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71 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Silent Period: Birth of Comedy
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1910-1920, Influence of Vaudeville on Hollywood Comedy (sketches, episodic, did not follow a classical three act narrative)
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Silent Period: Golden Age of Slapstick/Age and Sophistication in the Jazz Age
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1920-1929, The silent film clowns, Jazz babies, you begin to see films emerging around a particular director. Become more technologically standardized, industrial boom (Henry Ford is the new hero.)
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Hollywood Classical Period: Talking Comedy in the Studio System
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1929-1941, The Uncensored Depression Clowns: Marx Bros, W.C. Field, Laurel and Hardy, uncensored depression social satire (gold-digger, shyster, wild woman)
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Hollywood Classical Period: New Deal/Populist and Screwball
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1934-1941
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Hollywood Classical Period: Capra's Fantasy of Good Will, Family Comedy
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1934-1945
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Hollywood Classical Period: World War II Comedy
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1941-1945
1. Preston Sturges: Slapstick/Screwball Romance/Social Satire Concoction 2. Fantasy Comedy (1939-1959) 3. Comedian Comedy: Abott and Costello, Bob Hope (1949-1956) |
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France in Silent Period
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Dominated film prior to Hollywood
Comedy Director: George Melies (father of Comedy, Satire) |
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Satire
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Exposing a problem in society through (often politically charged) humor
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Irony
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A dramatic device exposing the discrepancy between illusion and reality
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Max Linder
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Silent Period Actor and Acrobat
Knew how to bring off character, knew how to move his body in slapstick humor Led to situations and actions Elegant, handsome, always wore a tuxedo |
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Mack Sennett
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Silent Period
Jokes are all sexually skewed (burlesque) 1912-1915 launched the most important production company dealing with shorts in the world - Keystone When he left Keystone he began loosing control, they made his comedy refined, before it was brassy and didn't work Influenced by: Comedia del arte, 16th century comedy of the Italians (spread to the rest of Europe) Stereotype characters based on a plot the audience knew ahead of time, then the actors ad-libbed the lines Creator of slapstick His camera was used to depict the absurd, impossible, fantastic, non-sensical |
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Mabel Normand
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Silent Period
Clown at Keystone Died at 35 Parents were vaudevillians Mabel was in love with Sennett (he was an unlovable bastard) Pace, timing, tempo: 3 parts of gag, planned, develop, pointed to, increasing the effect of space in motion Acting was demonstrative and broad |
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Buster Keaton
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Golden Age of Slapstick, Slapstick Clown. Born in Kansas
4 periods of work: -Vaudeville: learned acrobatics, athletics, machines -Arbuckle: was an entertainer in Senate's group. Met Keaton on the street in NY, made 15 shorts together Moved Arbuckle/Keaton to Paramount to make films -Independent: Keaton continued making the shorts on his own Masterpiece is The General (based on the reminiscences of the civil war, based on northern soldier) Root of his work was based in vaudeville, knew that in the character you create your comic business, act, plot, situations, actions, he knew timing, obsessive about structure. Three part gag: 1) a situation, preparation; 2) particular action, 3) completion of the action, gags are very logical and preposterous Face remains deadpanned through the gag, -MGM: asked him to join the company, didn't really use him, was an alcoholic |
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Charles Chaplin
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Golden Age of Slapstick, Slapstick Clown. Father died young, joined the Carno Comedy Act
Scouted by Senette and Mabel 1913-1925: Tramp 1925-1936: creative equilibrium (The Gold Rush, The Circus, Modern Times, social propaganda) Films getting longer and longer as his characters got deeper and he got paid more for making a two reeler 1972: received an Oscar, returned to America for the first time since being exiled in 1952 Childhood of deprivation made him a social commentator, learned pantomime and how to dance, learned from Sennette and Linder. Loved melodrama. Used Hobo to create comedy, Hobo's labors provide no sense of accomplishment, what you do tells who you are, wore cast off clothes of others, hand me downs of more important men, despite all his sadness he can pick himself up and start all over again, social criticism in his work. |
