The gossip of the members of his community about his demotion, rather than the demotion itself, is the direct cause of the doorman's downfall in The Last Laugh. Some of the most expressive images in the film demonstrate the spread of gossip and the resultant mockery of the neighbors: the camera moves to an outstretched ear, the camera follows the doorman along a walk of shame, grotesque and blurry heads superimposed on the neighborhood mock him with unabashed laughter. Much like social media in our day gossip can be a social influencer: it can be a source of ridicule, condemnation, and ostracism. What is the movie saying about gossip as a form of communication (and by analogy social media)? What is it saying about the community that listens to it? How does what other people think of us influence how we think of ourselves?
A Little Bird told me was a good movie until it wasn’t. The movie had a good storyline and setting, as well as actors but I feel like they prolonged it it for so long that they ruined the movie. Were they trying to get to the 1 hour mark? I'm not sure but it seemed like it based on what I saw. This movie could’ve been 30 minutes shorter and had the same effect on its viewers and still have gotten its point across without leaving anything out. We know that the mans job was highly praised in his town, and we know due to his age that he got demoted and was devasted. We know that he gets laughed at when demoted and then we know he gets lucky and wins a lot of money. That storyline could be presented in a quick 30-minute film. However, this does not take away the good parts of this movie, the camera angles, the movements, and the effects were amazing in this movie. The way the camera was on a bicycle and that’s how they got their movement shots as well as how they incorporated camera movement with effects. For example the drunk scene, the camera moved all around him like he was stumbling and then they made everything blurry, like he couldn’t see straight. Throughout the whole movie, they do a great job of using camera movements and effects, if only the movie was shorter it would’ve been one of the best movies we’ve seen so far.
ReplyDeleteThe movie The Last Laugh, directed by F. W. Murnau says that gossip was a prevalent form of communication during the time period, and also says that the community often relied on it to gain information. Due to the fact that there were no phones to communicate with and that gossipy information was not likely to be shared on newspapers or social media, people gossiped a lot. Seeing as our main character was a well-respected man in his neighborhood, with a well-respected job, he was liked and treated with more honor and respect than the average person. Examples of this are random people saluting him as he walks back to his house. For a man of his stature to suddenly lose his job, which was the thing that earned him his respect, people would start to wonder and talk. The Walk of Shame was a rather brutal scene. It showed the doorman walking slowly down a sidewalk, while the faces of his neighbors were superimposed laughing hysterically at him. I take this to be that he thought this is what his neighbors would do instead of what his neighbors would actually do because if they had any real respect for him while he had the uniform on, they would still be kind and helpful to him in his time of need. I think that the sudden ostracisation of the doorman is unrealistic and that people are not that way. I do not think that this example of gossip connects to modern social media because that is not the main use of social media, at least not with me.
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ReplyDeleteThrough the movie’s imagery and meaning, the movie shares a story of how negativity in gossip often can unite an entire community against a single person to shed even a bit of entertainment through joy in other’s pain. The doorman’s demotion itself is only focused on for a few seconds on his reaction. This was done during a high camera angle and powerless view of the doorman. While the demotion was emotionally painful, the doorman rapidly changes his perspective not to how he feels of the situation, but of how he will be seen. The next few shots are of what exactly the main character will be completing on his new demoralizing job. The movie accomplishes the demoralizing aspect through effective camera placement and movement, giving the viewer an idea of how powerless the main character feels and now appears. In the next few shots, something akin to a montage is found. The main character begins to walk back to his apartment through his community. As he passes through the city, window after window of people can be seen laughing, pointing, and shaming the previously respectable doorman from above. This montage accomplishes a couple things. First, it dictates the new life and perspective that others will have on the main character. Since the main character justifies his worth based on his work, he too will see himself as he is being seen. Lastly, it shows a joyful community united in one action. Possibly the clearest show of a united community through another’s pain is the scene where around five women are seen laughing in sync at the same time at the doorman’s demotion. Through the pain felt by the doorman, the community is shown directly participating in the general shaming of the doorman and laughing in personal joy while doing it. While the original demotion was not horribly detrimental, the pain was exacerbated by his own community he was shown helping previously. It is a story of ostracization and betrayment that brings the community together, as if any single person chooses not to participate, they too may be ostracized in the same way.
