NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (August 2020): Masters of Cinema bring us a 1080P presentation on Blu-ray from the same Universal's 4K restoration of the 1928 film "The Man Who Laughs". Their dual-layered Blu-ray has a max'ed out bitrate. Because of this it has an improved image with richer black levels and a more stable image in-motion. The UK image is better - but to what degree will depend upon your system or discerning eyes.

As far as audio - Masters of Cinema also offer the 2018 Berklee School of Music score (stereo) with the option of the original 1928 the original Movietone score (mono). These are transferred in linear PCM (24-bit) 2.0 channel tracks and sound wonderful. The intertitles are the same (original) and the Blu-ray disc is Region 'B'-locked.

The most notable difference is in the supplements. Masters of Cinema also include the 14-minute visual essay by film historian and author, John Soister, on Leni's work at Universal during this period... and also a rare images stills gallery. They do add new extras though; a dozen minute interview with author and horror expert Kim Newman - who is always a pleasure to hear from - and brand new 1/2 hour video essay by David Cairns and Fiona Watson that is impressive. In their handsome package Master of Cinema also include a collector's booklet featuring new writing by Travis Crawford, and Richard Combs. There is a limited edition O-Card (2000 UNITS. ) This is a beautiful package and, imo, the definitive one. With the superior image transfer and valued new supplements including the booklet it has our highest recommendation!    

Gary Tooze

***

ADDITION: Flicker Alley Blu-ray (May 2019): Flicker Alley bring us a brand new 4k transfer of the 1928 silent (and then not silent-- more on that later) film "The Man Who Laughs". The single-layered Blu-ray holds the 1.2:1 1080P image (shown at 24fps with a modest bitrate). There is a DVD included as well. As per Flicker Alley's notes:

"The primary source element for this restoration was a 35mm composite fine grain from the Universal Pictures vault, created in 1954 from the nitrate original camera negative. NBC Universal's restoration team was able to stabilize and deflicker the film, as well as repair scratches, warps, and dirt. The 4K digital restoration was completed by NBC Universal Studio Post."

The silent film can look a tad unstable in the opening 5-minutes or so, though this ceases to be an issue rather quickly (and this is a common condition for films of this age) but we assume the deflicker improves what the source elements exported. As per the restoration work, it would seem to be rather seamless, which helps to maintain the integrity of the film's appearance. Certain close-up or medium close-up static camera shots reveal a decent amount of detail, while this clarity is not consistent throughout the presentation. Flicker Alley should be commended for their effort to bring this indelible film to Blu-ray.

There are two audio options here for the running time of the film. The first is new score from the Berklee School of Music. As Flicker Alley states in their notes, " [When "The Man Who Laughs" was] originally released silent, the film was enough of a hit for Universal in 1928 that the studio released it with a synched musical score using the Movietone sound-on-film process, presented here as a secondary audio track." Both audio options are presented in the lossless 24-bit 2.0 DTS-HD Master audio format. Which track suits you best will most likely vary from person to person. I found it quite admirable that the newer compositions maintained a certain fidelity to the original Movietone 'tone', if you will, with similar stylings and beats. Wonderful of Flicker Alley to provide us with a choice of scores. The intertitles appear to be original and are in English. The Blu-ray disc is Region 'A'-locked as per our system.

Flicker Alley have thankfully provided a number of bonus materials on their Blu-ray that are well worth checking out. The first is a 14-minute visual essay by film historian and author, John Soister, on Leni's work at Universal during this period. This is an impressively produced extra, that helps to further contextualize the film. "Celebrating Universal’s Masterpiece" is a new booklet essay written by renowned film historian and author, Kevin Brownlow. There are rare image galleries featuring slide show presentations of vintage materials, these galleries are separated into the following categories; "Production Stills", "Behind the Scenes", "Costume / Make-up Tests", "Exhibition / Trade Ads", "Programs / Posters / Heralds", and "Memorabilia". These galleries are more enticing than the typical image gallery fare, with the large number of "The Man Who Laughs" vintage ads showcasing some beautiful artwork, as well as tons of behind-the-scenes photos, magazine articles, sheet music (very cool), and more. Also here are notes on the new score, in a short essay by composer Sonia Coronado of the Berklee School of Music (on their new score for The Man Who Laughs). As mentioned above, in addition to the new Berklee Score, Flicker Alley have also included the choice to watch the film with the film's original 1928 Movietone score. The Blu-ray package also has reversible cover artwork.

Flicker Alley's new 4K digital restoration on Blu-ray is a sight to behold. Though not always looking shiny and perfect, the film is presented here wisely with warts and all. I Believe that Roger Ebert summed it up best here, "The Man Who Laughs is a melodrama, at times even a swashbuckler, but so steeped in Expressionist gloom that it plays like a horror film." I couldn't agree more, the film contains multitudes, though that creepiness is always present. The film would even go on to influence many other artistic endeavors, including the Joker character from Batman, as well as remakes and adaptations (including The Man Who Laughs Sergio Corbucci's "L'Uomo che ride" which was released in the USA as "). Flicker Alley continue to be leaders in such important silent film curation, preservation, and restoration. Kudos to all their fine work. I would recommend this Blu-ray to anyone, especially others (like myself) that adore such films as "The Phantom Carriage" and "Nosferatu".  

Colin Zavitz