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Mabel's Married Life (1914)
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Starring Mabel Normand, Charlie Chaplin
Directed by Chaplin Written by Chaplin/Normand Produced by Mack Sennett Summary: Mabel goes home after being humiliated by a masher whom her wimpy husband (Chaplin) won't fight. The husband goes off to a bar and gets drunk. She buys a boxing dummy hoping it will inspire her husband, but when he returns he gets in a fight with it, taking it to be the lady-killer |
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The General (1926)
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Starring Buster Keaton
Directed by Keaton/Clyde Bruckman Summary: Johnnie (Keaton) loves his train ("The General") and Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War begins he is turned down for service because he's more valuable as an engineer. Annabell thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board. Johnny must rescue both his loves |
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The Circus (1928)
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Starring Charles Chaplin
Directed/Produced/Written by Chaplin Summary: Charlie's Tramp character finds himself at a circus where he is promptly chased around by the police who think he is a pickpocket. Running into the Big Top, he is an accidental sensation with his hilarious efforts to elude the police. The ringmaster/owner immediately hires him, but discovers the Tramp cannot be funny on purpose, so he takes advantage of the situation by making the Tramp a Janitor just happens to always be in the Big Top at show time. Unaware of this exploitation, the Tramp falls for the owner's lovely acrobatic daughter, who is abused by her father. His chances seem good, until a dashing rival comes in and Charlie feels he has to compete with him. |
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Farce
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Comic physical action
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Vaudeville
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"Comedy of the gutter" vulgar, brassy people, immediately recognizable, all politically incorrect.
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Harold Lloyd
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Jazz Age and Age of Pleasure
Born in Nebraska 1893 Was a boxer, art of movement, met Hal Roach before going to Hollywood (made 101 2-reelers) Senate grabbed Lloyd, then Lloyd went back to Roach. His character was "Lonesome Loop," but with small clothing, but not large like Chaplin The Thrill Gag= built around dangerous action. Audience feared, pleasure when fear was overcome -Got more and more dangerous -Safety Gags Deceptive use of camera also used in comedy Opening of The Freshman, pullback gag: show on thing, camera pulls back to reveal that it's something completely different Persona becomes obsolete after the Crash, aggressive qualities of the 20's didn't work in the depression |
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Harry Langen
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Most popular of all slapstick clowns
Better than Chaplin or Keaton Langden = good American, he would always get up and get! (get up and get = zietgeist of jazz age) Langden wore NO makeup, played clean-cut good looking guy, BUT he wore horn-rimmed glasses, glasses falling on faces was his shtick Langden was energetic and athletic like Chaplin and Keaton, but sometimes he was demure Langden had a writer and a director credit, Lloyd wrote and directed too, but never took writing or directing credits (Neither did Keaton or Chaplin) Always associated with Capra (the Capra protagonist) Was old when he became a clown Joined Max Senate (they developed his career, Max Senate is made up of wonderful gag writers) Face is more important than body Encouraged him to ape the Pierrot Clown Wore hat on his head, kiss curl under it. Flared/baggy trousers, overgrown jacket. Fat belly. Langden's decline. Got signed to big company, took ciritc's words to heart, he tried to do pathos like Chaplin, got self-conscious, fired Capra as writer/director, made flops, did drugs, dieg. |
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Pierrot Clown v. August Clown
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Pierrot Clown = French, whiteface, moonface
August Clown = red wig, crazy, happy, rambunctious |
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Modern Satires (First kind of comedy)
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Attacks new way of modern thinking, Jazz Age. Douglas Fairbanks. Many good films made by Fairbanks.
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Second Kind of Comedy
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Indulged in new way, modern thinking, jazz age, flapper implications of immoral intent, Joan Crawford, CLARA BOW
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Third type of Comedy
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Von Stroheim and Lubitsch, saw through satire, US way, saw MAN as MAN.
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Clara Bow
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Used on life source for on screen material. She was herself. Her career took off. Clara Bow stepped over implications of immoral intent and actually WAS naughty. She had "it." Clara made her next film called "It" and it was a smash.
