The Nature of Comedy in Film, Part 2

About this course:

In this course, we continue to explore the nature of comedy in film by viewing five films that couldn't be more different, but for the fact that they are all funny.  Agatha Christie's many novels became fodder for cinematic adaptation, with their combination of wit and thrills, and Murder at the Gallop (1963), starring the underrated British actress Margaret Rutherford as amateur sleuth Miss Marple, is surely one of the most entertaining. Preston Sturges was one of the most powerful figures in 1940's Hollywood and is credited with being the very first screenwriter to later find great success directing his own screenplays. His films were nearly all comedies, but they also contained social commentary. The depression era Sullivan's Travels (1941) is one such film that mixes comedy and drama to perfection and is thought by many to be his best film. Rooted in the popular screwball comedies of the 30's and 40's, the romantic comedies that followed struck a slightly more realistic tone. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn make a lovely couple in the classic romantic comedy Roman Holiday (1953), filmed entirely in Rome when most films of the period were filmed on sound stages. Doris Day and Rock Hudson create fireworks in Pillow Talk (1959), which was described at the time to be a prime example of a sex comedy. Finally, we view Woody Allen's masterpiece Annie Hall (1977), widely considered one of the greatest comedies of all time. As a bonus, a variety of comedy short subjects will be shown as time permits. It is not necessary to have taken part one to enjoy part two. You only need to be prepared to laugh.