The Last Laugh (1924) by F.W.Murnau.

“Emil Jannings is an incredible actor. It is the story of this man, doorman in a Grand Hotel, with this suit that means so much for him, this suit that makes him a respected man when he goes back home. Very early in the movie, as he falls with the suitcase, he is put to the surveillance of the toilets. He descends deep stairs, that don’t seem to end, in which he disappears, until he does not exist anymore. Since he is marrying his daughter, he wants to hide his fall. It is a film about appearances, about how this man, even if he knows it’s vain, hangs to this costume. How he wants to sacrifice for his daughter, because he doesn’t want her to be ashamed. It simply is human, and each shot is there to make the story progress and tell something. When we see him go down to the toilets, we really see him go down in darkness, in hell. This is not a dark movie, even if it is not a love story it’s full of love, because the character is generous. He doesn’t rebel, he accepts scary things because he has no other choice, it’s also a movie about social status linked to appearance, to all that this uniform stands for. It’s a really moving film I often recommend.”

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