Join Hugo Max as he accompanies a daring triptych of films by F. W. Murnau this spring with live soundtracks on solo viola. Following the success of his 2024 UK Tour, Max improvises scores to chamber drama The Last Laugh (1924). Max’s soundtracks draw on the dramatic and heightened worlds of this film, incorporating musical styles and techniques developed during the time of their conception. His vivid performances breathe new life into Murnau’s symbolic narratives and chiaroscuro imagery, exploring these films as cautionary tales for current times.

Hugo Max on F. W. Murnau’s Der Letzte Mann/The Last Laugh (1924):

“The life of a grand hotel doorman crumbles when he is demoted to the role of a lavatory attendant. Der Letzte Mann/The Last Laugh is a tragic chamber drama and intense character study propelled by Emil Jannings’ empathetic performance as the elderly doorman. Heightening the expressionist angst that permeates the film, my soundtrack on solo viola steps into the shoes of our protagonist, resonating with his doomed hopes and dreams.

Murnau’s study of the German psyche in the aftermath of World War I demonstrates his visual language at its most exhilarating. The director viewed intertitles as ‘an obstructive presence in film’; in The Last Laugh there is no on-screen dialogue, Murnau’s camera roaming bravely to propose a visionary form of cinematic storytelling. Hitchcock expressed his admiration for the film, visiting Germany during its production to assist at the studios where Murnau was shooting. Der Letzte Mann left its distorted shadow on the Master of Suspense and remains one of the most pioneering and affecting works of expressionist film.”

BLEAK WEEK : CINEMA OF DESPAIR is co-presented by the American Cinematheque.