The concluding scene of The Last Laugh depicts the incredible gluttony and generosity of the unnamed, demoted doorman after he miraculously inherits a fortune from a dying American millionaire. He feasts on mounds of food, eating caviar as if it were candy and drinking champagne as if it were water. A tracking shot of the "spread" emphasizes the opulence and indulgence of our hero. What is the point of this ending? Is is a happy ending or a parody of a happy ending? Is this supposed to be objective reality or a fantasy? Is this a cynical commercial ploy or is there deeper significance to the ending?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
What's New about the New Hollywood
In the late 60's and through the 1970's, young iconoclastic and experimental directors took over the once staid Hollywood Studios a...
-
The motif of a journey is one of the oldest in literature. Much like Odysseus' travels, Cleo in Cleo from 5 to 7 is also engaged in a...
-
Hildy Johnson is a confident career woman who can compete with men (and defeat them) in the dog-eat-dog world of journalism. She is even wil...
-
In the late 60's and through the 1970's, young iconoclastic and experimental directors took over the once staid Hollywood Studios a...
No comments:
Post a Comment