The Man Who Laughs

(1928)

★ 7.3 IMDb · 228 votes

Genres: Drama, Romance, Horror

Year: 1928

Runtime: 110 мин

Country: United States of America

Director: Paul Leni

Cast: Конрад Фейдт, Mary Philbin, Cesare Gravina, Брэндон Херст, Olga Baclanova, Sam De Grasse, Стюарт Холмс, Josephine Crowell, Julius Molnar, Károly Huszár

Plot

When a proud noble refuses to kiss the hand of the despotic King James in 1690, he is cruelly executed and his son surgically disfigured.

Forever disfigured by a wide, mirthless grin on his face, Gwynplaine, the orphaned son of a nobleman, rescues blind baby girl Dea in cold 17th-century England. Taken in by paternal carnival philosopher Ursus, the unloved boy grows into a kind, honest man who chooses to hide his grotesque deformity behind a black cloak, utterly convinced that beautiful Dea will never truly love him because of his horrible secret. Feeling unworthy of Dea's noble feelings, Gwynplaine soon crosses paths with aristocratic temptress Duchess Josiana, as a cruel and long-standing conspiracy in the palace of Queen Anne presents him with the burden of choice. Will poor Gwynplaine, the Man who Laughs, renounce everything in the name of love?