1928 · 1 h 50 min
Directed by Paul Leni
DramaHorrorMystery

Cast

Conrad Veidt Mary Philbin Olga Baclanova

Plot

As a child, Gwynplaine is disfigured by a surgeon, who carves a permanent grin into his face on the orders of the King. Found by a travelling showman, he grows up as a fairground attraction, in love with a blind girl, Dea. When he is discovered to be a lord, he is brought to the court and a decadent noblewoman desires him. Paul Leni's 1928 adaptation of Victor Hugo was one of the last great silent films from Universal, and Conrad Veidt's grin, with its sad eyes, later inspired the look of the Joker.

Sinekatalog’s take

Paul Leni's silent Gothic melodrama stars Conrad Veidt as a disfigured man with a permanent grin. Haunting and visually rich, it influenced the look of the Joker and is a tragic, expressionistic classic.Sinekatalog’s own editorial review – not a user or critic quote.

Ratings

IMDb: 7.6 / 10 (9,407 votes)
IMDb rating and vote count from the IMDb ratings dataset (October 2026). Scores change over time.

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