American Dark Comedy: Beyond Satire

by Wes D. Gehring

Overview

From Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Gehring presents a compelling theory of the black comedy film genre. Placing the movies he discusses in a historical and literary context, Gehring explores the genre's obession with death and the characters' failure to be shocked by it. Movies discussed include: Slaughterhouse Five, Catch-2, Clockwork Orange, Harold and Maude, Heathers, and Natural Born Killers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313261848
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/1996
Series:	Contributions to the Study of Popular Culture , #55
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	1370L (what's this?)

About the Author

WES D. GEHRING is Professor of Film at Ball State University. He is author of ten previous books: Leo McCarey and the Comic Antihero in American Film (1980), Charlie Chaplin: A Bio-Bibliography (1983), W. C. Fields: A Bio-Bibliography (1984), Screwball Comedy: A Genre of Madcap Romance (1986), The Marx Brothers: A Bio-Bibliography (1987), Handbook of American Film Genres (1988), Laurel & Hardy: A Bio-Bibliography (1990), Mr. B. or Comforting Thoughts About the Bison: A Critical Biography of Robert Benchley (1992), Populism and the Capra Legacy (1995), all by Greenwood Press, and Groucho and W. C. Fields: Huckster Comedians (1994). His poems and humor pieces have appeared in numerous publications.

Table of Contents

Illustrations
Foreword by R. Karl Largent
Preface
Acknowledgments
Historical Literary Overview
Selected American Dark Comedy Films and Themes
Dismantling Dictators: "Marxist" or Otherwise
Coming of Age…With a Vengeance
When Film Noir Becomes Dark Comedy
Conclusions
Appendix: Selected Filmography
Selected Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Examines the genre of dark comedy in American film. After a historical literary review, chapters examine themes of the genre, pioneering works and directors, the coming of age movie and its ties to black comedy, and the relationship between dark comedy and film noir. Films discussed include Duck Soup, Slaughterhouse-Five, Harold and Maude, and Natural Born Killers. Includes b&w photos and a filmography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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