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1929 Stock Market Crash and years following
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Jazz Age ends
Self-help generation. Wasn't a time of welfare. Great optimism about possibilities of America/Americans. America = Free from rest of the world. Same time as Red Scare (fear of proletariat), revolt in Russa... success was a virtue at the time. Time of increased prosperity due to industrialization. More people going to college. Time of new morality (post-code.) Middle class rises, wealthy gets wealthier, drive for money, self help books increased |
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Horatio Alger
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Lived in 1832-1899
But his myth is still in effect. Horatio = Unitarian minister, had career in letters. Believed social Darwinism was the American way. He wrote plays, dramas. His myth = any individual who worked hard could SUCCEED With great depression and Jazz-Age, the Alger Myth was widely subscribed to. it was a complicated myth though, and the self-help generation didn't pay attention to the complications of it. |
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Gangster (as hero)
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Stood up against prohibition
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The Freshman (1925)
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Directed by Sam Taylor, Fred Newmeyer
Written by Sam Taylor Produced by Harold Lloyd Synopsis: Harold Lloyd plays this dopey character who gets to college thinking it's going to be exactly like this movie he saw that was about college. He goes to college and the first thing he does is accidentally step on the school president's hat and steal his car, which takes him to the auditorium where he is suddenly standing in front of the whole student body. After making a fool of himself he becomes popular for buying everyone ice cream, becomes poor and has to live in crappy apartment, poor girl works there and falls in love with him. Lloyd is determined to be the big man on campus, tries out for football team, doesn't get on it but is made water boy. Decides that he wants to get into the next football game. Gets called to play when too many football players are injured an Coach has to pick him. He sucks at football but manages to score the winning touchdown and finally becomes popular. He doesn't want popularity, wants the poor girl. |
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Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1926)
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Directed by Harry Edwards
Written by Harry Edwards and Frank Capra Synopsis: Langdon gets involved with cross-country foot race in hopes of winning the prize money and marrying Betty. Somehow wins the race through incidental trickery. Hanging from a cliff gag. Hurricane blowing through the town. Langdon wins race and money and gives Betty note telling her how much he loves her. |
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It (1927)
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Directed by Clarence Badger
Written by Hope Loring, Lous Lighton Clara Bow plays Betty Lou Spence, a poor girl who works at a shop. She falls in love with the shop owner and tries every trick in the book to get him to notice her. She hears he will be attending a dinner at the Ritz and goes with one of the shop owner's friends. Betty has "It' so of course Waltham (store owner) falls for her. Betty's roommate has a baby, old women try and come to take the baby away from her because they say she is not fit to take care of it because she is sick and has no job. Betty says the baby is hers. Monty, Waltham's friend overhears this and tells Waltham. Betty and Waltham break up. Eventually the truth comes out that it is not her baby, they get back together. |
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Archetype of the Clown
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Archetype: Figure has gone through time and space.
Film: Four great clowns- Keaton, Langdon, Lloyd, Chaplin Talking clowns- Hardy, Marx Bros, Fields MGM Musicals- Singin in the Rain |
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Metaphysics of the clown
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-Butt of our fears and insecurities (we jeer at their downfall because it didn't happen to us, provides relief, we feel better about ourselves)
-Undermines pretense (offers a specific remedy for pretense-laughter, teaches us how to deal with pretense and hypocrisy, acknowledge it, demolish it, and laugh at it) -Image of complexity and ambiguity (holds two or more contrary ideas or emotions at once, image of earth and sky, victim and victor, body and spirit, finite and infinite) -Resilience is achieved by destroying order, a human construct (clown suggests that order is never an end to itself, only a means to an end, shows us primitive side) -Brings festivity and fantasy back to life (Resurgence of excess, provides alternative reality as real) -Dreams (connects us to the world of the spirit, energizing force keeps the clown going on and on) -Engages and entertains us |
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Laurel and Hardy
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Straddled both silent and sound film
Laurel: the skinny one, understudied Chaplin, became a Hal Roach actor, director, writer Hardy: The "fat" one, singer and cinema manager, performed in short films before going on to Hal Roach as a player. Did Silent films, Sound Shorts, Feature films until they moved to Fox and MGM and could no longer dictate their movies. Opposites- necessary in comedy duo. Created tension and irony behind the jokes and plot of the story Similarities: Both wore derbies, homely man Laurel v. Hardy: Thin/fat, long, smooth hair/short hair, a sexual/pompous and rude, never looked at camera/frequently looked at camera Acted like overgrown children- represent the child everyone needs inside Birth of the buddy comedy that celebrated male camaraderie Triple gag and open ended gag (no internal development, could go on forever) |
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Paramount Studios
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Made the best comedies (epicenter of comedy)
