Silent Era : DVD : The Man Who Laughs (1928) Review

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The Man Who Laughs
(1928)
on

The highly-regarded Paul Leni film The Man Who Laughs (1928) stars Conrad Veidt as the disfigured Gwynplaine, hero of Victor Hugo’s novel.

The character is the acknowledged inspiration for Batman villain, The Joker.

2003 Kino International edition

The Man Who Laughs (1928), black & white, 110 minutes, not rated.

Kino International, K310, UPC 7-38329-03102-2.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC, one single-sided, dual-layered DVD disc, Region 1, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops, keep case, $29.95.
DVD release date: 30 September 2003.
Country of origin: USA

Kino International has produced this edition from a recently-restored version of the film that combines two English language and Italian language nitrate original prints. The DVD features a 20-minute documentary, informal footage of Veidt, Greta Garbo, Emil Jannings and Camilla Horn, a photo gallery, and exerpts from an Italian version of the film with hand-painted intertitles.

USA: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.com.
Canada: Click the logomark at right to purchase a Region 1 NTSC DVD of this edition from Amazon.ca.

2004 Sunrise Silents edition

The Man Who Laughs (1928), black & white, 144 minutes, not rated.

Sunrise Silents, TMWL-N (NTSC) or TMWL-P (PAL), no UPC number.
Full-frame 4:3 NTSC or PAL, one single-sided, single-layered? DVD-R disc, Region 0, ? Mbps average video bit rate, ? kbps audio bit rate, Dolby Digital 2.0 mono sound, English language intertitles, no foreign language subtitles, chapter stops, keep case, $21.95.
DVD release date: October? 2004.
Country of origin: USA

This edition from Sunrise Silents includes the original Movietone soundtrack of synchronized music and sound effects.

This disc is available in Region 0 NTSC or PAL directly from Sunrise Silents.

Other silent era Conrad Veidt films available on DVD home video:
Different From the Others (1919)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The Indian Tomb (1921)
Waxworks (1924)
The Beloved Rogue (1927)

Other silent era horror films available on DVD home video:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
The Cat and the Canary (1927)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
Eyes of the Mummy (1918)
The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) [Epstein]
Faust (1926)
The Golem (1920)
The Hands of Orlac (1924)
Häxan (1922)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)
L’Inferno (1911)
Leaves from Satan’s Book (1921)
Maciste in Hell (1926)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Penalty (1920)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
The Student of Prague (1913)
The Student of Prague (1926)
The Unknown (1927)
Warning Shadows (1923)
Waxworks (1924)

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