One of the things I noticed in viewing this was the tight editing. There is little wasted space. Many of the silent films are presented in jerky photographic moments, with the actors emoting and letting us figure out their motivations. This one begins with a sad event. A revolutionary pays the price of his life for not respecting James II. In addition to his execution, his little son is surgically altered to have a perpetual smile, to become the subject of ridicule, seeming to be laughing. The little boy is cast aside by the Gypsies that did this to him and on his journey finds a dead mother clutching a little baby girl. He seeks refuge in the home of a poet and this launches him on a career as a kind of freak actor. The little girl grows to be a beautiful woman, but she is blind. He feels great love for her, but is afraid that other women either hate him or pity him. He becomes a great celebrity, but is submerged in loneliness and depression, having to go in front of audiences each day to be a clown. Mixed into all this is the fact that he is heir to a great position and becomes a threat to the aristocracy and to the Queen. How this is all sorted out is utterly captivating. There is a little Les Miserables and a little Elephant Man in his portrayal. A truly remarkable film.
Review of The Man Who Laughs
