Slapstick Essays

As a larger genre, slapstick is categorized as a type of physical comedy often including “absurd situations, and vigorous, usually violent action.” The Slapstick you may be most familiar with was aggrandized by early film stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. (Britannica) Your classic bottle to the head, pie in the face, or classic slip on a banana peel can all be viewed as forms of slapstick comedy. Slapstick horror is a unique subgenre of horror that combines physical

Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton were both comedic geniuses that rose to fame at an early age. Both known for their outstanding slapstick comedy films, it is still debated which of the two is the greater comedic genius of his time. While the two shared many similarities, their movie styles differed from one another quite a bit. Their acting, storylines, and on-screen personalities has their own vey distinct styles. Throughout his acting career, Chaplin experimented with a few different character

Dario Fo’s play The Accidental Death of an Anarchist is a farce based on a 1969 incident in which an anarchist railway worker, Giuseppe Pinelli, who was arrested as a suspect of terrorist bombing, fell out of a fourth floor window, raising questions as to whether he jumped or was pushed out of the fourth floor window, at a police station during the course of an interrogation in Milan. Fo set out to use the events as an inspiration to write one of his most successful play. However, the madman is the

What is laughter and it’s purpose Laughter is the psychological response to humor that is part of the universal human vocabulary, which consists of two parts – a set of gestures and the production of a sound. Laughter has a social factor of bonding with individuals within a group, which is often positive, but can have negative aspects as well. There’s a clear line drawn between “laughing with” and “laughing at” people. The difference with this is, people who are “laughing at” other may be trying

Some people find violence amusing, others do not. Amusement through violent action between characters is called slapstick comedy. Happy Gilmore uses an iota amount of slapstick comedy through beating up others, unintentionally hurting others, others hurting him, and hurting himself. Happy Gilmore uses slapstick comedy through beating up characters. He beats up his young caddie. " 'Where are you going with those clubs, punk? ' 'Mr. Gilmore, I 'm your caddie! '" (Happy Gilmore 00:19:31). Happy Gilmore

While reading Slapstick, I noticed two distinct ideas that were displayed throughout the text, the human need for a community and family, but also, on the same token, a need for individuality. The main flashback story revolves around the dysfunctional family of Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain and his deformed sister, Eliza. In their youth, the mutated children went about their simple and blissful lives in the mansion of their parents, who believed that they were Neanderthals. This nuclear family eventually

In the widely popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother, an episode exists in the ninth season entitled “Slapsgiving 3: Slappointment in Slapmarra,” which is a continuation of the running gag in the series where Barney, losing a bet, allows Marshall to slap him without resistance at any three times during the series. Greeted with controversy, the episode involves the all-white cast in yellow-face in a seemingly innocent gag with potentially detrimental social consequences. While the entire episode raised

In the novel Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut, the author portrays a society which is often bizarre, with many science fiction overtones. Despite the many oddities that are portrayed, Vonnegut is attempts to show a society which has become mostly egalitarian, through the diminishing of class conflict, the renewed importance of family, and ultimately, the irrelevance of status and hierarchy. The protagonist of Slapstick, Wilbur Daffodil-II Swain, is the President of the United States, and was born into

Slapstick Humor: Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest is full of slapstick humor, where actions and body language, in addition to words, are used for a humorous effect. Oscar Wilde introduces Earnest’s double identity of being “JACK – … Earnest in town and Jack in the country…” (A.I, P.5) - the same person perceived to be completely different, depending on the setting. Algernon discovers this double identity without knowing it, in Act I, when he finds Earnest’s cigarette box with an inscription

Scene I, Shakespeare uses slapstick comedy and contrast, irony, theme, rhyming quatrain, and blank verse in order to lay the foundation of their identities and compatibility. To start the scene, Olivia aggressively berates Sir Toby, calling him names like “Ungracious wretch” (45) before gracefully and kindly addressing Sebastian as “gentle friend” (49) after a near fight. Olivia’s abrupt about-face creates a comical contrast that both speaks to Shakespeare 's usage of slapstick and the pair’s true identity/feelings

