Product Details

• Actors: Antonio Albanese, Giuseppe Cederna, Luca Zingaretti, Dario Cantarelli, Elena Ghiaurov
• Directors: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani
• Writers: Paolo Taviani, Vittorio Taviani, Luigi Pirandello
• Producers: Claudio Grassetti, Grazia Volpi
• Format: Color, Letterboxed, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: Italian
• Subtitles: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Facets
• VHS Release Date: March 18, 2003
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00008AOS9
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,032 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing tales, August 26, 2004

By 

LGwriter "SharpWitGuy" (Astoria, N.Y. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: You Laugh (DVD)

This Taviani Brothers film is actually a two-part work in which both pieces are based on stories by famed Italian writer Luigi Pirandello.

In the first, from which the title comes, an accountant--formerly an opera singer, now humbled by the sudden degradation of his voice--has peculiar laughing fits in the middle of the night. His wife thinks these are his outbursts of elation based on him having an affair. But in fact, the reason for his laughter is more psychologically complex and ultimately leads to tragic consequences.

In the second tale, a young boy, son of an infamous political radical, is kidnapped. This scenario is juxtaposed with that of another kidnapping, 100 years earlier, of an esteemed town doctor held by poor townspeople for ransom from his relatives. Again, the outcome of this tale is not at all a happy one.

The Tavianis are skilled filmmakers whose emphasis, at least judging by this more recent of their films, is on the unexpected consequences of human behavior. As emotional beings, humans cause things to happen, both to others and themselves, that are absolutely unpredictable and this, of course, is based on just that--the unpredictability of our behavior. Thus, this cycle of unpredictability is endless, inevitable, and ultimately tragic. Is this Pirandello or the Tavianis speaking? Here it seems to be both.

This is an intriguing film, unique in the cinematic repertory, and definitely recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars You Laugh - Tu Ridi, March 26, 2011

By 

Linsey A. Daman (Saint Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Laugh (DVD)

This film shows the sad life of an Italian accountant in Italy who has trouble sleeping and ends up losing his wife due to his snoring/laughing problems. He is very depressed over these sleeping problems and contacts a sleep doctor who doesn't offer much help.

The film then cuts into another section regarding two kidnappings in Italy over two different time periods. The two plots are completely different and are not related at all. The first section with the Italian accountant is much better than the second half in regards to plot and acting.