Today, on January 1st, 2024, The 1928 silent film, The Man Who Laughs, entered the public domain for the first time. It’s a classic, iconic movie that inspired the Batman villain, The Joker.
Directed by Paul Leni, The Man Who Laughs is based on Victor Hugo‘s novel of the same name, following the tragic story of Gwynplaine; a disfigured man in 17th century England who has a perpetual grin carved into his face from childhood. He later becomes a famous sideshow attraction.
It’s a darkly atmospheric melodrama starring Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine, and well worth a watch if you haven’t seen it yet (you can actually watch it on Amazon Prime Video).
James Gunn recently spoke about Veidt, saying:
Conrad Veidt in Paul Leni’s The Man Who Laughs (1928), based on Victor Hugo’s novel. The film was a silent romantic melodrama – Veidt’s character was the hero; the smile was carved into his face as a boy by a Comprachico (a fictional group of people who reshaped the physical appearance of children like a pruner would a Bonsai tree). Bill Finger, Kane & Jerry Robinson couldn’t agree on much but they all agreed Veidt’s portrayal was the inspiration for the Joker in the comics.
So, what does it mean now the film is in the public domain? Well, it means anyone has the freedom to do whatever they like with it. A previous example of this would be when The Amityville Horror became public domain, and shitty movies a-plenty surfaced.
All we can hope is that something good comes out of the public domaining of The Man Who Laughs.
Source: GeekTyrant
Have you watched The Man Who Laughs yet? Will you now? Let me know in the comments.
