The DC Comics adaptation "Joker", starring Phoenix, made a splash in 2019, first winning the Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival and then winning the Oscar. We mostly know the joker character from Christopher Nolan's Batman: The Dark Knight, and Heath Ledger's superb performance is still fresh in people's minds. But many people don't know that the "Joker" image in DC Comics actually originated from the 1928 movie "The Smiley Man", which was directed by Paul Lenny and adapted from the French writer Hugo's eponymous work "The Smiley Man".
Most of Hugo's literary works have a strong romantic color, because of his noble feelings of compassion, so that there are many protagonists who are not proud but kind-hearted, such as Quasimodo in "Notre Dame de Paris" and Gwenplan in "The Smiley Man". Paul Reiney was deeply influenced by Reinhardt in his directing skills, a famous Shakespearean theatre director who had made major breakthroughs in set, lighting, and character scheduling, and was more inclined to the modern art form of film, rather than sticking to the narrow category of stage plays.
Directed by Paul Lenny
When Paul Lenny directed "The Smiley Man", he made full use of the directing experience of the stage play, and did not pursue real-life shooting on the film set, but highly advocated the symbolic set to accurately and profoundly convey emotions. The role of Gwen Plain in the film has also become a classic in film history, and its dissected smiley face has directly affected the creation of the comic book character "Joker". Bill Finger, one of the creators of "Joker", was obsessed with the image of "Smiley Man" and decided to transplant the feature of "Laughing Face" into the "Joker" character, which created the classic image of the top of the comic book villain list.
Heath Ledger as "Joker"
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > story: Sing a sad song with a smiley face</h1>
The Smiley Man is set in England at the end of the 17th century, when British child traffickers were all the rage, and countless children were resold by them or destroyed and used to beg. Later, the new king ascended the throne and ordered the expulsion of all traffickers, and the male protagonist of the film, GwenPlain, is one of the trafficked children, his face is cut along the corner of his mouth, and the child trafficker is planning to make a lot of money. But in order to escape the pursuit, and in order not to leave evidence of trafficking, when fleeing by boat, Gwenpran had to be discarded on the shore.
Gwenplain was not a child of an ordinary family, his father was a highly respected nobleman who was executed for rebelling against the king, leaving Gwenplain alone in the world. On the way to escape, Gwynplain rescues a baby girl who is waiting to be fed, and is taken in by the kind stage entertainer Yuss, becoming a well-known clown. As soon as he appeared, the audience would be laughed when they saw his face that had been smiling.
However, while bringing happiness to the audience, Gwenplain fell into a deep self-contradiction: he was deeply in love with Ti, and the two had a good feeling for each other. However, Tee is a blind woman and cannot see her ugly face, and because of this, he cannot tell whether Tee will truly love her ugliness. Every day, he entertains the audience on the crowded stage, and after stepping off the stage, he sits in front of the mirror and worries about his love with Tee. So when the Lady sent a confession letter, he was moved: finally someone could accept his appearance instead of avoiding it.
The whole film of "The Smiley Man" is full of laughter and laughter, but it also makes the audience feel sorry for Gwenpland all the time, be moved by his kindness, sigh for his suffering, be inspired by his spirit of daring to resist, and be moved to tears by his sincere love for Ty. A man who had to laugh, even more shocked when he cried, the film is not a comedy, but a sad song sung with a smiley face. Unlike Heath Ledger's clown, Conrad Witte cannot portray the character through sound in this silent film, but can only use accurate and infectious performances to express emotions and convey emotions.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > German Expressionism</h1>
German Expressionism was a pioneering film movement that originated in 1919, beginning with Dr. Carrigally's Cabin, which pursued a distorted and exaggerated artistic approach to achieving special artistic ends with stylized sets and costumes. It is mainly manifested in the graphic and staged background of the film, the strong makeup method and the strange costume design. Although the German Expressionism of 1926 has passed, its influence on future generations still exists, and "The Smiley Man", filmed in 1928, has a clear shadow of German Expressionism in terms of the design of the set and the shaping of the style. Regarding the two films "The Smiley Man" and "Dr. Carrigally's Cabin", there is another source that must be mentioned, and Conrad Witte played the leading role in both films at the same time, which can also be regarded as a kind of echo of German Expressionism.
Character makeup
At the beginning of the film, there is the king's rigoletto, Bagil Fedro, and this character has a strong expressionist color, such as a slender and eerie hat, and the white face makeup contrasts strongly with the dark lip color and eyebrows, just like the face characters in Peking Opera. He flattered and was careful in front of the king, but he was arrogant in front of his subordinates, and the facial character design could impress the audience with this small role.
Gwenplain's makeup is more worthy of big books, and today's clown image is born from this. The director has been deliberately hiding his true appearance in the first half of the film, always wrapping himself in a scarf or blocking it with some objects, and the overwhelming performance publicity and the frenzy of the audience attract the curiosity of the film audience and create a mysterious atmosphere. It wasn't until the 23rd minute that Gwenplain's true appearance was revealed on the screen, but it didn't seem to be as funny as in the promotional leaflet, and there was a sad feeling driven by the background music. Gwenplain's mouth is grinning, revealing a row of white teeth, using dark lip gloss to outline a smiley face, but it makes us feel pity.
