Film Language - Film Comedy

The latest Film Language lecture was about Film Comedy. Here are the notes that I made in the lecture from the slide and also from the discussions had.

Comedy is the most commercially successful genre. It is seen as entertainment and as neither political or challenging. "Designed to provoke laughter" the genre is determined by the 'emotional reaction' that it provokes and is similar to Horror and Melodrama (the 'weepie') in this sense. (King 2002). Comedy is also defined by having a happy ending, usually represented through a wedding or some sort of occasion.

"Comedy in film, generally, is probably best understood as a mode, rather than a genre. Any genre might be treated as a subject of comedy" (King 2002).

The element of Comedy are as follows:

• Incongruity
• Exaggeration
• Departure from the norm

Theories of Comedy are as follows:

• "If it bends, it's funny. If it breaks, it isn't."
• Safety valve/relief
• Affirmation of superiority
• Parody- repetition with intent to amuse
• Satire - repetition with critical intent
• Play - fiction

Romantic Comedy as a genre is determined by the simple theory of equilibrium. For example:

boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy marries girl. A disruption occurs but is then resolved at the end. As we have previously mention, a wedding is usually the typical ending of such film.

The development of Comedy can be seen through the decades. Each decade brings something different or new to the table. Comedy is constantly developing and reaching new levels. Here is a basic timeline of Comedy:

• Classic Rom-Com (Shakespeare) - Heteronormative
• Screwball Comedies (1930's - 1950's)
• The comedies of remarriage (Caveli)
• Sex Comedy (1960's)
• Nervous/radical Rom-Com (1970's)
• The new romance (1980's - 1990's) - Frank Krutnik
• The neo-traditional romance (2000's) - Tamar Jeffers McDonald

To me, comedy was just a genre; but through this lecture I have learnt a lot more that I previously did not know. I like to know the history of film and this lecture always provides some new enlightenment for me as a student.

We also looked at Bridget Jones' Diary and other romantic comedies to give a sense of what these theories mean.

Speak soon!