Comedy

1. Comedy

2. History of the Comedy films • “It’s of the oldest genres in film – and derived from the classical comedy in theatre –, some of the very first silent movies were comedies, as slapstick comedy often relies on visual depictions, without requiring sound. When sound films became more prevalent during the 1920s, comedy films took another swing, as laughter could result from burlesque situations but also dialogue.” • “The era of Silent Film began with the release of the motion picture itself. Many films were released in the late 1870s and 1880s that are widely considered to be the first instance of movies like The Horse in Motion (1875) by Eadweard Muybridge, Roundhay Garden Scene (1888), and Arrival of a Train (1895) by the Lumière Brothers.[2] However, the first comedy film can be classified as the Watering the Gardener (1895) also created by the Lumière Brothers. These films were silent and began the Silent Film era that was then defined by comedy actors like William Haines, Charlie Chaplin, Lon Chaney, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton.” • I used this website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comedy_film#History

3. Sub-Genres of the Comedy film • Black humour • Parody • Satire – social, political, cultural meaning • Slapstick – physical comedy • Screwball – outlandish situations

4. Iconography of the Comedy film • slapstick situations • spoken ‘jokes’ • house party’s •  beer kegs • People being sick • I used this website: https://tomboothfilm.wordpress.com/2009/10/19/genre-case-study-comedy/

5. Actors/Directors associated with Comedy films • Edgar Wright - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End • Todd Philips – The hangover • Andy Samberg – Hot Rod, Pop Star Never Stop Never Stopping • Simon Pegg - Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World’s End • Anne Hathaway - The Hustle, The Devil Wears Prada, Intern, Bride Wars • Jim Carrey – The Truman Show, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Bruce Almighty • Robin Williams – Mrs Doubtfire, Night at the Museum, Patch Adams, Flubber • Adam Sandler – Just Go With It, 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer, Blended, Murder Mystery, Billy Madison , Big Daddy • Drew Barrymore - 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer, Blended • Ben Stiller – Night at the Museum, Zoolander, Meet the Fockers • Will Ferrell – Elf, Bewitched

6. Box Office – Top 10 films of the Genre • The Hangover part 2 • Meet the Fockers • Les Intouchables • Bruce Almighty • Home Alone • The Hangover • Mrs. Doubtfire • Sex and the City • Rain Man • The Hangover 3

7. Budgets – Top 10 films of the Genre (Dollars) • Night at the Museum – 110 million • The Hangover 3 – 103 million • Sex and the City 2 – 100 million • Little Fockers – 100 million • Fun With Dick and Jane – 100 million • Tropic Thunder – 92 million • You Don’t Mess With Zohan – 90 million • Pixels – 88 million • Bewitched – 85 million • It’s Complicated – 85 million • Bruce Almighty – 80 million

8. Critically acclaimed examples • The Hangover: BAFTA: Best original screenplay (winner) • The Truman Show: Oscars: supporting actor, director, original screenplay • Ladybird: Oscars: best actress, best picture, best supporting actress, best director, best original screenplay

9. Stretch and Challenge: Ideologies/Contexts • Moralism • Nihilism/existentialism • Feminism

10. Subversion • Birdman: • “Birdman is a different take because it plays around with the notion of what comedic timing can be. This film appears to be one long take, so it piles its jokes on top of one another (and arguments are slid in to boot), thus rewarding us with a sandwich of heightened tension and hysteria. It also tiptoes between satire and a simple black comedy, because a satire usually has everyone in on the joke; here, Riggan Thomson seems to be the sorriest man on earth. Even the most dramatic moments are awkwardly silly due to sensationalist writing” • I used this website: http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2018/10-great-recent-movies-that-subverted-genre-conventions/