The concluding scene of The Last Laugh depicts the incredible gluttony and generosity of the unnamed, demoted doorman after he miraculously inherits a fortune from a dying American millionaire. He feasts on mounds of food, eating caviar as if it were candy and drinking champagne as if it were water. A tracking shot of the "spread" emphasizes the opulence and indulgence of our hero. What is the point of this ending? Is is a happy ending or a parody of a happy ending? Is this supposed to be objective reality or a fantasy? Is this a cynical commercial ploy or is there deeper significance to the ending?
I think it’s a parody in the sense that the hidden meaning of the second ending is the same as the first ending, “there are no happy endings.” I think the deeper meaning lies in the fact that the chances that you end up inheriting a bunch of money from a total stranger’s eccentricity are so small that you are more likely to end up with an unhappy ending, and does this “happy ending” really lead to a happy rest of your life. Was the job the thing that gave him confidence, or the feeling of status? Will he be happy if he isn’t working? I think it’s making a parody of the unlikeliness of the events. Even though he ends up in a supposed “happy ending” what does this really mean? Who actually creates the ideas of what’s a happy ending, and what’s not? In this idea of a happy ending does he have to have money in order to be happy? I think this ending gives the average movie watcher a classic Hollywood happy ending, but for a slight movie analyst it has a not so hidden, overly opulent, almost sickly overdoing of the merriment, or “gilding the lily”. Will he be happy living out the rest of his life with only his friend the doorman and the homeless man from the street that he invites to join him? Will he be ok with being idle, or by giving his all to his job for his whole life will he waste away without it? If you aren’t happy, it doesn’t matter how much money you have, so is this really considered a happy ending?
ReplyDeleteI think that the ending to this movie is more of a parody of a happy ending. The fact that it is so extravagant and unrealistic to the sequence of the story is what makes me think this. Throughout the movie, we see the doorman lose his job due to his old age and fall into a humiliated state where he is made fun of by everyone in his daily life. This is something that happens with jobs, and why maybe you shouldn't put all of your pride on your job or rely on your sense of self-worth from it. And a big part of that is society's fault for making people feel that way. But regardless, this is bound to happen to just about everybody at some point. Not everyone has a happy ending, let alone a happy ending such as the one we see in The Last Laugh. The chances that the doorman turned washroom attendant happens to inherit a fortune by a millionaire taking his last breath in his arms are so very slim that the happy ending is over exaggeratingly extravagant to match that sense. Especially because all the doorman wanted was a sense of honor that he could derive pride from and have others respect him for. Very few people would be able to eat like him at the end of this movie, especially in that time period, and the fact that he is doing it so recklessly and carefree really sets him apart from people who could even afford to eat like that. And as he climbs into the carriage, he lets a beggar on to it and takes him with them, which is also something that someone with that wealth and status is highly unlikely to even merely consider, but the doorman pulls him right up with no hesitation, almost mocking everyone above him. In conclusion, the chances of this kind of ending are so unlikely that the movie decided to over exaggerate the circumstance in a way that made people understand that happy endings are not always likely. They highlighted that specifically by giving an example that almost nobody could even relate to in order to portray that message.
