The King of Laughter

The King of Laughter
The King of Laughter
	Theatrical release poster
Italian	Qui rido io
Directed by	Mario Martone
Screenplay by	Mario Martone; Ippolita Di Majo;
Story by	Mario Martone; Ippolita Di Majo;
Produced by	Nicola Giuliano; Francesca Cima; Carlotta Calori;
Starring	Toni Servillo; Maria Nazionale; Cristiana Dell'Anna; Antonia Truppo; Eduardo Scarpetta; Roberto De Francesco; Lino Musella; Marzia Onorato; Paolo Pierobon; Gianfelice Imparato; Iaia Forte;
Cinematography	Renato Berta
Edited by	Jacopo Quadri
Production; companies	Indigo Film; Rai Cinema; Tornasol;
Distributed by	01 Distribution
Release dates	7 September 2021 (Venice); 9 September 2021 (Italy);
Running time	133 minutes
Countries	Italy; Spain;
Languages	Italian, Neapolitan

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 film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.^[1]

Cast

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 [it]
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

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

^ 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

Qui rido io at IMDb

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[1] Roxborough, Scott (26 July 2021). "Venice Film Festival 2021 Full Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 August 2021.

[2] "The King of Laughter". Rotten Tomatoes. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-04-15.

[3] 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.

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