Friday, February 8, 2019
Tragedy of the Common Man?
When the unnamed doorman in The Last Laugh is demoted to bathroom attendant, his world collapses. At the end of the film he is estranged from his family, fellow workers and neighbors and only the night watchman gives him succor. Is this film a tragedy in the Aristotelian sense (that is, does he fall because of some tragic character flaw?)? Is it an indictment of the society of the time? A study of the inevitable effects of aging? Or, to put the point another way, whose fault is the doorman's downfall?
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In “The Last Laugh,” the doorman’s downfall is not so much the fault of the hotel’s human resource department that demoted him to bathroom attendant as it is the doorman’s obsession or infatuation with the title of which he was stripped. Early on in the film, the hotel’s opulence is made known to the viewer via camera movement that sweeps through the elegant lobby filled with well-dressed German and international personages. Soon, the nameless doorman is shown proudly buttoning his livery, whose gold-buttoned pretentiousness rivals that of the hotel’s, as he haughtily adjusts his hat. Evidently, this doorman loves his job, one thinks, watching the doorman promenade through the lobby to assume his position, smirk-on-face. Bearing in mind these early scenes, the doorman’s reaction to his demotion comes of no surprise to the viewer. As the camera slowly pans over the demotion letter, not once but multiple times, the viewer recalls the absolute elation and pride the doorman associated with the job he just lost. After his demotion, the ex-doorman walks noticeably slower and with a slumped posture suggesting misery, helping the viewer realize that his lost job was his life and that with it, he lost his happiness and self-esteem. It was not any old position he lost, say porter or valet, but doorman, and it was this, his having regarded his position so highly, that crushed him. The doorman had nailed into his head that he was the doorman of a renowned hotel, ultimately making himself believe this was his identity or life-purpose, if you will. Once he was stripped of this identity, through which he felt a sense of security and place, and was slapped in the face with his new title of “bathroom attendant,” a far cry from that of “doorman,” he crumbled.
ReplyDeleteThe Last Laugh is a commentary on how society puts such an emphasis on the importance of our jobs and class. The doorman loved his job and prided himself in it every day. He defined himself by his job and how it allowed him to enter the world of the upper class, even if he was working a “lowly” job such as being a doorman. As soon as he loses this identity he feels as if he has lost part of himself. Because society stresses the importance of work and titles, he knows that he will be viewed differently. He does not want to be seen as lesser because his job is less prestigious. If our society didn’t define our quality by our line of work the doorman wouldn’t stress as much about being accepted in society or being embarrassed by changing his position. Even though, it is undoubtedly not his fault for aging and becoming incapable of completing his job requirements he and society still will see him as the failure in the scenario. If we put our values based more on who we are as people and our morals we could worry less about our titles and engage more in what we are doing. It would give us a chance to push ourselves in whatever task we are given rather than worrying about what others may be thinking about us. This movie shows how a negative part of our culture really can affect every aspect of our lives.
ReplyDeleteThe fault of the doorman's downfall was due to the classist and narcissistic society in which he lives. The Last Laugh is like a Shakespearean or Aristotelian tragedy because it follows the journey of an aging doorman as he falls in the eyes of himself, his family, and society. The first reason for the doorman's downfall is the society he lives in; he lives in a society that equates value and job status. The viewer can see this in two scenes, the first is at the beginning when the doorman is walking home and he is applauded and greeted warmly by his neighbors, and the second is the reaction of the groom's mother when she discovers his new job position. In the first, the doorman is highly regarded because he works at a nice hotel, the Atlantic, he has one of the higher job positions for the low, working class he belongs. In his low class, he is viewed as someone to aspire to be. In the second, the doorman is ashamed when the groom's mother finds him as the washroom attendant because the demotion is a sign that he is not worth as much and isn't at respectable to the rest of the lower, working class. Between these two scenes, it can clearly be seen that the society in The Last Laugh does not care about you unless you have money or hold a respectable or powerful position. The doorman also has his own pride to blame, because the doorman gives into his feelings of despair and worthlessness. In the recurring scene of him walking home from the hotel, the viewer can see that he continues to feel that he is worthless. When he gets demoted, the doorman begins to physically appear the part of a frail and incompetent old man. When he begins the walk home, his posture instantly becomes slumped and he walks slower. The Last Laugh is commenting on the effects of societal norms that you must be young and strong, and the idea that there is always someone younger and stronger who can replace you. While the message is reflective of the German society at the time, it's still a relevant struggle in our current society.
