★ 7 / 10
MOVIE REVIEW The King of Laughter (Qui rido
Chris J
MOVIE REVIEW The King of Laughter (Qui rido io) – Genre: Biography, Drama Year Released: 2022 Runtime: 2h 13m Director(s): Mario Martone Writer(s): Mario…
MOVIE REVIEW
The King of Laughter (Qui rido io)
–
Genre: Biography, Drama
Year Released: 2022
Runtime: 2h 13m
Director(s): Mario Martone
Writer(s): Mario Martone, Ippolita Di Majo
Cast: Toni Servillo, Maria Mazionale, Cristiana Dell'Anna, Antonia Truppo, Eduardo Scarpetta, Roberto De Francesco, Lino Musella, Paolo Pierobon
Language: Italian w/English Subtitles
Where To Watch: premiering on VOD & digital platforms on November 25, 2022
RAVING REVIEW: Expectations are one of the biggest curses of a film critic like myself. You see a film with this title and imagery to go along, and then when you view the film, the experience is entirely different.
While I don't think I would say I didn't enjoy this, I was somewhat cursed with the idea of the film being a different experience. I was expecting something similar to 1984s AMADEUS and got a much different version of a "comedy" than I expected. That isn't a slight against the film but a slight against myself and a lesson to sit back and experience the film instead of guessing what it will be.
I've always taken pride in writing my reviews for an average audience. At the same time, I'll occasionally veer off track and talk about things in a way that isn't as easily digestible; I try to keep my reviews welcoming to all. A lot could be said about this film-watching experience, mainly because of the artistic eye of the director. In a nutshell, though, the film felt as high-brow as the theatrical experience it was telling us about.
Ironically this is billed as a drama, but the period the film takes place in allows for some comedy to be mixed in as well; it's just not as in-your-face as I was expecting. You would think with a title like this that, you would be laughing quite a bit, but the clown-like experiences are more sophisticated than I was expecting.
It's interesting to see this story unfold in such a surreal manner; at no point was I ever bored with the displays on the screen. You had picturesque sets and fantastic costumes that made you feel like you were there experiencing the story yourself.
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★ 10 / 10
Un grande biopic che mostra la superlativa dote
Claudio V
Un grande biopic che mostra la superlativa dote creativa di un genio partenopeo ma al contempo tutti i suoi difetti come uomo/marito/padre. Spettacolare Tony…
Un grande biopic che mostra la superlativa dote creativa di un genio partenopeo ma al contempo tutti i suoi difetti come uomo/marito/padre. Spettacolare Tony Servillo e rivelazione Eduardo Scarpetta.
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★ 8 / 10
Great performance by Toni Servillo
teresa_rosado
QUI RIDO IO (2021), a film by Italian director Mario Martone, can be summed up in two words: Toni Servillo. The actor's genius allows him to incorporate the…
QUI RIDO IO (2021), a film by Italian director Mario Martone, can be summed up in two words: Toni Servillo. The actor's genius allows him to incorporate the different facets, not always pleasant, often contradictory and even immoral, of Eduardo Scarpetta (1853-1925), actor and director who marked Neapolitan comedy at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, to a great extent. Partly due to the comic character he created, Felice Sciosciammocca. Actually, the first scene of the film is a long sequence that culminates with the appearance of this character on stage, which leads the audience to great euphoria.
However, as we progress in the story, we realize that this biographical film intends to direct our attention to a very concrete episode in Scarpetta's life. By parodying the tragedy "La Figlia di lorio", by Gabriele D'Annunzio, one of the most important Italian poets of the time, Scarpetta is accused of plagiarism, finding himself involved in a complex legal process, which puts in risk the conquered success.
The scenes in court are a delight for the spectator, with emphasis on Scarpetta's intelligent argumentation, raising very current issues, related to the notions of plagiarism, adaptation, freedom of expression. In the case of the "King of Laughter", it is not surprising that the film culminates in a comic performance by Eduardo Scarpetta, who transforms the courtroom into a theater stage.
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75%
TOMATOMETER
· 8 reviews
46%
AUDIENCE
7.0/10
1.8K