Had a stable of comic actors, directors, and writers that no other studio could equal Owned most of the theaters, where there was always a vaudeville shown in the 20s and 30s Already tested concepts and stars Had a taste for the outrageous Anti-Realism Various sub-types of comedy (jazz comedies/modern satires) Made more musicals than anyone else (but not the best- MGM was) Lubitsch became head of production (comic writer genius- modern satires) |
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The Marx Bros
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Team- made mode of the group
Successful Vaudeville act, got them noticed by Paramount but eventually lost their control when they signed with MGM later. Chico: Sub-human, caricature of immigrants, idea man, link between Groucho and Harpo Harpo: Para-human, special powers and a near infallibility, completely amoral, demonic baby, dim-witted Groucho: old mustache that became grease paint later, nearly human, tells audience what he feels and what is really happening, enters society and meets situations like a regular person, superficially belonged to society (ill fitting clothes, sly walk) Zeppo- straight man, half human/half awkward, lousy actor who left after, butt of the jokes Feared nothing in life, gloomy or dejected only briefly, do not want sympathy from viewers (like Chaplin, Langdon, Keaton) Verbal techniques: pun, homonyms, equivocation, double entendre Matched the bitter mood of the Depression with their lack of heart (upper class was main target) |
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Pun, Homonym, Equivocation, Double Entendre
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Pun- humorous use of a word to suggest a different meaning, or words that sounded similar
Homonyms- same sound but different meanings Equivocation- using an ambiguous expression, logical fallacy Double entendre- double meaning (second meaning is lewd) |
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WC Fields
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Joined Vaudeville as a juggler when he was 14, distinguished comedian by 19, Part of Broadway, polished his person with play called Poppy- huge success. Worked for Paramount.
Middle aged, thin hair, alcoholic, paranoid man, anti-social. |
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Pre-Censorship Depression Clowns
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3 Modes
Individual (WC Fields) Buddy (Laurel and Hardy) Group (Marx Bros) Unlike Silent Film Clowns... -they talked, visual and spoken comedy -didn't want sympathy -no fear of guilt -not alienated figures trying to adjust to a hostile world -very little heart -nonsense |
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The Music Box (1932)
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Directed by James Parrot
Produced by Hal Roach Starring Laurel and Hardy Summary: The two are delivering a piano and must get it up a long flight of stairs into the house |
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Horse Feathers (1932)
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Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Starring the Marx Bros Summary: The football game between Darwin and Huxley colleges is coming up. Groucho is the new president of Huxley, accepts the job to watch over womanizing son, Frank, played by Zeppo. He recruits Baravelli (Chico) and Pinky (Harpo) for the Huxley's football team and has them enrolled in the school. Miss Bailey attempts to seduce Groucho to get cue cards for Darwin, while Baravelli and Pinky try to kidnap players on the opposite team. |
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You're Telling Me! (1934)
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Directed by Erle C. Kenton
Written by Walter DeLeon, Paul M. Jones, J.P. McEvoy Starring W.C. Fields Summary: A hard-drinking, socially-awkward inventor wrecks his daughter's chances of marriage into a rich family and bungles his own chances of success by selling one of his more practical inventions. Attempts suicide on a train but meets a princess who comes to his town and redeems his family, making them worthy of his daughters marriage to the rich guy. |
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Uncensored Depression Satire
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social satire is different because it is no longer the jazz
age, it is contextualized, a package of uncensored depression era comedy, clowns and the satires, also pre-code (1934- can't get away with everything on screen anymore due to public outcry over lack or morality in movies) Shyster Satire Gold Digger Satire Wild Woman Satire |
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America as fertile ground for verbal comedy
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1) English language is best for puns, word-plays, vocab in English is twice the size of second closest language
2) Ethnic/class/gender etc, multicultural from the beginning, politically incorrect period of film |
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Gold-Digger Satires
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All girls were showgirls, witty, only out looking to marry a rich man, they had a tinge of self parody, didn't take themselves too seriously.
Gene Harlow, Mae West (objectifying men, sexual innuendos, moaning noises, she saved paramount from bankruptcy but code brought the end of her carrier) |
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Shyster Satire
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Comic embodiment of the gangster film, came in all different shapes and size, no matter their profession the shyster talked plenty and fast, they are also tough and hard boiled, racy and cynical, will do anything for a buck, live in NYC (fear of urbanization)
Cagney- crisp dialogue, no one like him, entered show business to help his family, family man. His persona was ethic, fast talker, stocky and short, moved with grace, responsible for audiences finding something funny or touching or good in a villain. |
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Wild Woman Satire
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Charlie Greenwood, Winny Leigner, actors who play comedy. Sordidly wife satire, functioned to reinforce women's place.