Mise-en-scene’s Role in Mr. Hulot’s Holiday’s Slapstick Comedy Despite having sound, the structure of Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) is highly reminiscent of a silent film. Sound plays such a minimal role that the film that the visual components naturally rise to prominence. With a film so reliant on what is in front of the camera to convey meaning in each scene, mise-en-scene in Mr. Hulot’s Holiday becomes the primary element in fulfilling the film’s purpose as a slapstick comedy. Mr. Hulot’s Holiday does not

“POW!” “OOF!” “BAM!” The Action genre keeps the audience engaged and on their feet at all times during the film. Action films date all the way back to the silent film era. The Great Train Robbery was considered the first Action film as well as the first Western. Action movies consist of lots of movement and tension to keep you on the edge of your seat. The genre has the typical heroes’ vs villains, and the hero always wins. During the 1930s, action films weren’t such a big hit. Action became the

is based on the manga series "Chimamire Sukeban Chainsaw." by Rei Mikamoto and in general, Yamaguchi manages to retain the preposterous aesthetics of the original medium. In that fashion, the film does not delay a moment to highlight its bloody, slapstick and fan service nature as Giko Nokomura, the protagonist, immediately gets into a fight with a bunch of ex-classmates, who have been transformed into killer androids by her archrival Nero. Cheerleaders that shoot bullets from their heads and rockets

Francis is working for both of them. What Francis does not know is that Stanley and Rachel are dating and are trying to get in contact with one another. The play mainly uses slapstick comedy to entertain the readers; this form of comedy is the most easily recognized by all age groups and is the most basic form of comedy. Slapstick includes physical comedy, dirty jokes, and what is commonly known as, “Bathroom humor.” My favorite example of this from the play was when Francis was talking with Stanly

In the entertainment world, there are many forms of humor that appeal to certain kinds of people. The most popular forms of humor of today’s culture is slapstick, parody, irony, and, satire. High rated comedy shows like the Family Guy and the Simpsons focus their content on these types of humors. Although, there are comedy shows that take their humor too far like Robot Chicken. It’s a parodic show the mocks popular culture, using movies, games, toys, and tv shows as reference. There are some clips

meaning, when hard work is achieved, you can have the fun you dreamt of. Conventions of clowning where accurately manipulated throughout the piece to convey a storyline that kept the audience’s attention. One of these convention was the use of slapstick. The physical comedy worked well throughout scenes building tension to convey the dramatic meaning. For example,

Camp Twilight is a comedic play designed for adolescents and teens that follows the hijinks taking place at the titular Camp Twilight, an adventure-themed summer camp run by curator Lorraine Lupine and her husband Louie, a quirky gentleman whose composure deteriorates as the moon becomes full. The mysterious but misunderstood Eduardo is a teenage vampire who arrives at camp while on the run from his parents, who want to move to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Nora and Noah Count, the vampiric parents in

The historical fiction novel Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos tells the story of the author as a kid, traveling through many of his own experiences, with a mystery added, too. Gantos uses puns, slapstick, and dark humor to make the book a better read and more relatable. Wordplay is a technique Gantos uses throughout the book to entertain and amuse the reader. For example, when Jack accidentally fires the rifle: “‘Oh sweet cheeze-us!’ I wailed, and dropped butt-first onto the table. ‘Ohhh! Cheeze-us-crust

Dromio and Antipholus of Syracuse take on an arrhythmic metre typical of contests of wit. Their wit is demonstrated in the multiple homonyms used of the word sconce. Furthermore this repetition is used not only to demonstrate wit but to mirror the slapstick humour of Dromio being struck over and over again. This contributes to the dramatic effect of the scene, while simultaneously being ironic that both characters have mistaken each others identity at one time or another to create the confusion about

That it made fun of a great historical tragedy. The portrayal of Hynkel’s storm troopers using slapstick was regarded to be a mockery of those who suffered under their hands. Slapstick shows characters to be clumsy, trippy and funny. The Nazi officers were nowhere near that. They were brutal, cold, heartless and unapologetic. With the above criticisms in mind, it would therefore seem predictable