ReplyDeleteIn F. W. Murnau’s The Last Laugh, I think the new ending is a sad ending in a societal sense despite it being a very happy ending for the old man. In my opinion, the point of the ending is to suggest that life is all about luck and it does not matter how hard people work in a society. Majority of the film is about an old man who loses everything due to age in a short amount of time. It only took a few days to see the old man go from enjoying his job and life to suddenly sitting against a bathroom wall with nothing left. His downfall happened because of factors in life he cannot control. He lost his job because he is seen as to old and fragile for it and he lost his friends and family because of how society viewed people not in uniforms, as dirty. He lost everything because life just decided that he should lose everything suddenly. It is very tragic, but it also goes the other way. The old man ended up holding a stranger in arms when the stranger died in a bathroom. The stranger turned out to be a multi-millionaire who wrote in his will that if whoever’s arms, he died in, gets to inherit all of his wealth. The likelihood of everything is near impossible, and yet it happened to the old man, who was now able to live a very gluttonous life, eating whatever he wants. The old man suddenly lost everything because of luck, and then suddenly gained everything and more because of luck. Working hard did not affect the outcome of his life. In conclusion, the new ending in F. W. Murnau’s The Last Laugh, is about how status in society is built around luck instead of hard work.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Sewell
The ending scene of The Last Laugh is definitely a parody. As indicated by an intertitle, the film was supposed to end with a sad, dark look at how the doorman’s life has dwindled, albeit with a small touch of kindness and human empathy from the nightwatchman. The producers insisted upon a new, happier ending, so F. W. Murnau gave them a hyper exaggerated version of what they wanted to emphasise the unlikeliness and fairy tale-like quality of such an ending. Murnau’s vision for the film was to depict life as realistically as possible, even if it was bleak. His biggest message imparted throughout the film is that life can be harsh and cruel sometimes, and it can spiral out of control. The ending proposed by the producers went entirely against this envisioned message, so the ridiculousness and extravagance is heavily exaggerated to further show the unlikelihood of such a happy ending turning out after so many misfortunes and downfalls. This ending also serves as a furthering of the film’s message on status. Status was portrayed throughout the film as something that others value over someone’s actual personality. Everyone loved the doorman until he lost his job, at which point they all began to laugh at him and mock him. The “happy” ending of this film once again shows how the doorman is being even more showered with praise than before, and yet it is only because he has more money. This furthers the point that the way people view status is very phony and fake. Overall, although this ending was requested to be a simple happy ending, Murnau shaped it into both a parody of what a happy ending means in real life as well as a device to further the film’s message.
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ReplyDeleteThe concluding scene of The Last Laugh was indeed a parody of a happy ending. The conclusion stood out like a sore thumb among the rest of the film’s somber atmosphere. While the film’s original ending had portrayed a melancholy tone, it also expressed a more realistic fate for the doorman. He lost the respect of his family and friends after losing his status, a harsh reality for many. However, the chances of encountering such a large sum of money to turn one’s life around completely are slim to none. The purpose of the original ending was to portray the harsh realities of life as raw and as frank as possible. Therefore when given the request to create a positive ending, the director chose to do as he was asked: create an ending that coincided with society’s perception of happiness. The conclusion stressed an association between happiness and materialistic goods to the extent of a parody, inherently mocking the societal mindset that wealth and status were the only necessities to a fulfilling life. Although the beginning of the film portrayed the doorman’s happiness as a result of his job, the conclusion confirmed the idea that it was actually his job status. The doorman's happiness did not reach its full extent until he had acquired the large sum of money. The impact of the materialistic goods on the doorman revealed the money-oriented culture of the film’s time. In conclusion, because the film’s original ending meant to portray life realistically, the director made the requested positive conclusion into a parody to mock the concept of an acquisitive society.
ReplyDeleteFrom shame, despair, and pity to glory, glamour, and lots of food, our protagonist door attendant does in fact get The Last Laugh. Is his new era of wealth just simply a happy ending or is it something that contains many more layers to? While there can be arguments for either side, I personally believe the final ending is a prime example of German expressionism. German expressionism was in full swing in the era this movie was produced and shown in. To get the full picture of how I have comprehended the final ending, the original ending must be a part of the conversation. In the original ending, we see the door man stuck in the bathroom where his new job is upon his demotion. He is physically and mentally at his lowest point in the film as we see him break down in the bathroom. In a matter of hours his life fell apart before his very eyes. The film ends in darkness and with a title slide explains that sometimes life has no happy endings. It then cuts to the door man in an extravagant setting living the lavish life. The two different endings are completely opposite realities. The idea of German expressionism is portraying life through some form of art through an alternate reality. I believe the second ending is that alternate reality. I know most German expressionism is almost like reality slipping into a nightmare but this film portrays German expressionism from a nightmare that is reality into a dream of glory.
ReplyDeleteThe ending to The Last Laugh is a parody of a happy ending because of how outlandish and unrealistic it is in relation to the rest of the story. I additionally think the film is a parody because of its exaggerated use of luck and the idea that any circumstance can change overnight. The ending is explained to the audience to be very improbable, and so the audience has this in mind while watching. No matter how happy one sees this old man smile and laugh again and again, the thought "yeah, right" is permanently embedded in their mind. Throughout the film, the theme of honor and age work hand in hand as they seem to be the most pressing values in the doorman’s life. In the beginning, the doorman loses his job due to “age and fragility” and loses his pride and self worth along with it. He is ridiculed by the women who live in his apartment building and has to go through “walks of shame” as he is not respected in society anymore.
