Set in London and the Riviera, Laughter in the Dark stars Edward, a wealthy, knighted art dealer who falls hard for tartish usherette Margot. She is kept by a glorified pimp, who conspires with the girl to take Edward for everything he’s got. The art dealer is blinded in an auto accident, after which he switches emotional gears and plans to kill the girl and her keeper.
Director: Tony Richardson.
Stars: Nicol Williamson, Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Drouot, Peter Bowles, Siân Phillips, Sebastian Breaks, Kate O’Toole, Edward Gardner, Sheila Burrell, Willoughby Goddard, Basil Dignam, Philippa Urquhart, Helen Both.
In Lolita territory with this story of an obsessive driven and doomed love between a wealthy English art dealer and his tart without a heart usherette. (when usherettes were still a thing). There is a nastiness in this film as we see a blind man mercilessly swindled and cuckolded . Nicol Williamson as always is excellent however the film is bleak and unremitting.
Always wondered why this film has never had a VHS release. Supposedly, there is a legal snag between the producers and United Artists/MGM, which is a real shame
The tragic downfall of a cultured and intelligent man who makes a series of very unwise decisions when he falls in love – a metaphorical blindness that eventually becomes a reality.