Tomboy of the Talkies- was against the recommendations of what women should be in film, women wore the pants, different image wild during the impression, masculine women. |
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Red Headed Woman (1932)
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Starring Jean Harlow
Quintessential Golddigger satire. Directed by Jack Conway Summary: Lil Andrews seeks to work her way up the ladder by marrying the richest man she can find. She seduces her boss and breaks up his marriage. Lil then finds an even richer coal tycoon and begins an affair with him (all the while sleeping with his chauffeur on the side.) In the end her plot to marry the tycoon is ruined by her husband, who gets a divorce from her and goes back to his first wife. We see at the end that Lil has found a rich European man to be with. This is a very Pre-Code film as Jean Harlow is shown flaunting her sexuality as a weapon to get to the top. Many say that this is one of the films that led to the crackdown of the Hays Code in 1934. |
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Lady Killer (1933)
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Starring James Cagney and Mae Clarke. Directed by Roe Del Ruth.
When a movie theater usher is fired, he takes up with criminals and finds himself quite adept at various illegal activities. Eventually though, the police catch up with him, and he runs to hide out in Los Angeles. There he stumbles into the movie business and soon rises to stardom. He has gone straight, but his newfound success arouses the interest of his old criminal associates, who are not above blackmailing him but he is released on bail by a former flame in his criminal gang, she tells him they are planning to do him in and he escapes. |
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New Deal/Populism
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America is trying to get out of the depression. The Code is enforced. Subtypes of comedy emerge: Screwball romance, Screwball mystery, Screwball fantasy, Fantasy of good will, Family Comedy.
New Deal- Era of agencies, welfare, US as welfare state. FDR was socialist. No more individuals in comedy, now it's the valorization of the group or the couple. Populism- US political party and ideology (embraced common people, agrarian interests, gov't control of monopolies, pre WWI values; marriage, mistrusts cities; gives NY a bad rap |
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Screwball Comedy
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Screwball- Nutty, eccentric, drunk
Three branches: romance (makes romance fun but innocent fun, sex cannot be used due to Code, humor is found in simple everyday activities, fun and adventurous way to discuss gender issue/class conflicts), mystery, fantasy (mystery and fantasy take principal characteristics of screwball comedy but tell the story of mystery or fantasy) -subversion of the norm, wacky -came from romantic comedy, Shakespeare- battle of the sexes -focuses on private sphere of relationships -shows fun of marriage, adventure of relationship -antagonism of the sexes is always presumed (gender issues and class conflicts brought this about) -antagonism ends in reconiliation -set in contemporary times in the city other determinants: redefinition of marriage in the 20s, divorce was popularizing; equal relationship between men and women |
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Conventions of Screwball Comedy
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-main characters in screwballs start off as "types" but as film goes on they become more human (has to do with New Deal/Populism Optimism)
-screen actors (NOT clowns) did screwball; casting was at its best yet -farcical slapstick aspects that came from silent films -equal relationship, male/female equality -nonsense school of writing: non-sequitor, ridiculously bland/obvious observation, mind boggling situation, sudden shift to meaninglessness after making sense screwball comedy helped sound movies |
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The Awful Truth (1937)
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Directed by Leo McCarey
Starring Irene Dunne, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy Summary: Unfounded suspicions lead a married couple to begin divorce proceedings, whereupon they start undermining each other's attempts to find new romance. -added more romance to screwball -dealt with marital situation where dog was substituted as child -love as sacrifice -characters are people with high aspirations -males more feminine, females more masculine -loose director, actors improvised, script changed Irene Dunne: known as first lady of Hollywood, inspired Lucille Ball, played sophisticated society women, all men wanted her and all women emulated her |
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His Girl Friday (1940)
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Directed by Howard Hawkes
Starring Cary Grant, Rosalind Russell and Ralph Bellamy Summary: A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying. Hawkes' technique: each character has two different convo's going on, complete confusion, misapprehension, overlapping of dialogue, fast-paced throughout the film. A lot of verbal comedy, comic genius. |
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D.H. Monro: The Argument of Laughter (handout)
