a review of 笑面人

HOOPTOBER XII NIGHT TWENTY-SIX: In spite of this film being largely known today as the original source of visual inspiration for the look of the Joker in DC Comics, Conrad Veidt's title character Gwynplaine is an infinitely more sympathetic creation in the vein of Quasimodo (not altogether coincidentally this is also based on a Victor Hugo novel) or the Elephant Man. So in spite of Veidt's horrific appearance in the film, created by makeup artist Jack Pierce -- who also designed Universal's Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, and the other classic monsters -- this is much less of a horror film and more of a sweeping melodrama with plenty of sentimental moments amidst the grotesquerie. Like a lot of early silents, this one runs a bit long but director Paul Leni keeps things moving, and the performances by the whole cast are very compelling and watchable. It's not always easy to recommend silents to folks who don't necessarily go for them, but this one worked for me.