''The Man Who Laughs'' (french: L'homme qui rit) is a 2012 French/Czech
romantic musical drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
produced by
EuropaCorp
EuropaCorp S.A. (stylised in opening logo as EUROPA CORP.) is a French motion picture company headquartered in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, and one of a few full service independent studios that both produces and distributes feature ...
and based on the 1869
eponymous novel by
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
.
Cast
*
Marc-André Grondin
Marc-André Grondin (born March 11, 1984) is a Canadian actor, known for his role as Xavier Laflamme in the 2011 ice hockey film ''Goon''. He also played Zachary Beaulieu in Jean-Marc Vallée's film '' C.R.A.Z.Y.'' (2005), for which he won a Jutr ...
as Gwynplaine
*
Christa Théret
Christa Théret (born 25 June 1991) is a French actress, best known for her role of Andrée Heuschling in ''Renoir''.
Early life
As a child, Théret aspired to be a teacher and then to become an actress.
Career
Théret's acting career began a ...
as Dea
*
Gérard Depardieu as Ursus
*
Arben Bajraktaraj
Arben Bajraktaraj (born 29 January 1973) is a Kosovan-born French actor. Bajraktaraj has starred in numerous French films but also in roles in international movies, such as ''Eden Log'' and ''Sex Traffic''. He has frequently portrayed crime syndica ...
as Hardquanone
*
Serge Merlin
Serge Merlin (born Serge Merle; 29 December 1932 – 16 February 2019) was a French actor. He became internationally known for his role in the film ''Amélie
''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The F ...
as Barkilphedro
*
Emmanuelle Seigner
Emmanuelle Seigner (born 22 June 1966) is a French former fashion model, singer, and actress. She is known for her roles in '' The Diving Bell and the Butterfly'' (2007), '' The Ninth Gate'' (1999) and '' Frantic'' (1988). She has been nominat ...
as La duchesse Josiane
Reception
Boyd Van Hoeij from ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' was critical of the film, writing, "Less faithful to its source material and more concerned with delivering the goods visually, this handsome, studio-shot pic, somewhat ironically, lacks genuine pathos in telling its tale of how deceiving looks can be."
Neil Young from ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' gave the film a positive review, writing, "Thoroughly old-fashioned but ultimately moving literary adaptation has more than enough exploitable features to indicate long-term commercial success."
References
External links
*
*
*
2012 films
2010s historical romance films
2012 romantic drama films
French historical romance films
French romantic drama films
Films based on French novels
Films based on works by Victor Hugo
Films about blind people
Films set in the 1680s
Films set in the 1700s
Films set in England
2010s French-language films
American musical films
Films scored by Hans Zimmer
2010s American films
2010s French films
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