ReplyDeleteThe original ending shows the doorman falling asleep in the hotel bathroom in shame alone in a small stool chair shrouded in a coat given to him by a friendly night watchman. This particular ending offers a feeling of sympathy and pity from the audience as the doorman was nothing but curious and loyal throughout the film. During his time as doorman, he was giggly, well liked, and even flirted with by women as he walked them to their car! The audience likes this character and wishes the best for him and it is one of the reasons why I think the producers thought such a dreadful ending to the man would make viewers dislike it. It is unfortunately the ending that is most realistic as the chances of an old bathroom attendant inheriting a millionaire dollar future is arguably impossible. The doorman being the one in 7 billion people to hold that rich man as he took his last very breaths are so very slim that its only explanation is that it is a parody of a “perfect” life or turnaround. The doorman is able to live like a king as he treats his old friend with dozens of plates of expensive meats, caviar, and desserts. Throughout his extensive meal he always has at least 4 attendees waiting on him for his every desire and does not even finish half of his plates. The money he entitles is astronomical and un-comprehensible for the time and proves that all one needs is “luck” and fortune to really be successful and highly respected in life.
This was written by Stone
ReplyDeleteIn the film The Last Laugh, the ending resembles a parody more than a real happy ending. Throughout the film, we see a rollercoaster ride for the doorman going from being so content in his job to suddenly being at the bottom of society. At first, he is seen saluting people as they pass the hotel and taking such a level of pride in his actions, and on the flip side, he is shamed upon once he is demoted. Even though growing older and becoming less physically capable is a prevalent thing that leads to a essential change in jobs, his life is flipped upside down as he loses all the respect that he has for himself. It would be the ending in most films, but not in The Last Laugh, whose title entirely portrays the conclusion. Upon a millionaire dying in his arms, he inherits his fortune. Many would be reserved and even traumatized by the actions that took place. Although of this, the protagonist goes on a spending spree. He is seen eating caviar like it is invaluable and drinking champagne as it is water. I think the film was made to exaggerate the actuality in which there is little something like this happening. It is so unrealistic that millionaires don't have the money to spend on caviar and champagne so recklessly as the protagonist seems too. I believe that the film shows such an unrealistic ending to teach the audience that not every happy ending is realistic. In conclusion, the director made a mockery of a typical happy ending to a film by exploiting this film's unrealistic characteristics.
I believe that the last scene of the film The Last Laugh depicts a fantasy dream like scenario that is not realistic nor accurate. The purpose of including this ending was the demonstrate the ideal situation despite how unrealistic it may be. This captures german expressionism by depicting a contradictory ending to the original ending of the film using the scene to show a deeper meaning. It is a parody of an ending. It is placing satire around the idea that everything works out perfectly in the end, or what many films depict as the happily ever after. The deeper meaning may be that the author was trying to convey that many people do no receive this happily ever after. It is not a real exception and is not always achievable. The demoted doorman was facing his own struggles and they were not solvable by merely inheriting the fortune of a dying millionaire. I believe that the director was trying to show in his own way that it is unrealistic which is why is comes off as satire or fantasy. The last scene includes shots of a surplus of food including caviar and champagne which both are classic identifiers of wealth. The doorman is being waited on by a multitude of different servers and treated to his every desire at the snap of his fingers. He is shown living a life of luxury. This is almost too contradictory to his situation throughout the majority of the film to be considered an accurate ending. During the film he is portrayed as a struggling man who has lost his life’s purpose or meaning. He is made fun of and in a depressed state. The only probable explanation in my eyes as to why the director would include this alternate ending is to demonstrate how the prior ending was unfortunately the more realistic one. It shows the ridiculousness of always expecting a happily ever after at the end of every story despite the characters poor circumstances.
