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This Is Not The Joker...


These are images of German actor Conrad Veidt as the character Gwynplaine in the 1928 silent film, The Man Who Laughs. The movie is an adaptation of a novel by Victor Hugo and takes place in late 17th century England.

The strong physical resemblance between Gwynplaine and the Joker isn't coincidental. Creators of the Joker acknowledged the influence of Gwynplaine's demonic-looking smile and swept-back hair in their 1940 design of the iconic DC Comics supervillain.


In other respects, the two characters couldn't be more different. The Joker was introduced as a sadistic psychopath with a warped sense of humor. Gwynplaine is a sympathetic and benevolent character. As a child, he had the misfortune of having his mouth carved into a freakish, permanently fixed grin by a Comprachico surgeon. He’s ashamed of his disfigurement, but it doesn’t cause him to act out. He’s a good guy.

JohnOinger · 41-45, M
Thats where The Batman Creator got his Inspiration for The Joker From
JohnOinger · 41-45, M
@Rutterman Will James Gunn Bring Unkown DC Characters In The DC Universe ,& Turn Them into A-List Superheroes
JohnOinger · 41-45, M
@Rutterman Will Bree Became My Twitter Groupie
JohnOinger · 41-45, M
@Rutterman Will James Gun. make Superman Great Again
DearAmbellina2113 · 41-45, F
Victor Hugo is one of the best writers of all time. Les Miserables was one of my favorite novels.
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@DearAmbellina2113 Agreed. I'm particularly fond of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame.
Piper · 61-69, F
Interesting, and something I'd almost surely never have known if not for your post. Now I'm interested in watching the 1928 film, even though I've only watched one or two The Joker was in.
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@Piper Here it is. I enjoyed watching it. Conrad Veidt really does an exceptional job expressing a range of emotions, sometimes only using his eyes.

[media=https://youtu.be/yVwAT2vvzRM?t=359]
Piper · 61-69, F
@Rutterman Thank you. I already watched a little of it, from where you posted the movie earlier. :)
Everything we know is a rewrite or stolen, ive learned to believe that.
@checkoutanytime I do. be well. 🦋
@JustGoneNow u2 rattle & hum.
@checkoutanytime sometimes covers are good. sometimes not.
val70 · 51-55
I've enjoyed reading about this. Somehow I can't handle the imperfection very well myself. My brain is only at ease with everything bland, I guess.
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@val70 Glad you enjoyed reading about this.

Gwynplaine's appearance is pretty disturbing.
smiler2012 · 61-69
{@rutterman] 🤔 makes you wonder if it is not where the idea came from originally for batman arch enemy
SW-User
Very interesting....i totally didnt know this....thanks for sharing this. 😀
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@SW-User You're very welcome.
Lilymoon · F
Silent movies are so cool
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@Lilymoon They are, and this one isn't bad at all. I watched the entire film on YouTube before writing my post.

[media=https://youtu.be/yVwAT2vvzRM?t=359]
Lilymoon · F
@Rutterman ahh nice I might watch that later thanks!
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@JustGoneNow Indeed. I was surprised to learn this.
@Rutterman The imagery is powerful and works well for a comic book villain.
Wow, that’s wild !
Rutterman · 46-50, M
@bijouxbroussard Yes, I think so too.
SW-User
There's much to learn in telling of the story, yet from reading and watching, it holds less in imagery about men, as left here.

 
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