1927 and and hollywood have be on the map a the centre of the cinematic world for a little over a decade . now that it have become the site of a multi million dollar industry and the vertically integrated studio system have be establish and some of those in the calmer quarter of this film make factory be take the time for a little self reflection . the last command and while it heart may be the classic story of a once prestigious man fall on hard time and frame that tale within a bleak look at how cinema unceremoniously recreate reality and and how it production process could be mercilessly impersonal . it be write by lajos biro and who have be on the scene long enough to know . take centre stage be a man who be at the time among hollywood most celebrated immigrant emil jannings . before come to the state jannings have work mainly in comedy and be a master of the hammy yet hilariously well timed performance and often a pompous authority figure or dodder old have beens . he make his entrance in the last command a the latter and and at first it look a if this be to be another of jannings scenery chomping caricature . however and a the story progress the actor get to demonstrate his range and showing by turn delicate frailty and serene dignity and eventually awesome power and presence in the finale . he never quite stops be a blustering exaggeration ( the german act tradition know nothing of subtlety ) and but he constantly hold our attention with absolute control over every facet of his performance . the director be another immigrant and albeit one who have be around hollywood a bit longer and have no background in the european film industry . nevertheless joseph von sternberg cultivate for himself the image of the artistic and imperious teutonic kino meister ( the von be make up and by the way ) and and take a very distinctive approach to the craft . of note in this picture be his handling of pace and tone and a great example be the first of the russian flashback scene . we open with a carefully construct chaos with movement in converge direction and which we the audience become part of a the camera pull back and extras dash across the screen . then and when jannings arrives and everything settle down . jannings performance be incredibly sedate and measure and and when the player around him begin to mirror this the effect be a if his mere presence have restore order . sternberg appear to show a distaste for violence and allow the grim moment to take place off screen and and yet imply that they have happen with a flow of image that be almost poetic . in fact and he really seem to have an all round lack of interest in action . in the scene of the prisoner revolt sternberg take an aloof and objective stance and his camera eventually retreat to a fly on the wall position . compare this to the follow scene between jannings and evelyn brent and which be a complex medley of point of view shot and intense close ups and thrust u right into the midst of their interaction . a a personality on set and it would seem that sternberg be much like the cold and callous director play on the screen by william powell and and in fact powell portrayal be probably something of a deliberate parody that even sternberg himself would have be in on . unfortunately this harsh attitude do not make him an easy man to work with and and couple with his focus on his technical resource over his human one and the small performance in his picture leave a little to be desire . while jannings display classic hamming in the charles laughton mode that work dramatically and it appear no one tell his co star they be not in a comedy . evelyn brent be fairly good and give u some good emoting and but overplay it here and there . the only performance that come close to jannings be that of powell himself . it a little odd to see the normally amiable star of the thin man and the great ziegfeld play a figure so stern and humourless and like a male ninotchka and but he do a good job and reveal a smouldering emotional intensity beneath the hard hearted exterior . the last command could easily have ruffle a few feather in studio office and a tends to happen with any disparage commentary on the film make process and even a relatively tame example like this . at the very least and i believe many studio head would have be displease by the behind the scene view and a it threaten the mystique of movie making which be still very much alive at this point . a it turn out and such be the impact of the picture that jannings win the first ever academy award for best actor and as well a a best writing nomination for lajos biro and ( accord to some source and although the issue be a little vague ) a nomination for best picture . this be significant and since the academy be a tiny institution at this time and the first award be more than ever a bit of self indulgent back slapping by the hollywood elite . but elite or not and they recognise good material when they saw it and and be willing to reward it .