LAUGHTER IN THE DARK

France/UK, 1969, 104 minutes, Colour.
Nicol Williamson, Anna Karina, Jean- Claude Drouot, Peter Bowles, Sian Phillips, Basil Dignam.
Directed by Tony Richardson.

Laughter in the Dark is based on a novel by celebrated writer Vladimir Nabokov, best known for Lolita and writer of other novels which were filmed including Despair (by Fassbinder), The Luzhin Defence (filmed by Marleen Gorris). The book was originally set in Germany in the 1920s but has been updated to the 1960s and given a British setting.

After Richard Burton was fired from the film because of drunkenness, Nicol Williamson took over the central role. Williamson had a mixed career, appearing the next year in Richardson’s version of Hamlet with Marianne Faithfull as Ophelia. He appeared to advantage in Excalibur.

Anna Karina made many films with Jean- Luc Godard and was prominent in the films of the nouvelle vague. She made a number of films in English including, at this time, the war drama, Before Winter Comes with Topol and David Niven.

The film is a blend of comedy and tragedy, with farcical aspects and the exploration of human nature. The focus is on Williamson as Sir Edward Moore, with overtones of the suffering Lear as well as of the fool, especially in his infatuation with the devious usherette, played by Anna Karina. The film shows both his love and his revulsion for her – moving into anger, moving into madness and literal blindness. It also illustrates in some ways rather cruelly the theme that love is blind. The film also has social comment in the contrast between the upper classes and their arrogance and the lower classes.

The film was directed by Tony Richardson who had won an Oscar for Tom Jones in 1963, who had begun his career in making films of the kitchen sink British dramas like Look Back in Anger and The Entertainer and moved on to some satiric work at this time with The Charge of the Light Brigade.

I. The significance of the title? The emphasis on each word? How real did the film seem overall? How symbolic? A parable? rhe irony and tone in the title?

2. The emphasis in the style of the film, drama, tragedy, comedy, farcical aspects, human conflict? Which predominated?

3. The reputation of Nabokov and the overtones of his stories? The original was set in Germany in the twenties. Did the film benefit by a modernisation? Did the events and the characters seem credible in modern situations?

4. How was the film presented as a modern parable? How real the characters and the situations? Or did they seem contrived for moralising purposes? Forced situations to emphasise a point? Did this add to or detract from the film?

5. The use of colour, atmosphere, the art world, the cinema world, the upper classes and the lower classes, mansions, the River, the hospital etc? In what kind of world did the characters move? A credible and real world?

6. The theme of going blind? Literal blindness? the dark? Who laughed in the dark? The nature of real singing?

7. The Presentation of the character of Sir Edward Moore? Nicol Willliamson's style and performance? The overtones of Lear? Job? And yet Sir Edward as a fool? His background, home and work? His disgust with himself? His infatuation with Margot? The degree of his infatuation, servitude, passion? His anger with his wife? the fact that he could leave his wife and go with Margot?` The brief happiness? The disappointment and disgust with her? His being humiliated? His revenge?

8. The extent of his anger? The opening of his eyes to his blindness and his slavery? The move to madness? The literal blindness and its impact? His being victimised, sadistically tortured? The impetus to murder? The waste and irony of his death? The futility of his life?

9. The contrast with Margot? The cheap usherette, the nymphette? Her relationship with Herve? Her leading her and Edward on? Her anonymity, her lack of brains? Her boldness and her callousness? Her flaunting her self? The ultimate cruelty and sadistic torture? The tables turning and her fright in the cellar? How real a character? Contrived evil for moral purposes?

10. Herve and his callousness? His hold over Margot, his love of power, deceit? His cruelty to Sir Edward? The crudeness of his cruelty and greed?

11. The contrast with Lady Moore, the family? Paul and opening Sir Edward's eyes to reality?

12. The themes of class and society as background for this drama? The picturing of the art world, people at the gallery, home and parties, the people at the Riviera?

13. The exploration of love and hate and the visualising of this? Sensuality and passion? Madness?

14. The picture of the taunting, the sadism and its impact?

15. How much value in a film like this? The voyeur aspect for the audience? Or an interesting moralistic fable for modern audiences?