''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 {{2010s-US-film-stub