ReplyDeleteThe doorman’s downfall was caused by societal standards and who society considers to be worth something. Despite dedicating many years to his job and taking pride in his work, his age still becomes a limiting factor for him and causes his demotion even though he still has good mobility and is able to do his job. In the society portrayed in the film, old age is regarded as a disability and people in old age are dehumanized. In the letter addressed to the doorman that explains his demotion, the previous bathroom attendant was going to be “shipped off to a retirement home.” The language that was used is derogatory and disrespectful to those that have committed many years to make that establishment successful simply because they have reached old age. Going along with the societal standards, the wealth gap that exists within the society could be another cause of his downfall. Because he was a member of the lower class, no matter how good he is at his job he is ultimately replaceable. The doorman has no rights and when he tries to protest and talk to his boss, he is disregarded. Even though he was demoted and his job was his source of pride, I think that the film should not be regarded as a complete tragedy given the fact that he is still employed and will have some source of income. The state of society and the standards about age and class are ultimately what cause the doorman to become demoted.
ReplyDeleteOf the possible explanations listed in the prompt, "The Last Laugh" is most like an Aristotelian tragedy in the sense that the doorman has “fallen” due to his inability to maintain self value outside of his work. At the beginning of the film, the doorman’s pride for his work is quickly established. He greatly admires his uniform, gold buttons and wide shoulder pads included, and attaches a sense of purpose to his job. It can be inferred that the reasoning for his misplaced sense of purpose is class related; the protagonist enjoys working in the opulent hotel, different from his “average” lifestyle. Through his uniform and interactions with the rich hotel customers, our doorman feels a sense of belonging in the upper echelon of society, a feeling he couldn’t have otherwise. This idea is further argued later in the movie when the doorman is having visions of lifting the suitcases above his head, an act that would make him an above average doorman, uninhibited by age. During this dream sequence, there are images of the apartments and the hotel superimposed over the screen. These images are the people he cares most about, the people he wants a positive reputation with. This dream sequence further reveals that he establishes self-worth through his reputation as seen by others, not himself. Because of this, our doorman is shattered when he is ultimately demoted to a bathroom attendant, due to his old age. While it is certainly important to take pride in your work, the doorman’s inability to have pride outside of his job subsequently causes his downfall, leaving him demolished.
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ReplyDeleteThe fault of the doorman’s downfall lies in both society and in himself but for much different reasons. As is always the case with questions like this, there is no clear answer. Much to your chagrin, Doc I, I must fence sit once more. On the one hand, because of the unfair burden on which society has placed on status, the ex-doorman feels useless and degraded without his old position. However, it’s not even about his position. The true object of his fixation is the uniform. When the doorman cannot get his job back, he becomes fixated on his old uniform. Since he is no longer a doorman, it stands to reason that the uniform is worthless and meaningless to him, but this simply does not turn out to be the case. This speaks to the power of the uniform at that point in society. Wearing the uniform is more important than the position because what is important is the status that comes with being tied to a prestigious institution, rather than any actual connections with said institution. The ex-doorman only feels that he needs that uniform because of the ideals pushed upon him by his friends and family insisting on his high status (cite: the wife running away when she sees him as a bathroom attendant). On the other hand, the uniform has also given the doorman foolhardy levels of self-confidence in his abilities, which serves to heighten his shock at his demotion (cite: trying to lift the box and failing). When the ex-doorman fails to lift the box, that self-confidence is shattered, so the ex-doorman feels the need to get his uniform back not for society’s view of him, but for his own self-worth.