The gossip of the members of his community about his demotion, rather than the demotion itself, is the direct cause of the doorman's downfall in The Last Laugh. Some of the most expressive images in the film demonstrate the spread of gossip and the resultant mockery of the neighbors: the camera moves to an outstretched ear, the camera follows the doorman along a walk of shame, grotesque and blurry heads superimposed on the neighborhood mock him with unabashed laughter. What is the movie saying about gossip as a form of communication? What is it saying about the community that listens to it? How does what other people think of us influence how we think of ourselves?
The film The Last Laugh critiques gossiping as a form of spreading information because of the psychological damage it leaves in the main character the doorman after he loses his esteemed job. Before losing his job, the doorman thrived on the validation from everyone in his neighborhood who admired him and his uniform. The doorman hid the fact that he lost his job in order to still present himself as this important individual to his community. Soon enough, the mother in law of his daughter found out the truth on a visit to the hotel he worked at. While telling some women in her apartment, the eavesdropping neighbors were what started the entire gossiping sequence. The way the director portrays the women passing this information from balcony to balcony, showing them superimposed, and cackling in the camera puts the entire gossip scene in a negative light. It shows how none of these people were sympathetic towards the doorman since they were too wrapped up in themselves and the excitement of the gossip. Additionally, the neighbors were entertained by the demise of the doorman. Although the community was delighted to spread this piece of information, the doorman was devastated about the thought of people negatively talking about him. This left psychological damage on him, shattering the very little confidence that he had after losing his job. By the time he returned, he could barely walk without needing support from the wall. Additionally, he hesitated before walking into the neighborhood because he feared what people would think about him. Ultimately, the movie demonstrates the harm that gossiping creates because it can deeply affect the self-esteem of individuals who depend on the opinions of others for validation.
ReplyDeleteIn ‘the Last Laugh’, gossip is used as way to determine success and validation within people in the community. Gossip is easily spread because everyone wants to know everything about each other’s successes. Especially when something bad happens to someone, the word is spread even faster, since people feed off of other peoples down falls. When the doorman lost his job, the word was spread quickly, especially since he used to brag and had great pride in his job. In the film we could see people already talking and laughing at him when he walks by. Shown by more editing features, we could see the layers of faces laughing at the jobless doorman. The community the doorman is in, was secretly annoyed by his success and pride. They were all being fake to his face when he had his job as a doorman, and are now releasing their true colors. It is like a constant race to be and stay in first place. They are all happy that the doorman is no longer in the running anymore, meaning they are closer to being the best. Another reason why we gossip, is for self-validation. We like to know that people are jealous of our success. When we have conversations with people, it is natural to bring up some major accomplishments we have. We like knowing that other people know how accomplished we are. It puts us in a place of power over them, at least for the time. Being congratulated nicely is just part of bringing up these accomplishments in normal conversations.
ReplyDeleteThe film ‘The Last Laugh’ uses gossip to critique our culture’s emphasis on seeking validation from others. The doorman did not feel the greatest influence on his downfall from the demotion itself, but rather the public ridicule he received as a result of losing his position. Because the doorman put such a large emphasis on the status of his job prior to his demotion, his neighbors and other residents of the hotel were quick to feed off of his loss. Though he attempted to hide his demotion out of shame, the word spread quickly as people found humor and validation in his downfall. Gossip spreads quickly because it allows people to feel as though they are part of an in-group and makes them feel good about themselves - though this type of discussion often happens at the expense of others. The film uses techniques to satirize how much our culture values gossip. In several scenes we see images of members of his community hysterically laughing superimposed over the doorman in states of misery. This superimposition indicates the direct cause and effect of gossip and the psychological decline of the main character. These features also satirize our cultural importance of deriving our self-worth from the opinions of others. The doorman’s psychological well-being directly correlates with the opinions of his peers – as their view of him declines, so does his mental health. This film speaks volumes to the impact of both gossip and the impact of outside opinions on our own self perceived worth.
ReplyDeleteIn the film The Last Laugh ,the act of gossiping and secret sharing is portrayed as an overwhelming, fast paced event. First, the community that engages in the gossip is portrayed as shallow and even cruel towards the old man. Also, the impact of the gossip that we see is most likely from the old man’s point of view, as we get an overwhelming mix of effects ranging from double, blurred vision, to things like the faint image of people’s heads laughing within other frames. Similar effects were used in the drunken dream sequence. The drunken dream sequence was definitely from the old man’s point of view, even merging with his sense of reality, and his ideal reality. We see him lifting the huge trunk that he struggled with before. He lifts it one handed, in front of all of his neighbors as well as the people in the hotel. And it’s this exaggerated scene that leads one to believe that the gossip scene is something similar. Considering that the drunken dream sequence was exaggerated by a slew of special effects, it’s not a far concept that the gossip scene was an exaggerated scene from the old man’s point of view. Only instead of the “ideal world”, we are brought into an overwhelming sequence of in-your-face effects. Emphasizing the more vocal parts of gossip. Close ups of people laughing, whispering, and even a zoom on someone’s ear, showing the spread of information from person to person.
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