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-The out down and repetition will make people laugh
-arsenal for visual analysis |
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Frank Capra
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-belongs to post-code and New Deal
-started out through the studio system as a lab technician then became a gag writer -wrote for Keystone, wrote and directed for Harry Langdon (when he fired Capra he tanked) -Directed It Happened One Night (won 5 oscars), You Can't Take it With You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, It's a Wonderful Life -Capra's subtype of Comedy: Fantasy of Good Will (or wealth) Capra Protagonist: 1. Populism (resurrected because of the depression), the belief that the superior is evil, celebration of rural and small town life, patriotism is a virtue, faithfulness to honest labor, optimism to man's general good 2. Yankee figure (continued after Capra, post-war continued as women yankee figure, political involvement, rural residency, to know God, capability and optimistic belief where man can accept rational change, common sense will get people through, gainful employment, offers fatherly advice, more feeling than brains) 3. Christianity (particularly Jesus Christ; Capra a devout Roman Catholic from Italy, goes against evil elements, element of romance, always a girl) |
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You Can't Take It With You (1938)
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Directed by Frank Capra
Starring Jean Arthur, James Steward and Lionel Barrymore Written by Robert Risking, George S. Kaufman Summary: Romeo and Juliet type of romance. A good-natured but decidedly eccentric family meets the love interest of their daughter who comes from a wealthy family that wants nothing to do with them. |
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Technique of Capra
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-Need for physical movement
-sound film, good dialogue to hold its own -long passages without change in camera position -told actors to lower their face to make dialogue play faster -took out a third of dialogue to make it play faster -en mediares, begins right in the middle of things -designed sets for actors -stickler for reactive characters -loved to use folk music |
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George S. Kauffman
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wrote for You Can't Take it With You
-hated sentiment in his play and was master of sharp satirical lines -master of structure, jewish extraction -playwright in 30s 40s and 50s -always wrote with someone else |
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Jean Arthur and James Stewart
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Jean Arthur: blonde, throaty character, sound pictures made her a star, she was optimistic, independent, tomboy, befuddled by love, malleable, efficient, brave, working girl with heart of gold
-she was terribly neurotic and insecure James Stewart: -idealistic Jeffersonian agrarian reformer -tall gangly non-muscular character, slow speech, sensual lips, receding hairline -pre WWII Stewart of boyish innocence, populist yankee figure, vulnerable in his momentary self-doubt, love of family and country, born in Indiana, Pennsylvania in 1908, went to princeton -one and only academy award in The Philadelphia Story |
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Family Comedy
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1939-1945: family structure falling apart
sitcoms about family comedy (I Love Lucy) small town setting, usually suburbia, celebration of family and Americana with some nostaliga 1934-1939: crystalization of family comedy Shirley Temple: she was family comedy from '35-'40, yankee figure, reacted naturally to situations, helped her parents and guardians out of tight spots |
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Robert Riskin
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Worked with Capra on 13 films
Tightly constructed plots Socio-sexual complications Homespun heroes Heavy influence on one another |
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End of Hollywood Classical Period: WWII Comedy
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1939-1945:
Supreme court censors all movies 22 percent of all males are in the armed forces by '42 production board limited costs of sets, banned night shooting and not color color was NOT associated with comedy nor were sets, instead performance and writing was everything genre of comedy didn't suffer with 12 million men at war, people at home needed a release Democracy is threatened- family delineated as value and group is valorized family comedy took off during war time resurgence of nationalism retreat into period/americana nostalgia a movement from coward to courage/bravery protagonist (because the whole country had to be like that) fantasy comedy has a moral nuttyness and zaniness that audiences wanted during WWII came about in American film comedy 1941- screwball romance runs down, considered too frivolous/silly during WWII |
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Fantasy Genre
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Fantasy: insertion or interruption into the human/real world of a figure or occurrence that is alternative or radically different from the human/known world or vice versa.