The film, ‘The Last Laugh,’ follows a man whose self-worth is based on how others view him. He felt like the top of the world walking through his town. People waved at him and saluted him as he walked by. The people in his town respected and admired him because they all lived in a lower-income neighborhood, but since he was a doorman at a very prestigious hotel and was always dressed in his fancy uniform, they loved him. Due to this, his entire self-worth was built on how others viewed him, so when he got demoted and lost his uniform, instead of walking through town being saluted, he was pointed at and laughed at by the people of his town. Since he lost everyone’s respect, he started a downward spiral into depression. This theme of other's opinions dictating one's self-worth makes this movie so timeless and applicable today. For example, with social media, people post pictures of themselves and base their worth on how many likes they get, so if, for instance, one posts a picture and gets fewer likes than they normally do, they will start to doubt their self-worth.
ReplyDeleteLast Laugh is a movie that discusses the hardships of life when one becomes older. It shows an old man who once worked as a great doorman in the Atlantic Hotel but is told he is being demoted to a bathroom cleaner and shoe shiner after he struggles to lift up a big trunk. After one of the people from his community finds this out they bring it back to his small community. She starts by telling to what I assume is his daughter the news of what happened. But then a lady puts her ear up to the door and she spreads it around making it worse. This shows how gossip can be spread so quick among people and how it can really destroy someone's image as no one respects him now because he's not this big fancy doorman at the hotel. This often happens with teenagers in social media as well. There are times where someone posts something or tells someone something in private and then one person texts there best friend that "won't tell anyone" and then that friend texts a group chat which texts even more people. Now instead of those two people knowing this super embarrassing thing now its 20 and maybe the next day its the whole school. The point is gossip in this movie can be a lesson for us in the modern day with social media and how sometimes we should keep things to ourselves and not gossip about it because as we see nothing good comes from it.
ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of gossip as a form of communication in the German Silent Film “The Last Laugh” is central to its narrative and serves as a commentary on the influence of public opinion and the destructive nature of gossip. The film uses many camera angles and techniques to demonstrate the rapid spread of gossip and its consequences on the doorman’s life. As the doorman’s job demotion becomes public, the camera captures all of the reactions from his neighbors and his community. The camera pans from one balcony to another to create a visual representation of the gossip being passed from one person to another. His neighbor’s faces are superimposed onto each other as they loom over the doorman, further mocking and judging him. With such visuals, "The Last Laugh" suggests that gossip is a powerful and often negative force in society. Much like modern-day social media, gossip can lead to ridicule, condemnation, and ostracism. The film critiques the community that engages in gossip, portraying it as mean-spirited and lacking in empathy. The community's reaction to the doorman's demotion reflects a broader societal tendency to value individuals based on their social status and external symbols of success, such as the doorman's uniform, which represents success and status. When the doorman loses his uniform, he loses the main source of his identity. Without his uniform to physically display his credibility, the doorman no longer has any self-worth. “The Last Laugh” condemns society for placing too much emphasis on valuing social status and portrays how destructive gossip can be in a world where what others think about us changes how we think of ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe movie The Last Laugh, directed by F. W. Murnau best demonstrates the way individuals care too much about how they are perceived by society. After losing his high-end job as a doorman, the protagonist is forced to walk through an alley of neighbors and friends. The filmmaker then pans to an image of superimposed blurry faces mocking and laughing at the main character. Here, the image focuses on the prevalent thing in the mind of the doorman at that moment: not money, not his next job, but rather what other people think. This focuses on the amount of pressure that each places on themselves to have social success to prove their worth to others. This idea is furthered when the main character falls asleep viewers get to see his ideal life in his dream. The film depicts The doorman in his former uniform, giving a speech or toast at a dinner party where all of his friends and neighbors applaud him and praise his successes as a doorman. This exemplifies his need for constant affirmation and praise from his peers, as it is his biggest dream that he yearns so deeply for. Without it, the former doorman drinks heavily, and wallows in self-pity, equating his self-worth to how others view him. Today, this is seen increasingly with the use of social media. Social media can act as affirmation, fighting for more attention or likes on each of your posts. When social media users tie this need for affirmation to their self-worth, they are left in the position of the doorman: feeling worthless when praise isn't received. Overall, the film The Last Laugh demonstrates the way individuals care too much about how they are perceived by society, and illustrates an example of why social media can be detrimental to mental health.
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