Arquivo

In XVIIth century England, King James II rids himself of a political enemy and gives his enemy’s young son to the comprachicos (or “child-buyers” as Victor Hugo calls them) who transform the children into freaks with the intent of showing them at fairs. The child has the corners of his mouth lifted so that his teeth show in a permanent grin. Abandoned by the comprachicos, he is left alone in the snow and finds a baby crying in the arms of its dead mother. He seeks refuge in the nearest shanty and is taken in by Ursus, the philosopher. Now grown up and a famous clown, Gwynplaine, better known by the nickname of “the man who laughs” goes from fair to fair with Ursus and Dea (the child he saved) now a young woman with angelic features, but born blind. Gwynplaine loves Dea and dreams of marrying her, but wonders if he has the right to profit from her handicap to conceal his own. When he performs in front of the Queen’s half-sister, Josiane, a wily and sensual duchess, a jester tells Queen Anne who Gwynplaine really is, a lord’s heir. To establish her power, the Queen decides to marry him to Josiane. Soldiers come to get Gwynplaine in his caravan to take him to court, but he creates a scandal in the House of Lords by denouncing the Queen’s decision to marry him to the duchess. Chased by armed soldiers, he manages to escape and finds, in extremis, Ursus and Dea as their boat leaves to take them into exile.