2 types of protagonists: protagonist is alive and in need of help... trouble or tormented OR protagonist is dead and in a state of purgatory and needs help to move to another state Protagonist could be an ardent believer, a would be believer, agnostic, atheist... etc. Antagonist: miracle worker, nanny, religious people on earth, an examiner IMPORTANT: has seeds in yankee figure, because the antagonist is also an embodiment of the yankee figure Traceable to Capra Three branches: melodramas, musicals, comedies 1939- seminal year for fantasy Why Fantasy? WWII killed many people, people needed something more to believe in. War was not the end, nor was death. When you need a belief in god and there is a return to religion, genres that demonstrate a belief in God are receptive to myths, legends, folklores Appreciative aspect of fantasy: created a secondary word, a world enjoyed purely for its own sake, restores sense of wonder and mystery of things, fantasy is an escape, offers consolation Fantasy was a guide for living, centered around morals. Fox made the most and best fantasies |
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Comedian AND Comedian Comedy
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Difference between clown, actor who plays comedy and the comedian.
Clown- distinct person doing things, embodies a distinct persona and it embodies a world view. World view comes from the clown. Actor who plays comedy- the actor is NOT a clown, they are DOING comedy but that's not the only thing they do... they do dramas they do musicals ect... (Cary Grant, Irenne Dunne, Colbert) Actors went into comedy after influx of writers from NY began writing smart dialogue and plot and character... gave actors a role to play. Worldview comes from the writer. The Comedian- Danny K, Bob Hope. Rise of the comedian and comedian comedy during WWII. Wanted people on the screen for 9- minutes to do their comic thing: gags, one liners. They didn't care about characterization or plot. Comedian begins career in show business medium NOT movies; vaudeville, night club, resort hotels, radio, musical stage, tv commercials, tv series, concert stages, video art. Comedian has a pre existent popularity /style/performance/audience before they go into movies IMPORTANT: At a time when linear plot and characterization was all worked out/finely tuned, comedian comedy DISMISSED this... it broke what mainstream Hollywood was doing, the classic Hollywood Literary style. Used their real names (Bob is Bob), self reflexive- able to see performance, they often looked at the camera. Recognition of the audience was receptive. |
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Preston Sturges
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nobody before or after like him... post modern before post modernism
slapstick, farce, parody, screwball all mixed into one he was a free-spirit, artistic, business-like. Invented kiss proof lipstick. wrote 5 plays, 4 flops but one success, invited to Paramount. short reign... four years, golden period-time when female actors doing comedy (not clowns) doing things males usually do Autorism- he controlled his own work, wrote, directed, produced Technique: extreme objectivity. he is an observer.. farce is funnier because he is an observer Satire: Sturges was Juvenallian (bitter... wanted to point out the discrepencies but it won't change anyone... man will always be man) Horacian (warm and optimistic, people would see the flaws and mind their manners, get back on mark) NOT sturges. He makes fun of politics, patriotics, America, sex, bums, small time America, Hollywood, America at war... nothing was sacred to his grinding mill. He played the American dream as a farce. |
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Come to the Stable (1949)
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Directed by Henry Koster
Starring Loretta Young, Celeste Holm and Hugh Marlowe Summary: Two nuns from a French convent arrive in a small New England town with a plan to build a children's hospital. They enlist the help of several colorful characters in achieving their dream including a struggling artist, a popular composer, and a renowned racketeer. |
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Sullivan's Travels
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Directed by Preston Sturges
Written by Preston Sturges Starring Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake and Robert Warwick Summary: A director of escapist films goes on the road as a hobo to learn about life in order to make better dramatic movies, he meets a wannabe actress who becomes his partner along the adventure. He is knocked unconscious by another Hobo attempting to steal his money, forgets his name and is put in jail and everyone else thinks he is dead. When he regains his memory he admits to his own murder in order to get out. Ends up falling in love with the wannabe actress. A parody of swift and satire (gulliver's travels) Built on one irony after another |
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Ernst Lubitsch
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(January 28, 1892 – November 30, 1947) was a German-born [1] film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch".
In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his distinguished contributions to the art of the motion picture, and he was nominated 3 times for Best Director. |
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Douglas Fairbanks
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(May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer.[1] He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro.
An astute businessman, Fairbanks was a founding member of United Artists. Fairbanks was also a founding member of The Motion Picture Academy and hosted the first Oscars Ceremony in 1929. With his marriage to Mary Pickford in 1920, the couple became Hollywood royalty with Fairbanks constantly referred to as "The King of Hollywood",[2] a nickname later passed on to actor Clark Gable. |
