Der letzte Mann

A film of visual sounds and acoustics: one can almost hear the rain pattering down, the roaring city traffic, the chattering neighbors chatter, the boisterous party, the trumpeter in the courtyard. Using nothing but the tools of staging, cinematography and Karl Freund’s unbridled camerawork, Murnau creates an soundscape in the mind. Even the intertitles seem to resonate as the screen-filling capital letters echo through the space. Together they form the word ‘senility’ – the reason for the dismissal of an ageing doorman (Emil Jannings), who is demoted to the job of toilet attendant. While the noise around him continues unabated, his world below street level basement falls completely silent. (mg)