Genre-Busting Dark Comedies of the 1970s

Twelve American Films

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Cultural Studies, Popular Culture
Cover of the book Genre-Busting Dark Comedies of the 1970s by Wes D. Gehring, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Wes D. Gehring ISBN: 9781476622514
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Publication: March 9, 2016
Imprint: Language: English
Author: Wes D. Gehring
ISBN: 9781476622514
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication: March 9, 2016
Imprint:
Language: English

This examination of dark comedies of the 1970s focuses on films which concealed black humor behind a misleading genre label. All That Jazz (1979) is a musical...about death—hardly Fred and Ginger territory. This masking goes beyond misnomer to a breaking of formula that director Robert Altman called “anti-genre.” Altman’s MASH (1970) ridiculed the military establishment in general—the Vietnam War in particular—under the guise of a standard military service comedy. The picaresque Western Little Big Man (1970) turned the bluecoats vs. Indians formula upside-down—the audience roots for the Indians instead of the cavalry. The book covers 12 essential films, including Harold and Maude (1971), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Being There (1979), with notes on A Clockwork Orange (1971). These films reveal a compounding complexity that reinforces the absurdity at the heart of dark comedy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This examination of dark comedies of the 1970s focuses on films which concealed black humor behind a misleading genre label. All That Jazz (1979) is a musical...about death—hardly Fred and Ginger territory. This masking goes beyond misnomer to a breaking of formula that director Robert Altman called “anti-genre.” Altman’s MASH (1970) ridiculed the military establishment in general—the Vietnam War in particular—under the guise of a standard military service comedy. The picaresque Western Little Big Man (1970) turned the bluecoats vs. Indians formula upside-down—the audience roots for the Indians instead of the cavalry. The book covers 12 essential films, including Harold and Maude (1971), Slaughterhouse-Five (1972), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) and Being There (1979), with notes on A Clockwork Orange (1971). These films reveal a compounding complexity that reinforces the absurdity at the heart of dark comedy.

More books from McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers

Cover of the book Dancing for Young Audiences by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Literary Eats by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Mystery Classics on Film by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Giant Creatures in Our World by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Myth-Making and Religious Extremism and Their Roots in Crises by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book McClellan and the Union High Command, 1861-1863 by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Encyclopedia of Asylum Therapeutics, 1750-1950s by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book John Banister of Newport by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Making Your First Feature Film by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book The Harry Potter Generation by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book The Wilmington & Weldon Railroad in the Civil War by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Trevilian Station, June 11-12, 1864 by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book Saints in the Broken City by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book The American Police Novel by Wes D. Gehring
Cover of the book The Gothic Worlds of Peter Straub by Wes D. Gehring
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy