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'''''Laughter in the Dark''''' ({{lang-fr|'''La Chambre obscure'''}}) is a 1969 French-British [[romantic drama]] film directed by [[Tony Richardson]] and starring [[Nicol Williamson]] and [[Anna Karina]].<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/126953/Laughter-in-the-Dark/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511221400/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/126953/Laughter-in-the-Dark/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 May 2012 |title=NY Times.com: Laughter in the Dark |accessdate=30 January 2010 | first=A. H. |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |publisher=[[Baseline (database)|Baseline]] & [[All Movie Guide]] |date=2012 | last=Weiler}}</ref> It was based on [[Laughter in the Dark (novel)|the novel of the same name]] by [[Vladimir Nabokov]].
'''''Laughter in the Dark''''' ({{lang-fr|'''La Chambre obscure'''}}) is a 1969 French-British [[romantic drama]] film directed by [[Tony Richardson]] and starring [[Nicol Williamson]] and [[Anna Karina]].<ref name="BFIsearch">{{Cite web |title=Laughter in the Dark |url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150216636 |access-date=6 January 2024 |website=British Film Institute Collections Search}}</ref> It was based on [[Laughter in the Dark (novel)|the novel of the same name]] by [[Vladimir Nabokov]], with the setting changed from 1930s [[Berlin]] to 1960s [[Swinging London]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Sir Edward More is a wealthy married 40-year-old art critic who falls in love with sixteen-year-old Margot. However, she later cheats on him with another man, Herve Tourace. When More finds out about the affaire, he and Margot argue in his car. Avoiding oncoming cyclists, the car crashes and More is injured, losing his sight.
For the film, the story's setting was changed from 1930s [[Berlin]] to the [[Swinging London]] of the 1960s.


⚫
Margot continues with the affaire but as More is now blind, she carries on in front of him. Eventually, More finds out and confronts Margot in the cellar with a gun. He fatally shoots himself when stumbling on the stairs. She runs off while his dead body lies on the floor.
A wealthy married 40-year-old [[art critic]] called Sir Edward More (Nicol Williamson) falls in love with a sixteen-year-old girl called Margot (Anna Karina).

However, she later [[infidelity|cheats on him]] with another man (Jean-Claude Drouot) which eventually leads to him losing his eyesight while they argue in his car when he finds out about it and crash by avoiding oncoming cyclists. She continues with the affair but as Edward is now blind, she can have it right in front of him.

⚫
Eventually, he finds out about the still ongoing affair and confronts her in the cellar with a gun. But he fatally shoots himself with it by stumbling on the stairs in pursuit of her; and she then runs off while his dead body lies on the floor.


==Cast==
==Cast==
Line 41: Line 37:
* Sebastian Breaks as Brian
* Sebastian Breaks as Brian
* [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]] as Amelia More
* [[Kate O'Toole (actress)|Kate O'Toole]] as Amelia More
* Edward Gardner as Driver
* Edward Gardner as driver
* [[Sheila Burrell]] as Miss Porly
* [[Sheila Burrell]] as Miss Porly
* [[Willoughby Goddard]] as Colonel
* [[Willoughby Goddard]] as colonel
* [[Basil Dignam]] as Dealer
* [[Basil Dignam]] as dealer
* [[Philippa Urquhart]] as Philippa
* [[Philippa Urquhart]] as Philippa


==Production==
==Production==
⚫
Nicol Williamson was brought in as a very late replacement for [[Richard Burton]], who had already shot several scenes. Richardson had found Burton's lack of punctuality intolerable. He had directed Williamson in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' on stage and was planning to cast him as [[Hamlet]]. A famously turbulent and unpredictable actor himself, Richardson saw him as a better bet than Burton. To recruit him in a hurry, Richardson sent a search party to comb the bars and bistros of the [[Cote d'Azur]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Walker |first=Alexander |title=Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor |date=1997 |publisher=[[Grove Press]] |isbn=978-0802137692 |pages=298–299}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Richardson |first=Tony |title=Long Distance Runner – A memoir |publisher=[[Faber & Faber]] |year=1993 |isbn=0-571-16852-3 |location=London |pages=213–15}}</ref>
===Casting===

⚫
[[Nicol Williamson]] was brought in as a very late replacement for [[Richard Burton]], who had already shot several scenes. The director, [[Tony Richardson]], found Burton's lack of punctuality intolerable.<ref>Walker p.298-299</ref><ref>Richardson, pp. 213-5. Richardson had directed Williamson in ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' on stage and was planning to cast him as [[Hamlet]]. A famously turbulent and unpredictable actor himself, Richardson obviously saw him as a better bet than Burton. To recruit him in a hurry, Richardson sent a search party to comb the bars and bistros of the [[Cote d'Azur]].</ref>
===Filming===
The film was shot on location in [[England]] and [[Majorca]].
The film was shot on location in [[England]] and [[Majorca]].


