The Man Who Laughs

The action of Victor Hugo's novel The Man Who Laughs takes place in England at the end of the 17th - beginning of the 18th century. Gwynplaine, a lord by birth, was sold to bandits called comprachicos in his childhood, who made him a fairground jester by carving a mask of eternal laughter on his face. At the courts of European nobility of that time, there was a fashion for cripples and deformed individuals who entertained their masters and guests; the activities of the comprachicos were sometimes even encouraged. Despite all the trials, Gwynplaine preserved the best human qualities and his love. One of the famous adaptations is the silent film of 1928 directed by Paul Leni, in which the classic ending of the novel is replaced with a happy ending.