ConradVeidt Tagged Articles at Cinematical
Is This Guy The Original Inspiration for Batman's Joker?
Filed under: Fandom », Images »
Tell me you wouldn't want to invite that dude over for dinner this weekend. This may belong in the "Things You Already Know File", but for those who don't ... Conrad Veidt was a German actor whose role in the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs is said to be one of the main inspirations for the appearance of the Joker. In the film, Veidt plays a character named Gwynplaine whose father offends King James II and is sentenced to death via iron maiden (the torture device, not the metal band). Gwynplaine, because of his father's actions, is then forced to have a surgeon permanently disfigure his face so that -- as a title card states -- he'll be condemned "to laugh forever at his fool of a father." It's a freaky premise, and Roger Ebert once said of the film that it's a "a melodrama, at times even a swashbuckler, but so steeped in Expressionist gloom that it plays like a horror film."
Anyway, as the legend goes, Bill Finger -- co-creator of Batman -- is said to have brought this picture to Bob Kane, and that Veidt's creepy grin -- along with a Joker playing card -- is what kicked the whole thing off. That playing card, however, was given to Kane by Jerry Robinson, who also claims to have created the Joker. Either way, judging from that image of Veidt up above, I think it's pretty obvious that mug had a lot to do with one of the greatest villains of all time, and, honestly, I think it's pretty awesome that all these years later the comic book character is still relevant enough to earn an actor an Oscar. So thanks Mr. Veidt. You sure as hell look creeptacular, but you did good. Real good. Check out more images from the original 1928 film below.
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[via LaughingSquid]
DVD Review: The Thief of Bagdad - The Criterion Collection
Filed under: Classics », DVD Reviews », Family Films », Home Entertainment »
The UK production of The Thief of Bagdad (1940) is a bit like the US production of The Wizard of Oz from one year earlier. On the surface, it looks like a seamless blend of fantasy storytelling, special effects and stunning color, but underneath it was a patchwork collaboration of many hands, coming together in a combination of spit, duct tape and luck. These days, The Thief of Bagdad is usually catalogued alongside the movies of director Michael Powell (I Know Where I'm Going, The Red Shoes, etc.), but he was only one of three credited directors and at least two more uncredited directors. The saving grace is that The Thief of Bagdad had a driving force behind it: producer Alexander Korda. Korda was a Hungarian immigrant who, along with his brothers Zoltan and Vincent, took the British film industry by storm with his combination of business savvy and boyish glitz. No matter who filmed what footage, Korda would be the one to call final cut. And despite some sluggish spots, the result is still dazzling, enough to enchant entirely new generations of dreamy children.
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