Movies - Silent comedy

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	Movies - Silent comedy

Silent Comedy refers to the early days of American cinema (1900's - 1920's) prior to the invention of a (synchronized) sound track on film ('The first 'talkie' was 'The Jazz Singer', starring Al Jolson, 1927). Thus, silent comedy placed a heavy emphasis on visual and physical humor, and what are known as 'sight gags', to tell a story and entertain the viewer. Many of these physical gags were exaggerated forms of violence, or even 'abuse', and came to be called 'slapstick'. The term 'slapstick' refers to a doubled, or 'tricked', hitting stick that makes a loud sound upon (light) contact with another person. The 'prat fall', slipping on a banana peel, getting soaked with water, and getting a pie thrown in one's face are all classic examples of slapstick comedy devices.

Most often, the viewing of the film was accompanied live by an organist or piano player. Sometimes, dialogue was conveyed by inserting black frames with white printing on them between shots or scenes. All silent films of this era are also black and white films, as color film was not invented until the late 1930's.

Mack Sennett (creator of the 'Keystone Cops') and Hal Roach were two of the most famous producers of silent comedies. Famous actors from this era are now legendary: Ben Turpin, Mabel Normand, Edna Purviance, Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy (the duo of Laurel & Hardy were among the few to make a commercially successful transition into talking pictures)...and many others.

Few feature films today exploit the genre of silent comedy. One exception was the filmmaker Eric B. Borgman's 2004 film The Deserter.

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