King of Laughter

"If you meet Geoge Bush I would say""He is human being, other human beings he have to join in laughter, smiling a good positive democratic approach"

This is a bit of an obscure one for me but I think the comparison between these wto doc's is interesting sooooo read and watch! The King of Laughter is a 3min doc about Belachew Grima an Ethiopian in Wallsaw who spreads happiness with laughter. He laughs constantly throughout the aurally intense piece and his words, jokes and laughter are surely a good thing, simple camera work and strong use of speeding up camera footage show Belachew bringing happiness to many people. When it comes to explaining why, he tells the audience he lost everything he had in Ethiopia more than once and the only way he could find to deal with it was laughter. The overall message for the piece is simple, laugh and make yourself and others happy. The Wallsaw facts about it being the saddest place in Britain are only included as a frame for Belachew's character and he is surely the centre piece. A good doc however it isnt all that interesting.

4/10

This is a more interesting follow up Doc about Belachew which more closely explores his life and his efforts to spread laughter in his homeland of Ethiopia. This is simply a better documentary, whilst I understand the previous doc is specifically made as a 3 minute look at the King of Laughter it is simply not enough time for the audience to become invested in the character or his story and the only come away with a slight wish to laugh a little more. 

The king of Laughter in Ethiopia however gives Belachew's story the time it deserves and does not hesitate to show Belachew at his low moments as well as his high moments by taking him to the graveyard of his parents and sister who died or HIV. HIV becomes a small focus of the Doc when it is revealed that Belachew himself suffers and that he uses his laughter to help other sufferers who are alienated for their illness. Laughter in his homeland seems also to be a political statement in Belachew's eyes as he sees it as a way to unite the warring tribes in Ethiopia and although this is a nice message and idea the Doc seems to treat it in a sceptical way as it is at this point the interviewer brings up the situation the day before in which a man would not laugh with Belachew. Belachew himself puts this down to psychological problems that mean the brain cannot produce a laughing hormone and he seems to dismiss the interviewers belief that the man may just have not wanted to laugh. The doc seems to further ridicule Belachew by showing him before he attempts to get into the African Union with laughter and then cutting to black titles saying he failed. 

The last title sequence gives us a few irrelevant facts but for me the strongest things about the piece are if Belachew and his friends can laugh in their situation why cant we? And the best comment from Belachew throughout is "If you meet Geoge Bush I would say""He is human being, other human beings he have to join in laughter, smiling a good positive democratic approach"
The longer Doc is definitely better I give it a

7/10