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Transcript of American Cinema Schedule Today – Musical movie reviews due - Unit test #1 (Movie review basics,...
American Cinema Schedule
Today – Musical movie reviews due - Unit test #1 (Movie review basics, silent films and musicals) – Binder Checks (Movie Review basics, Silent Film, and Musicals notes) – Start Comedy unit
Wednesday – Start Movie #1
Thursday – Finish movie #1, start movie #2
Friday – Finish movie #2
Monday – Start movie #3
Tuesday – Finish Movie #3, time for reviews
Wednesday – Comedy Movie reviews due – start War and Cinema
American Comedy
“Jokes function, on an individual level, as a form of liberation; they provide those who laugh at them with a necessary, therapeutic release from the serious worries and cares that oppress the
average human being” Sigmund Freud
Genre basicsOften addresses serious social and cultural
topics
Since comedy is rarely taken seriously, it can usually deal with serious topics more openly than other, more serious, genres
Often incorporates political incorrectness with topics that include sexuality, race, gender, ethnicity, social class, etc.
BasicsCan disrupt the orderly process of society by
unleashing chaos and disorder
Functions as a cultural safety valve – lets off steam of daily life
Considered the genre of the people – includes people and situations from all social classes
Profoundly social – often shows social change as positive – usually more about how characters handle change than the change itself
History of American Comedy
Slapstick – 1920’s – series of gags and physical comedy – “pie in the face” comedy – refers to the sticks silent film clowns used to hit each other with
Romantic comedies – 1930’s – tended to be set in sophisticated world of aristocracy – dealt with ladies and gentlemen – made fun of the social rules of the aristocracy
Low slapstick routines were kept separate from high class romantic comedies
HistoryScrewball comedies – 1930’s – combined high
comedy (such as romantic comedies) with slapstick – focused on conflicts – usually started with an existing couple on the verge of breaking up but would end with a reconciliation
Thesis Comedy – 1930’s/40’s – made a “statement” – rooted in political consciousness – had social value
HistoryWar Comedies – 1940’s (esp. WWII) – crucial role
in boosting morale – provided comic relief for the war and about problems at home – looked to restore traditional values of small town AmericaLater, the war comedies continued to take on war
topicsAddressed anxiety surrounding the Cold War
HistoryBlack Comedy of the 1960’s – comedies that
make fun of dark topics like death, morbidity, and murder – military often source of dark humor – M*A*S*H* Critique of the Cold War, governmental
bureaucracies, and American militarismFound audience with cynical college-age peopleAntiwar movementResponse to commercialization on TV, in
newspapers, and in magazines
HistoryAnimal comedies –80’s – Animal House – interest
in adolescent sexuality, graphic grossness, and celebration of vulgarity in general
Family comedies – 90’s – more traditional – deep-seated anxiety about the nuclear family – esp. guilt felt by parents of latchkey children
Geek comedy – social misfits (often teens) who take no interest in their appearance, function as awkward romantic leads, often opposite very attractive women – often includes awkward sexual issues – Juno
Importance of ComedyDocuments growing pains of America
Underlying social agenda – address controversial issues in such a disarming way that the controversy is overlooked
Can help viewers seriously question social problems
Our FilmsHarvey – 1950 – Henry Koster
The Princess Bride – 1987 – Rob Reiner
Juno – 2007 – Jason Reitman