So what's funny about communism? Concepts like the dictatorship of the proletariat didn't sound especially humorous to the practitioners of Marxism and one might conclude from the group shots of commie honchos that ruling was a serious business. But Ben Lewis' captivating film graphically describes a counter culture of mirth that was present from the early days of communism. Indeed, the response of many subjects of the Soviet empire to the prospect of open-ended communist rule was the telling of jokes.

There are enough good jokes to construct an entire history of the 20th century's utopia through humour. I won't spoil them for you - but it's enough to know that Ronald Reagan had a personal Commie joke finder at the State Department. And, yes, even Stalin enjoyed a giggle.