The Man Who Laughs

To punish a nobleman, a king has the man's son surgically fixed into a permanent grin. Grown up, Gwynplaine performs at fairs with that face, and his only friend is a blind girl who has never seen what he looks like. Paul Leni adapted Victor Hugo's novel and carried the light of German expressionism into a Hollywood production. Conrad Veidt has to act entirely with his eyes because his mouth is fixed, which makes it one of the hardest performances in silent cinema. That face later became the visual source for comic book villains. This is tragedy rather than horror, and its real subject is a body on display that cannot claim its own life. Who it is for: viewers who love silent cinema and expressionist imagery. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace, since this is long and moves heavily.