Der Selbstmörder

It all begins with a late-night hankering for liverwurst. Semjon, an unemployed petty bourgeoise, has such severe meat cravings that he wakes his wife, Mascha. When she rebuffs him, the situation escalates. Semjon’s nose is out of joint, he gets out of bed and disappears. He wouldn’t be contemplating suicide, would he? Before long, the whole city is talking about Semjon’s plan to take his own life. Society has also set him a deadline – it will happen at noon tomorrow.

Stanislavsky is said to have laughed so uncontrollably during a rehearsal for THE SUICIDE (1928) that it had to be cut short. THE SUICIDE counts as one of the greatest comedies of the 20th century.