The comedy film genre belongs to the groups of films that
evoke laughter/humour from the audience. 'Comedy' is the most important
category in cinema, present in every national film culture and dominant in
many. But much of the time comedy is enjoyed by audiences as an element across
many films rather than as a distinct genre.
Comedy films fall into two main sub-groupings: a) the
comedian-led film, structured through gags and sketches; and b) the comedy
situation film with a more coherent narrative. These two groups can sometimes
overlap and indeed the 'pure' comedy film of any kind is a fairly rare animal.
Most so-called comedy films are in reality hybrids, 'comedy hyphenates' such as
comedy-horror, comedy-thriller, comedy-musical etc.
In contemporary cinema, critics and theorists have been
mostly concerned with defining specific hybrids, which draw on the broader
repertoire of 'comedy elements' in easily recognizable ways:
'Teen comedy' - often set in high school and involving
adolescent sexual adventure and conflicts with authority
'Romantic comedy' - a popular hybrid, targeted at women
and couples, especially in the 25-35 age group
'Social comedy' - 'situational comedies' drawing on
class conflict and social realism, a feature of British cinema
'Gross-out comedy' - a currently successful cycle which
may involve any of the above, but pushed more towards outrageous gags.
Theoretical work has focused on particular forms such as
'screwball comedy', the first great cycle of which appeared in the 1930s and
1940s with performers such as Carole Lombard, Barbara Stanwyck and Katherine
Hepburn. The subversive nature of this cycle and its structural similarity to
horror are just two of its critical attractions.
In a comedy film, audiences respond to two different comedic elements:
The Gag - visual, aural, verbal jokes, carefully timed and
delivered for maximum impact;
Comic situation - 'narrative comedy' in which it is the
developing relationships between characters and the social environment that
causes us to laugh.
These two elements make a volatile combination since the
performance of gags is often highly disruptive of the progression of the
narrative. In most comedy films there is a tension between the gag and the
narrative situation and between the comedian and the comic actor.
The pedagogic problem with comedy seems to be that it is
very difficult to pin down. As well as the tension between the gag and the
narrative, there is a further set of categorizations which refer to the
purposes of comedy and, linked to this, the status of the comedy form.
Here are four distinct types:
Slapstick is 'visual and vulgar'. It is in one sense
primitive and universal, relying on our almost instinctive reaction to
characters assailed by danger, pain etc. At the same time it requires great
timing and all round performance skills. And in the form of the traditional
cinema cartoon it can become a highly sophisticated exploration of human
behaviour (think Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote).
Observational comedy is gentler and more subtle and presents
everyday life as quirky with unusual behaviour in a realist context. Parody
mocks existing forms, requiring audiences to have specific knowledge of media
texts, although in its current incarnation as the 'spoof', this knowledge could
be limited to what is available on mainstream television.
Satire is comedy used to make political and social
commentary. This requires analysis of the whole social context, implying an
educated audience. These different types can be mixed together. (Monty Python's
Life of Brian arguably displays elements of all the types.)
Codes and Conventions of Comedy:
1. Film Language
The secret of comedy is timing and performance. A person
could analyse routines, gags etc. and see how they are used within a narrative
feature. It would be interesting to compare a visual gag with a classic
suspense sequence. Both involve a careful playoff between what we know as the
audience and the awareness displayed by the character. Our pleasure comes from
the gleeful anticipation of the humiliation of the comic character or our fear
for the hero.
2.Representation
Possibly the most productive approach, analysis of character
'types' and situations should open up comedy films for student analysis.
Comedy, like drama, depends on conflicts, in particular between weak and strong
characters. Much comedy arises from the success of the weak in deflating the
powerful. On the other hand, comedy is also a weapon against fear of the
unknown or 'the Other', so that the basis for comedy becomes racism, sexism
etc.
3.Audience
The advantage of comedy to producers is that it appeals
across all audience groups. However, there are distinct differences in
audiences for certain types of comedy. In the UK these are often class
differences and age differences. The distinctions were particularly strong in
earlier periods when genre production was still possible in British Cinema -
e.g. the 1950s with Norman Wisdom (working class) v. the Doctor series (middle
class).
4. Institutions
Comedy films may be quite good for studying institution.
Historically, various cycles of films can be traced back to their origins in
other forms such as music hall, radio and television and in the last twenty
years, from club 'stand-up'.
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