Essays on Slapstick

Growing up in an anti-German society would be difficult for any patriotic American with German heritage. In the prologue to his book, Slapstick, Kurt Vonnegut talked about the fall of his family’s pride in their culture and traditions, and how it left him without a sense of belonging (8). The history of his blood was hushed and dismissed, and he had a blank slate to fill with the skewed histories and realities of his books. His parents raised him in ignorance of all things German, things they had always loved and had always been a part of their lives (Vonnegut 7). ...

In Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 comedy The Great Dictator, Chaplin’s first silent film, the renowned comedian and silent-film joymaker takes one of his biggest risks – making a film about Adolf Hitler, who at the time of the film’s release was one of the most hated and tyrannical figures alive. More than just the typical slapstick comedy, The Great Dictator sees Chaplin taking many different chances – unlike his previous film, Modern Times, this film would fully embrace the sound era, with nearly the entire film being filled with dialogue and fully-verbose characters. Even riskier than that, however, is the ...

Discuss any of the early film comedians(1900-1950) that interest you. Explain what it is about them you enjoy, and use specific scenes or films to bolster your argument. This choice does not have to conform to using Buster Keaton or Chaplin. You may look at other comedian who interested you. For example, you may use W.C. Fields or The Marx Brothers, or Laurel and Hardy.

Introduction: Probably the finest comedians of their age, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy changed the face of comedy like no other duo. The duo was made of the English Stan Laurel and ...

And what should you have to speed away like this” This is a mockery of them to make a fool out of me, to make me scared."(3.1.99) This is a saying that is derived from the well-known Shakespearean play called “A Midsummer Night's Dream." In the reading of A Midsummer Night's Dream, in addition to in class, the researcher has been discovering the way that Shakespeare has been able to bring the subject of humor to his play. She researcher started to examine passages in the play in order to magnify to get a better understanding of what makes the play so ...

The Kid, a 1921 film directed by and starring Charlie Chaplin, is a tale of a tramp (Chaplin) who happens upon an abandoned baby and raises it as his own. Made in 1921, this film draws greatly upon Chaplin's own experiences as a child, and was a breakthrough for the silent film actor from shorts into successful feature length films. Still reeling from the end of World War I and the start of Prohibition, the United States in 1921 was dealing with its newfound prosperity and stricter moral code on the part of the state. This film helped to prove that Chaplin's comedic stylings ...