==Release==
==Release==
The film drew respectable reviews, but for reasons that are unclear, it was subsequently removed from distribution. The film has only been shown twice on British television, (in 1974 and 1981 on BBC2), and has not been released on any home video format.
The film drew respectable reviews, but for reasons that are unclear, it was subsequently removed from distribution.{{Citation needed|date=January 2024}}


It has only been shown twice on British television, in 1974 and 1981 on BBC2,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Laughter in the Dark |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=Laughter+in+the+Dark+nicol#top |access-date=6 January 2024 |website=BBC Programme Index}}</ref> and has not been released on any home media format.
==Cancelled remake==

⚫
Laszlo Papas was slated to direct a 1986 remake of the film which would have starred [[Mick Jagger]] as Axel Rex and [[Rebecca De Mornay]] as the young seductress; De Mornay was replaced by [[Maryam d'Abo]] after disagreements with the director, but ultimately the project went nowhere and the film was never made.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/adapting-nabokov|title = Nabokov and the Movies|date = 2 January 2015|accessdate = 5 January 2015|website = The New Yorker|last = Colapinto|first = John |author-link= John Colapinto }}</ref>
== Remake ==
⚫
Laszlo Papas was slated to direct a 1986 remake of the film which would have starred [[Mick Jagger]] as Axel Rex and [[Rebecca De Mornay]] as the young seductress; De Mornay was replaced by [[Maryam d'Abo]] after disagreements with the director, but ultimately the film was never made.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/adapting-nabokov|title = Nabokov and the Movies|date = 2 January 2015|accessdate = 5 January 2015|website = The New Yorker|last = Colapinto|first = John |author-link= John Colapinto }}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Cite book
| last = Walker
| first = Alexander
| title = Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor
| publisher = Grove Press
| year = 1997
| location =
| isbn = 978-0802137692
| url-access = registration
| url = https://archive.org/details/elizabeth00walk
}}

*{{Cite book
| last = Richardson
| first = Tony
| title = Long Distance Runner - A memoir
| publisher = Faber & Faber
| year = 1993
| location = London
| isbn = 0-571-16852-3 }}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{IMDb title|id=0064576|title=Laughter in the Dark}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0064576|title=Laughter in the Dark}}
*[https://www.reelstreets.com/films/laughter-in-the-dark/ ''Laughter in the Dark''] then-and-now location photographs at [https://www.reelstreets.com/ ReelStreets]


{{Tony Richardson}}
{{Tony Richardson}}

Revision as of 03:32, 7 January 2024

Laughter in the Dark
Film poster
Directed byTony Richardson
Screenplay byEdward Bond
Based onLaughter in the Dark
by Vladimir Nabokov
Produced byNeil Hartley
Starring
CinematographyDick Bush
Edited byCharles Rees
Music byRaymond Leppard
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists (UK)
Release date
  • September 1969 (1969-09)
(UK)
Running time
104 minutes
Countries
  • France
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office$780,000[1]

Laughter in the Dark (Template:Lang-fr) is a 1969 French-British romantic drama film directed by Tony Richardson and starring Nicol Williamson and Anna Karina.[2] It was based on the novel of the same name by Vladimir Nabokov, with the setting changed from 1930s Berlin to 1960s Swinging London.

Plot

Sir Edward More is a wealthy married 40-year-old art critic who falls in love with sixteen-year-old Margot. However, she later cheats on him with another man, Herve Tourace. When More finds out about the affaire, he and Margot argue in his car. Avoiding oncoming cyclists, the car crashes and More is injured, losing his sight.

Margot continues with the affaire but as More is now blind, she carries on in front of him. Eventually, More finds out and confronts Margot in the cellar with a gun. He fatally shoots himself when stumbling on the stairs. She runs off while his dead body lies on the floor.

Cast

Production

Nicol Williamson was brought in as a very late replacement for Richard Burton, who had already shot several scenes. Richardson had found Burton's lack of punctuality intolerable. He had directed Williamson in A Midsummer Night's Dream on stage and was planning to cast him as Hamlet. A famously turbulent and unpredictable actor himself, Richardson saw him as a better bet than Burton. To recruit him in a hurry, Richardson sent a search party to comb the bars and bistros of the Cote d'Azur.[3][4]

The film was shot on location in England and Majorca.

Release

The film drew respectable reviews, but for reasons that are unclear, it was subsequently removed from distribution.[citation needed]

It has only been shown twice on British television, in 1974 and 1981 on BBC2,[5] and has not been released on any home media format.

Remake

Laszlo Papas was slated to direct a 1986 remake of the film which would have starred Mick Jagger as Axel Rex and Rebecca De Mornay as the young seductress; De Mornay was replaced by Maryam d'Abo after disagreements with the director, but ultimately the film was never made.[6]

References

  1. ^ Tino Balio, United Artists: The Company That Changed the Film Industry, University of Wisconsin Press, 1987 p. 246
  2. ^ "Laughter in the Dark". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ^ Walker, Alexander (1997). Elizabeth: The Life of Elizabeth Taylor. Grove Press. pp. 298–299. ISBN 978-0802137692.
  4. ^ Richardson, Tony (1993). Long Distance Runner – A memoir. London: Faber & Faber. pp. 213–15. ISBN 0-571-16852-3.
  5. ^ "Laughter in the Dark". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ^ Colapinto, John (2 January 2015). "Nabokov and the Movies". The New Yorker. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
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