The Art Of The Comical Film

May 10, 2008 on 6:36 am | In Family |
by Joseph Pope

The task of creating a funny film is a daunting proposition. It is susceptible to either not pushing the boundaries of taste enough or to pushing them too far and alienating an audience in one direction or the other. Few entertainers have really mastered this craft, but the ones who have, have been rewarded with legendary status.

The past works that have fallen into the category of comedic film are as diverse as the characters behind them. Movie making has matured and changed over the years, and so has all of its many classes. The study of film from its genesis onward is a fascinating and worthy endeavor.

People first started flocking to films in the early 1900s. It wasn’t long before creators of these films realized that many of these people would appreciate a chuckle as much as they would the more serious entertainment of dramatic movies. This is how comedy in film was born. Since then, it has taken on a life of its own and gone in many different directions.

The preferences of movie buffs have always been somewhat of an unstable thing. All forms of entertainment have had to adapt to this through the years. The comedic film is no exception to this rule.

Something that has played a part in the advancement of film, is simply the technology of an age. When movies could only be silent, the actors and actresses of the day had to respect that limitation. Comedy of a more physical nature was the flavor of the moment, seen by such performers as Buster Keaton.

The innovation of sound in film brought the performers whole new ways of practicing their craft. One of the first to perfect an act centered around this new style of entertainment was The Three Stooges. They are responsible for 190 short films, many of which are beloved to this day.

The next technological innovation to come along and change the way things were done was the television. The 1950s saw many films being turned into episodes to accommodate a weekly television schedule. Who among us who grew up in that era doesn’t fondly remember “The Honeymooners?”

The next shake-up of the status quo came not of technology, but simply through a fresh voice. Woody Allen, whose style was that of incomparable wit, has produced a seemingly endless amount of films. In this day and age, we are all too used to this method of storytelling, but there was little that resembled it before his appearance.

Film serves, in part, as a window into the past. We can count ourselves lucky to live in such times when this window is so easily available to anyone interested in looking through it. The next time you’re searching for something to do, why not rent several comedic releases of bygone times, and witness the progression for yourself.

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