University of Laughs (2004)

Original title

笑の大学

Directed by

Mamoru Hoshi

Genre

comedy film

Country

Japan

Runtime

2h 01m

Rating

7.2 of 10 from 38 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In prewar Japan, a government censor must approve a playwright's script before it can be performed. The two men engage in a series of comic negotiations that test both their wits and their principles.

playfulwittylightheartedcomedicintellectualgentletheatricalsharp

What happens

University of Laughs (笑の大学, Warai no Daigaku) is a story by Japanese dramatist Kōki Mitani which began as a play in 1996 starring actors Masahiko Nishimura as the Censor and Yoshimasa Kondo as the Playwright. The play won the Best Play Award at the 1996 Yomiuri Theater Awards. After that success, it was then made into a movie in 2004 starring actors Kōji Yakusho and Goro Inagaki by Fuji Television and Toho Studios. The piece presents in comedic fashion the conflict between censorship and an artist's freedom of expression. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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