My Grading System

A+ = Masterpiece (I hold back on this one.) / A = Great. / A- = Really Good. / B+ = Good. / B = Decent (Serviceable). / B- = Flawed but okay (For those times there's something redeeming about the work). / C+ = Not very good (Skip it). C = Bad. / C- = Awful. / F = Complete Disaster (I hold back on this one too).

Note on Spoilers: I will try to avoid ruining a story by going into too much detail. But if I wish to include some revealing points to my analysis I will try to remember to add a separate spoiler paragraph.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

The Last Laugh (1924)

If you don’t like silent films of course this one isn’t for you. But if you do enjoy them and especially appreciate the historical influence they represent then you are in for a treat. This is F. W. Murnau's masterpiece about an old man getting bumped from the job he loves because of old age. Emil Jannings' acting is strong, if at time melodramatic which was the style back then, but it’s very effective at transferring the emotional depth of a man’s decline. This film is also interesting because in a way it has an alternate ending that expands the meaning of the film in a way that surprised and moved me. The technical zooms and close-ups are a hint at cinematic improvements to come. Grade: A
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