ReplyDeleteWritten by cara kannensohn
DeleteThe ending to "The Last Laugh" is a parody of a real happy ending because it depicts the worst of humanity, gluttony, greed, and over-indulgence, in a fantasy world. The unnamed doorman inherits a massive fortune by an insane stroke of luck. The point of this shocking view of a character seen as a poor man before is to show how money can change someone in a second. As the original ending was supposed to be the doorman on the ground, alone, poor, this new, hyper-exaggerated ending with insane luck falling upon the doorman is a parody. This new ending is different in tone than the rest of the film, where we see everything fall apart for this doorman. He is rejected by friends and family, and falls further and further down the social ladder. The parody comes with the mocking and over-exaggeration of wealthy people over-indulging in earthly pleasures. From a struggling, kind, sad man, given large sums of money, the doorman transforms into a greedy, indulgent man who takes advantage of every luxury at his disposal. This is simultaneously an aggravated insult to rich people who act like this regularly, it parodies how new wealthy people act. This is not meant to be taken as an objective reality, rather as an extreme version of what might happen to someone down on their luck when they receive large amounts of money. There may be a deeper meaning to the new ending, but there is definitely a level of cynicism that oozes through. This ending shows how a broken man, emotionally and physically exhausted, chooses to spend his new life. It can be interpreted as a commentary on how humans choose to spend their extra money. Whether the filmmaker sees it as a waste or not is up to interpretation. In the end, this ending is a parody of a happy ending, where a defeated man is given one last chance at life, and spends it indulging in self-pleasure.
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ReplyDeleteThe ending of The Last Laugh hits on two different levels. The first level being a big ‘screw you’ to the movie’s production company. When the producers told Murnau that his original ending was far too depressing, he took their words to the most literal extent. Instead of ending the film with a logical but happy ending, he gave the protagonist an extremely unlikely stroke of good luck that lead to him completely flipping his role. He was no longer the feeble, old, former doorman. He became the exorbitantly rich patron at the same hotel he previously worked at. It was almost like Murnau was saying, “You wanted a happy ending? Here’s your happy ending. Hope you like it.” Despite this cynical side of the ending, it is interesting to view the film with and without the new ending. Without the second ending, the movie has a continued theme of telling the viewer that no matter what someone do and how hard they work, in the end, the results rarely will favor them. However, with the second end, the film takes on a whole new light, almost flipping that theme on its head. Murnau is seeming to tell the viewer that, no matter what may happen, there is always hope. When the doorman was at his lowest, out of nowhere comes an incredible amount of good luck that completely turns his life around.
ReplyDeleteThe ending of The Last Laugh hits on two different levels. The first level being a big ‘screw you’ to the movie’s production company. When the producers told Murnau that his original ending was far too depressing, he took their words to the most literal extent. Instead of ending the film with a logical but happy ending, he gave the protagonist an extremely unlikely stroke of good luck that lead to him completely flipping his role. He was no longer the feeble, old, former doorman. He became the exorbitantly rich patron at the same hotel he previously worked at. It was almost like Murnau was saying, “You wanted a happy ending? Here’s your happy ending. Hope you like it.” Despite this cynical side of the ending, it is interesting to view the film with and without the new ending. Without the second ending, the movie has a continued theme of telling the viewer that no matter what someone do and how hard they work, in the end, the results rarely will favor them. However, with the second end, the film takes on a whole new light, almost flipping that theme on its head. Murnau is seeming to tell the viewer that, no matter what may happen, there is always hope. When the doorman was at his lowest, out of nowhere comes an incredible amount of good luck that completely turns his life around.
ReplyDeleteThe last scene of the film, The Last Laugh, is an extremely exaggerated parody of the directors demand to make it a happy ending. Originally, the director of the film, F. W. Murnau, wanted to make the ending very realistic, which meant just like the overall theme of the film, that it would depict the very sad and dreary downfall of the doorman once he lost his job. His overall goal for the film was to point out how toxic society is. Once he lost his position, he lost all of his status and glory, which shows how wealth and prosperity directly affect how people treat you. Even his own family did not respect him anymore. The director pushed heavily on the shallowness of mankind, up until the end. Murnau even makes a title slide pointing out how the producers demands were not what he envisioned, and don’t fit into the logical timeline of the plot. Part of the slide reads, “... in actual life the forlorn old man would have little to look forward to but death. The author took pity on him however, and provided quite an improbable epilogue.” By pointing out how unrealistic the ending was, the director expresses his own disagreement with his author’s commands. Then, the director makes a point of his contradiction by making an over exaggerated parody of a ‘happy ending’. Instead of what he tells us should have happened, which was the reality of the man's depressing life, he creates a final scene that is more like a fantasy. He took the toxicity of society and flipped it again for the main character. He randomly is selected to inherit a lot of money, which gives him back his social fame and status. Most of the final scenes are shots of him basking in his wealth and show how much happier he is now that he has regained his ‘friends’, who only are there for him during his glory. Although, the director did a good job of incorporating the theme into this ridiculous ending, it still lacks the sadness and actuality that the rest of the film focused on, which is why it does not fit. It is almost a completely different movie, totally different filming style and overall focus, which was likely purposefully done by the pessimistic director.
