Max Plays Murnau: The Last Laugh

Join Hugo Max as he performs a live soundtrack on solo viola to F. W. Murnau’s classic chamber drama The Last Laugh (1924), his vivid performance breathing new life into Murnau’s expressionistic imagery.

Max on The Last Laugh - ‘Der Letzte Mann/The Last Laugh is a tragic chamber drama and intense character study propelled by Emil Jannings’ empathetic performance as an elderly doorman. Heightening the expressionist angst that permeates the film, my soundtrack on solo viola steps into the shoes of our protagonist, resonating with his doomed hopes and dreams. Murnau’s study of the German psyche in the aftermath of World War I demonstrates his visual language at its most exhilarating. The director viewed intertitles as ‘an obstructive presence in film’ - in The Last Laugh there is no on-screen dialogue, Murnau’s camera roaming bravely to propose a visionary form of cinematic storytelling. Hitchcock expressed his admiration for the film, visiting Germany during its production to assist at the studios where Murnau was shooting. Der Letzte Mann left its distorted shadow on the Master of Suspense and remains one of the most pioneering and affecting works of expressionist film.’

Hugo Max is a British-Austrian musician, filmmaker and painter who performs live improvised scores to silent films on solo viola. He regularly soundtracks screenings at London’s Prince Charles Cinema and Picturehouse Cinemas across the UK.

https://hugomax.co.uk/