Scene layout
When Gwenplain was abandoned ashore by human traffickers as a child, Gwenplain had to find refuge, and he walked alone on the road, a classic set: the camera followed from a row of footprints to Gwenplain's feet, and the camera continued to shake upwards, revealing a wider set of environments—many erected wooden poles and hanging corpses. At this time, the picture is extremely stylized, and the execution rod with different high and low postures near and far, and the lonely Gwen puran coexist in the same picture, which can better show the weakness and helplessness of Gwen puran. The panicked Gwenplain panicked and wanted to escape from this "man-eating world", at which point the director used the technique of stacking, superimposing the picture of the corpse and the picture of Gwenplain's escape, using a strong contrast to highlight the misery of Gwenplain.
After Gwenplain was reinstated to his knighthood, he was asked to attend parliament, and the design of the parliament building was also quite expressionist: the narrow and long corridors, the complicated and closed windows, and the three-step guard made the parliament building more like a birdcage, trapping Gwenplain's body. His restored aristocratic status was like a shackle that trapped his heart. Gwenplain, under siege, jumped out of the window and escaped from the Parliament, a scene that is very contagious, representing that Gwynplain has broken through the shackles of the Parliament like a cage and the hypocritical shackles of aristocratic status.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the portrayal of the rich and the poor and the sublimation of the theme</h1>
The novel "The Man with the Smiley Face" is one of Hugo's most representative works, which not only satirizes the hypocrisy and cruelty of the upper class, but also praises the truth and kindness of the poor masses, and what is more rare is that Hugo profoundly describes the huge gap between the rich and the poor between the upper class and the ordinary people through this huge work, directly showing the economic gap between the classes in the society at that time. Describing the antagonism between classes is another intention of the director, and this contrast and opposition exists throughout the film.
Economic disparities
King James II lived in a lavish palace, guarded even by 4 huge statues in his bedroom, sleeping in a huge and soft bed covered with animal fur blankets and wearing comfortable and well-made pajamas. There is no open fire in the whole room, but it is still warm as spring.
When Gwenplan was taken in by Yussus, the director also made a detailed description of Seuss's motorhome: the thin door barely covered the wind and snow, and the room was heated by a fire, but he also had to wear heavy clothes indoors. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom are all crammed into a cramped motorhome, and even a small bed can be placed, and the food hot on the stove is a monotonous mashed potato.
The third scene focuses on the Baroness's palace, and when the informer came to the Baroness's palace with the letterhead, he was deeply struck by the luxury of it: the room was full of precious art paintings and porcelain, even the chairs were gold, and it was difficult for the general public to have a place to stay, but the baroness had a special bath room, and the furnishings inside were extremely luxurious. Even the pillars in the palatial hall shimmered with golden light, not to mention the blankets that covered the entire room.
Character distinction
Hugo had made a similar setting in "Notre Dame de Paris": the ugly Quasimodo had the kindest heart in the world, while the well-dressed Auxiliary Bishop Claude was a scorpion heart. In The Smiley Man, this moral contrast is magnified, no longer limited to the individual and the individual, but between classes and classes: the rich and powerful can imprison political opponents in the "Iron Lady" (an ancient torture device) and can also inflict a cruel hand on children; the weak Gwenplain does not hesitate to save Ti, and Yuss is also eager to take in two strange children.
The climax of the film sublimates the theme: the nobles laugh at Gwenplain's appearance while forcing him to accept the queen's will, and the queen gives the debauched baroness to Gwenplain for her own selfishness, and everyone is seeking their own interests, and no one cares about Gwenplain's ideas. Like one of Gwenplain's impassioned lines: "The king turned me into a clown, and the queen made me a lord, but before that, God, let me be a man!" ”
Gwenplain was sought after among the people, and the laughter made by the people was not directed at his ridicule, but at the effect he created on the stage, and people respected Gwenplain, which can be seen when the people helped him block the pursuit. Ordinary people just think of him as a clown actor and don't really laugh at his looks. By comparing the attitudes of the nobility and the common people towards Gwenplain, the difference in character between the two classes can also be seen.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Gwenplain's changing view of love</h1>
Gwen Puran and Ti Qingmei Zhuma, the two people have mutual interests, but Gwen Puran is not confident in this feeling. Ty is blind, and she can only feel her beloved by groping and hearing, but she can't see the ugly faces of the other person, which is where Gwenplain has a mustard. If the lover can only see his own strengths, but cannot see his own shortcomings, then this love is not strong enough. This worry made Gwenplain tremble for a long time, and even the laughter of the audience could make his fragile soul feel ashamed.
So, when the Lady sent a letter saying that she liked his looks, Gwenplain seemed to have met the light of life, and his unbearable appearance could finally be accepted, and such love was what he dreamed of. He can't change his ugly appearance, he can only hope that someone can respect and accept it, not just because he can't see it like Ti and don't care. Gwenplain's state of mind changed for the first time, and he hoped to meet the lady and satisfy the only luxury of his inferiority complex.
However, the lady received a secret decree to marry herself to Gwenpran, and the momentary curiosity turned out to be the husband of the first life, and the impermanence of the world made her laugh loudly. Gwenplain felt insulted, and he truly recognized what he really thought and who he truly loved. He is no longer trapped in his appearance, but instead faces his own flaws with a braver attitude, informs Ti of his "smiling face" appearance, and completely opens the shackles of love. This is the second change of his mentality, no longer afraid of losing Ti, but pursuing this feeling in a more positive and courageous manner.
"Smiley Man" is not a prequel to the "Joker" character, but is set in a special setting, and is still a work that tells a love story. Unlike the tragic ending of the novel, director Paul Lenny gives the film a happy ending, weakening the pathos of class antagonism and strengthening the main story with love as the core. The strong contrast between classes makes Gwenplain, a tragic and fortunate character, have a spirit of resistance and bring hope for freedom to the people.