ST. ALi Italian Film Festival 2022 Film Review - The King of Laughter
Images courtesy of the ST. ALi Italian Film Festival.
Italians are great at many things: They invented pizza, perfected pasta, brought a unique touch to cheese, and gave the world gelato on a silver platter. If I could add one more thing to the list it’s that Italian films should be known for their grandeur. Even the neo-realist films of the ’40s, 50’s, and 60’s felt larger than life, and The King of Laughter is no different. The movie opens with a beautiful piece of Italian music, setting the mood for the electric story to come.
As with many recounts of historical figures, this film is shown through a series of vignettes and milestones in the life of the playwright, Eduardo Scarpetta, revolving around his desire to laugh. Eduardo is the owner and biggest celebrity in his theatre company. He recruits his own and his production team’s children to perform in his plays. His son, Vincenzo Scarpetta (played by Eduardo Scarpetta, an ironic similarity, having the same same as the playwright), beckons to be on the stage in a leading role. At the same time, Eduardo has a wife, Rosa (played by Maria Nazionale) and is sleeping with the play's seamstress, Luisa (portrayed by Cristiana Dell'Anna), with his wife's knowledge. Luisa's children, Eduardo and Titina (Alessandro Manna & Marzia Onorato) are constantly around the show as they aspire to be famous too. All these details and more are shown to the audience in the great opening scene of a performance of their show.
At times it feels like Eduardo is cursed with a sense of humour as if life is his play and the world revolves around inescapable stories that bring him riches but are a curse to those around him. One of Eduardo's constituents, a fellow writer, accuses him of only seeing the laughter in life: “And what happened to life? The drama in life is found in the street, among the poor." One of the best scenes in the film is where Eduardo sees a dramatic play written by a great Italian poet, Gabriele D’Annunzio (played by Paolo Pierobon). After seeing the play he imagines it as a comedy and writes a parody of the show. Pleased with his creation, he takes the script to the poet asking permission to make a parody of the play. The tension director Mario Martone builds into the scene comes completely from the atmosphere and stakes. We as an audience understand quickly that Eduardo is in danger, not physically, but professionally. The actions of Eduardo, although seemingly pure, lead down treacherous paths. The film looks at how the personality of a celebrity can affect their family negatively from the obsession with success, to the polarisation of disappointment.
Overall, this flick is extremely well-made, and though at times it drags, it is dramatic and tense, and thoroughly examines the complexities of family dynamics, fame, and obsession.
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The King of Laughter is screening as part of the 2022 ST. ALi Italian Film Festival which runs 13th September to 16th October. For tickets and more info, click here.