Laughter Through Tears (1933)

Genres - Comedy  |   Run Time - 78 min.  |   Countries - United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
  • AllMovie Rating
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Filmed in Russia, this Yiddish-language film is based on a bittersweet tale by Sholom Alecheiem. Poverty-stricken Jewish ghetto dweller Shimmen-Eyle scrimps and saves enough to buy a female goat to provide milk for his children. But when he arrives back in the village, he discovers that he's dragged home a male goat. The poor man becomes the laughing stock of the village because of his presumed lack of business sense. Soon, however, it turns out that Shimmen-Eyle is the victim of a practical joker, and when the villagers find out who perpetrated the hoax, they give the jolly jokester a sound thrashing. A happy ending? Not quite: The Czarist police, caring nothing about the reason behind the whole affair, order Shimmen-Eyle out of the village for inciting a riot!