The King of Laughter (Italian: Qui rido io, lit. 'Here I laugh') is a 2021 Italian-Spanish biographical drama film directed by Mario Martone about actor and playwright Eduardo Scarpetta's legal battle against Gabriele D'Annunzio over his parody of the latter's The Daughter of Iorio (1904). Toni Servillo stars as Scarpetta.
| The King of Laughter | |
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 Theatrical release poster | |
| Italian | Qui rido io |
| Directed by | Mario Martone |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Renato Berta |
| Edited by | Jacopo Quadri |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | 01 Distribution |
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Running time | 133 minutes |
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| Languages | Italian, Neapolitan |
The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.[1]
Cast edit
- Toni Servillo as Eduardo Scarpetta
- Maria Nazionale as Rosa De Filippo–Scarpetta
- Cristiana Dell'Anna as Luisa De Filippo
- Antonia Truppo as Adelina De Renzis
- Eduardo Scarpetta as Vincenzo Scarpetta
- Roberto De Francesco as Salvatore Di Giacomo
- Lino Musella as Benedetto Croce
- Paolo Pierobon as Gabriele D'Annunzio
- Giovanni Mauriello as Mirone
- Chiara Baffi as 'Nennella' De Filippo
- Roberto Caccioppoli as 'Mimì' Scarpetta
- Lucrezia Guidone as Irma Gramatica
- Elena Ghiaurov as Lyda Borelli
- Gigio Morra as president of the court
- Gianfelice Imparato as Gennaro Pantalena
- Iaia Forte as Rosa Gagliardi
- Greta Esposito as Maria Scarpetta
- Alessandro Manna as Eduardo De Filippo
- Marzia Onorato as Titina De Filippo
- Salvatore Battista as Peppino De Filippo
- Aldo Minei as Eduardello De Filippo
- Tommaso Bianco as Uncle Pasqualino
- Benedetto Casillo as Luca
- Francesco Di Leva as photographer
- Giovanni Ludeno as Ferdinando Russo
- Nello Mascia as examining magistrate
Reception edit
The King of Laughter has an approval rating of 67% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 9 reviews, and an average rating of 6/10.[2]
Reviewing the film for Variety at the Venice Film Festival, Guy Lodge wrote, "Martone’s film certainly appears to channel the spirit of Scarpetta, though its 18-course tribute banquet doesn’t leave you particularly hungry to investigate further."[3]
References edit
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (26 July 2021). "Venice Film Festival 2021 Full Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "The King of Laughter". Rotten Tomatoes. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (September 8, 2021). "'The King of Laughter' Review: Mario Martone's Lavish, Ultra-Italian Theatrical Biopic Is a Lot to Digest". Variety. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
External links edit
- Qui rido io at IMDb
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