Pirandello's 1904 novel has been the source of several films. In L'Herbier's 1925 silent version, the deliciously morbid fantasy of found freedom and lost identity becomes a witty and subtle comedy-drama, leaving the psychological interpretation to the realm of set design and cinematography. Russian emigré actor Ivan Mosjoukine is droll in the role of Matthew Pascal, the put-upon librarian who seizes upon a false report of his death in order to destroy his old identity and try on some new ones, but who soon finds out that a lack of identity poses its own problems. Michel Simon makes his very funny film debut as Pascal's grotesque friend Pomino. The meticulous set designs of Alberto Cavalcanti and Lazare Meerson, combined with the studied framing and startling shadows of the cinematography, create a mood of dark illusion.