ReplyDeleteThe ending in The Last Laugh is polar opposite and goes against the rest of the film showing how fate and life can flip at any given moment. Throughout the film, the doorman has many ups and downs. He starts off high on life, and is always excited to see and greet people. However, the film takes a turn when he loses his job. This loss amounts to much more than just a job for the now former doorman. He was seen highly by others, and enjoyed the honor brought by greeting people. Losing this interaction and praise, he feels as if he has been thrown to the bottom of society. He lost his job due to his old age and inability to perform tasks like he used to. This is completely up to fate, and it shows just how little control he has in this situation. He is very discouraged as a washroom attendant and misses the joy his former job brought him. The film gets very dark, and the ending would have been very sad so the producers wanted a change. A millionaire dies in the arms of the washman and he inherits the money. One of the most random occurrences that results in wealth shows yet another uncontrollable outcome; this time it boosts the morale of the former doorman. The lavish feast and attention signify the randomness of life. Comparing the end scene to what would have been the end scene, we see exact opposites. They did want a happy ending and they got much more beyond that. The viewer is filled with opposite emotions, and the different scenes show randomness mixed with the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
ReplyDeleteIn The Last Laugh, the unnamed doorman was living out his fantasies as a dream, having lavish and amazing dinner with his friend. The point of the ending was to be completely different from his actual life and have a “happy ending” that made the audience not pity the unnamed doorman, as they would have if it ended with him on the floor of the bathroom. This ending not only is a fairytale ending but it also represents that even if you had a terrible, and unfortunate life it can somehow become happy. Not only is that form of reality false but it also can make the viewers pity the unnamed doorman even more with this ending because they do not know if this is true or a dream. The ending is a parody of a happy ending since it is his ultimate fantasy to be content and finally fit in and be accepted by society. His whole life the doorman was poor, an outcast or just did not fit in and finally he is living his wildest dream come true. I find it funny that this was the ending the production company wanted in his fantasy, but it’s a parody since the whole time he seems like he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the customers at the restaurant. I think this ending is cynical because it makes fun of the doorman’s horrible life in an SNL type of way that makes you laugh at the fact this is the doorman’s new life.
ReplyDeleteThe final scene of The Last Laugh is not an actual happy ending, but rather a parody of one, and furthermore a sign of disrespect to the studio. Everything is almost too good to be true, with splendor and extravagance suddenly at every turn for a man whose life has been nothing but sorrow up until this point. It is satirical towards the seemingly forced happy endings of many of its contemporary films. It is almost as if the events after the epilogue intertitle never really happen, but are instead a vision the doorman has as he is dying. Another possible interpretation is that the ending scene is a sort of heaven or paradise that the doorman earns as an afterlife by working hard for all of his living days. Whatever it is, it’s definitely not supposed to be an objective reality. Mostly, it seems to be F. W. Murnau’s artistic revenge on the studio for telling him his original ending was “too depressing”. Instead of dying alone and depressed on the bathroom floor, the doorman is granted a great inheritance in what can only be described as a sort of fluke. He skyrockets to the other extreme of living, under the most unreasonable and unpredictable circumstances possible. He regains all of his old friends, and is treated like the pinnacle of high society, presented with the finest foods and drink. I think this ending scene changes the meaning of the movie quite drastically, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t fit. I believe that without this addition there would be a lot less significance to the doorman’s death and the way it plays out in the final moments of the film. It’s a bit cynical, but primarily it is a way of showing the flimsiness of a gilded happy ending.
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