A professional clown (Lon Chaney) and a self-indulgent count (Nils Asther) learn to help each other with their problems, but then become romantic rivals.
"Laugh, Clown, Laugh" is easily one of Lon Chaney's best films. Although the makeup effects that made him famous are sparse here, it gives him a chance to show he is not just a good character actor, but truly a gifted leading man in his own right. In no other film does Chaney have such a range of emotion from depressed to ecstatic, and pull it off in such a believable manner.
And Chaney was surrounded by talent. Not only Loretta Young, whose fame only swelled over the next three decades, but the camera was handled by the legendary James Wong Howe, a ten time Oscar nominee. Along with the supporting cast, this makes for a very strong film.
There is some questionable material that might leave the audience conflicted. While we are clearly supposed to sympathize with Tito, there is a not-so-subtle incestuous undertone that may be repulsive. And the drastic age difference (never stated explicitly, but possibly as much as thirty or more years).
Horror? No, not in any sense. But a key film in the career of Lon Chaney, the first major horror icon.
"Laugh, Clown, Laugh" is easily one of Lon Chaney's best films. Although the makeup effects that made him famous are sparse here, it gives him a chance to show he is not just a good character actor, but truly a gifted leading man in his own right. In no other film does Chaney have such a range of emotion from depressed to ecstatic, and pull it off in such a believable manner.
And Chaney was surrounded by talent. Not only Loretta Young, whose fame only swelled over the next three decades, but the camera was handled by the legendary James Wong Howe, a ten time Oscar nominee. Along with the supporting cast, this makes for a very strong film.
There is some questionable material that might leave the audience conflicted. While we are clearly supposed to sympathize with Tito, there is a not-so-subtle incestuous undertone that may be repulsive. And the drastic age difference (never stated explicitly, but possibly as much as thirty or more years).
Horror? No, not in any sense. But a key film in the career of Lon Chaney, the first major horror icon.