The Man Who Laughs (2012 film)

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The Man Who Laughs
Film poster
FrenchL'homme qui rit
Directed byJean-Pierre Améris
Written byJean-Pierre Améris
Guillaume Laurant
Based onThe Man Who Laughs
1869 novel
by Victor Hugo
Produced byThomas Anargyros
Edouard de Vésinne
StarringGérard Depardieu
Marc-André Grondin
Christa Théret
Arben Bajraktaraj
Serge Merlin
Emmanuelle Seigner
CinematographyGérard Simon
Edited byPhilippe Bourgueil
Music byStéphane Moucha
Production
company
Distributed byEuropaCorp
Release dates
  • 2 September 2012 (2012-09-02) (VFF)
  • 26 December 2012 (2012-12-26) (France, Belgium)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench

The Man Who Laughs (French: L'homme qui rit) is a 2012 French period romantic drama film produced by EuropaCorp and based on the 1869 eponymous novel by Victor Hugo.[1]

The film received mixed reviews and was unsuccessful at the box-office.

Synopsis

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In a unspecified country in 17th-century Europe, Ursus, a travelling showman, finds two abandoned children in the middle of a winter storm. The boy, Gwynplaine, has had his mouth mutilated into a perpetual grin and the girl, Dea, is blind. Ursus takes in and raises the two children. Gwynplaine and Dea grow up and fall in love. They travel the roads with Ursus, giving a show in which Gwynplaine becomes the star. As their show is more and more successful and the "Man who laughs" becomes a sensation, Gwynplaine gains the opportunity to join high society and discover the secret of his origins. But as he does so, he drifts apart from Dea and Ursus.

Cast

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Production

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Director Jean-Pierre Améris had the idea of adapting Victor Hugo's novel after watching a French television adaptation as a child, and later reading the book as a teenager.[2]

Filming began in January 2012 at the Barrandov Studios in Prague, Czech Republic.[3][4]

Release

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The film premiered in September 2012 at the 69th Venice International Film Festival.[5] It was released theatrically in France on 26 December 2012.[6]

Reception

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Boyd Van Hoeij from Variety 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."[7] Neil Young from The Hollywood Reporter 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."[8] Jacques Mandelbaum of Le Monde gave the film a negative review, finding it a lackluster, if respectful, adaptation of Hugo's novel and noting that it seemed unable to choose between a conventional narrative and overwrought "Hollywoodian" gothic visuals.[9]

In December 2012, one of the film's lead actors, Gérard Depardieu, became embroiled in a controversy regarding his tax exile in Belgium. After being publicly criticized by the French government for his tax avoidance move, Depardieu announced that he would give up his French passport. Russian President Vladimir Putin then offered Depardieu citizenship and tax residence in Russia, which the actor accepted.[10] The film was released theatrically in France in the midst of the controversy, and bombed at the box-office.[11] Améris acknowledged that the controversy surrounding Depardieu had significantly hurt the film's release in France. According to Améris, some theater owners even refused to show the film as part of the backlash against Depardieu.[12]

Home media

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The film was released on DVD in 2013.[13] It was later released on streaming on Canal+.[14]

References

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  1. ^ Mandelbaum, Jacques (2012-12-25). ""L'Homme qui rit" : vision étriquée d'un roman démesuré". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  2. ^ Clodi, Nicole (2013-01-02). ""L'Homme qui rit", un film sur Victor Hugo actuellement au cinéma". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  3. ^ Marie-Noëlle, Tranchant (2012-03-30). "Depardieu chez Victor Hugo". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  4. ^ "Gérard Depardieu et Marc-André Grondin en tournage à Prague pour L'Homme qui rit". AlloCiné (in French). 2012-01-22. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  5. ^ Brown, Caroline (2012-09-02). "L'homme qui rit en clôture de la Mostra de Venise". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  6. ^ "L'homme qui rit". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  7. ^ Van Hoeij, Boyd (10 September 2012). "The Man Who Laughs – Variety". Variety.com. Boyd Van Hoeij. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  8. ^ Young, Neil (2012-09-12). "The Man Who Laughs (L'Homme Qui Rit): Venice Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-12-08.
  9. ^ Mandelbaum, Jacques (2012-12-25). ""L'Homme qui rit" : vision étriquée d'un roman démesuré". Le Monde. Retrieved 2025-06-17.
  10. ^ "Poutine accorde la nationalité russe à Depardieu". Le Journal du Dimanche (in French). 2013-01-03. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  11. ^ Hervaud, Alexandre (2013-03-14). "Trailer est-il? La Marque des anges, sortie de bide pour Depardieu?". Slate (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-03.
  12. ^ Lussier, Marc-André (2013-03-25). "L'homme qui rit plombé par la controverse Depardieu". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  13. ^ "L'homme qui rit". Fnac.comlanguage=fr. Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  14. ^ "L'homme qui rit". Canalplus.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-09.
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