Companion to Film Comedy

A wide-ranging survey of the subject that celebrates the variety and complexity of film comedy from the 'silent' days to the present, this authoritative guide offers an international perspective on the popular genre that explores all facets of its formative social, cultural and political context§A wide-ranging collection of 24 essays exploring film comedy from the silent era to the present§International in scope, the collection embraces not just American cinema, including Native American and African American, but also comic films from Europe, the Middle East, and Korea§Essays explore sub-genres, performers, and cultural perspectives such as gender, politics, and history in addition to individual works§Engages with different strands of comedy including slapstick, romantic, satirical and ironic§Features original entries from a diverse group of multidisciplinary international contributors From the very dawn of the era of moving pictures, filmmakers from Hollywood to Hong Kong have been playing it for laughs. Yet despite comedy's levity as a form, the legendary French auteur François Truffaut called it 'by far the most difficult genre, the one that demands the most work, the most talent, and also the most humility'.§This wide-ranging celebration of the variety and complexity of international film comedy covers work from the days of silent movies to the present, and from around the world, including Europe, the Middle East and Asia as well as the United States. These specially commissioned essays map the myriad ways that comic films have reflected and influenced history, culture, politics, and social institutions. As well as engaging with different strands of comedy such as slapstick, romantic, satirical and ironic, the Companion tackles mixed comic genres, individual performers and directors, and broader topics including gender and social-political issues in comedy. Each subject is placed in its formative social, cultural and political context, while the multidisciplinary international contributors ensure a depth and breadth of perspective.