What Is A Black Comedy?

Proving Ground

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00:00What is a black comedy?

00:03A movie that takes on controversial or taboo subject matter in a

00:07deliberately humorous way is often referred to as a black comedy.

00:12This type of movie tends to use sarcastic or sardonic dialogue to remove

00:17some of the audience's preconceived notions about the proper

00:20treatment of a taboo subject.

00:22There are certain subjects or themes that many people would consider

00:25too taboo or morbid to become the basis of a traditional comedic

00:29film.

00:31The realities of warfare, for example, generally lend themselves to

00:35documentaries or serious dramatic films.

00:39Director Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War movie Full Metal Jacket and

00:42Robert Altman's M.A.S.H. both treat the subject of war with

00:46unmistakably dark humor, however.

00:49The lead character of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, for example, spends

00:53much of the movie muttering sarcastic observations while the horrors

00:56of war unfold around him.

00:59A black comedy doesn't always have a heavy or morbid tone.

01:03Sometimes the humor comes from essentially straightforward characters

01:06who happen to be placed in traditionally bleak or controversial

01:09circumstances.

01:10The characters may have little idea that their occupations or

01:13lifestyles are morally or ethically questionable to outsiders such as

01:18the audience.

01:20One example, Sunshine Cleaners, features two women who start their

01:24own crime scene cleaning service, which juxtaposes the gruesome

01:27imagery of crime scenes with the upbeat pursuit of the American

01:31dream.

01:33A black comedy does not generally shy away from its darker subject

01:37matter but rather presents certain aspects of it in a comedic or

01:40satirical way.

01:43Morbid or dark humor can be a very subjective form of comedy, so

01:47producers and directors of these types of comedies must decide if a

01:50particular scene crosses the line of acceptability.

01:54The target audience of a typical black comedy is typically not

01:57mainstream, so the creators can and often do push the envelope when it

02:02comes to shocking or controversial sequences.

02:05A black comedy about the Korean War, for instance, could feature

02:09graphic battlefield or operating room scenes, but the filmmakers must

02:13decide if the comedic elements are strong enough to balance out the

02:16more dramatic or controversial sequences.

02:20A successful black comedy should still be viewed by audiences as a

02:24comedy, not a drama with a few instances of dark humor.

02:28Stanley Kubrick also created another film which many film critics

02:32believe to be one of the best black comedies ever produced.

02:36In Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the

02:41Bomb, a mentally unbalanced military officer refuses to recall a

02:45squadron of American bombers mistakenly ordered to drop atomic bombs

02:50on Russia.

02:52The efforts of various diplomats and military officers to prevent

02:55total global annihilation become the basis for dark comedy sequences.

03:01While the subject matter itself, the dangers of nuclear warfare, would

03:05not ordinarily lend itself to comedy, Kubrick and actor Peter Sellers

03:10managed to maintain the film's darkly comedic tone through brilliant

03:14dialogue and over-the-top character roles.

03:18This balance between comedy and pathos is what distinguishes a black

03:21comedy from more traditional comedies.

03:25For more clear, concise answers to common and not-so-common questions,

03:29visit the Conjecture Corporation website.

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