The Roles and Reflection of British Society in British Comedies

Benjamin C.

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The Roles and Reflection of British Society in British Comedies

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Abstract

The mechanism of early photographic cameras was as follows: the location and objects in front of the camera were copied onto the film in the form of a frozen, two-dimensional image. Invariably, the photograph was a manifestation of the superficialities of the society at the time. With the advent of moving pictures, films could be coaxed into revealing a deeper understanding of the times; the use of montage and titles could disclose how the society operated and what cultural norms were practiced, or hoped for. The inclusion of sound completed the image, and actuality film became a perfect reflection of society

Then humour muddled up the image, and muddled up actuality.
The constant use of irony allows Brits to stay clear from being sentimental, pompous, or zealous, all undesirables.
Other ways irony pervades the screen is its use of detachment.
Recent British films also draw from the concepts of detachment and a media-literate audience.
Another very important notion in British culture, not just comedy, is the preservation of traditional Victorian ways and an emphasis on old community.
The structure of the movie also resembled the rituality of a time-honored ceremony and familiar story.
Even though the community ideal may be fading from British life, the subject of class remains a fascination.
But class-conscious humor is also reflected in sketch shows and movies.

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[...] Much of modern British humor is either derived from or parodying the predominance of class-consciousness in the society. This may be because of class's historical significance. Feudalism left Britain with a highly secularized and class-based society, and even now, there is tension between the backgrounds of many Brits. George Bernard Shaw said that is impossible for an Englishman to open his mouth without making some other Englishman hate him or despise him.” This may or may not be true, but the prevalence of class-based humor may be an indication of a culture trying to mask its turbulent prejudices. [...]

[...] George Orwell's description of England is that it resembles rather stuff Victorian family It is a family in which the young are generally thwarted and most of the power is in the hands of irresponsible uncles and bedridden aunts” (Adridge and Richards 163). The Ealing Studios films displayed this vision heroically, embodying quaint, whimsical and backward-looking expressions. But it was The Ladykillers that the concept of “nanny society” reached its pinnacle. In the film, an old gentile (if not a little dotty) woman houses several young men who plot to rob a bank. [...]

[...] So while it may be rude to make jokes about someone's background, the prevalence of class-conscious humor in British TV and film is proof of its suppressed existence in society. The study of British film and TV provides a good understanding of the essence of British humor in a number of ways. First, TV provides topics of humor that are discussed very little in everyday British life. A screening of Frost Report” tells a lot more about class-consciousness in British humor than a joked conversation between two people of different classes. [...]

[...] Rather than getting caught up in the lives of its characters or the events of the narrative, as is the practice of American sitcoms like Friends (Pegg), many British shows ironically comment on the show itself. It is part of the trend of postmodernism to assume the audience is very literate about media forms and so maintains a cynical detachment when viewing a program. Some British movies and shows combine this ironic detachment with realism to create a genre blahblah calls realism.” Shows like Monty Python and The Day Today (1994) show capacity for parodying itself and its genre, a type of self-deprecation. [...]

[...] The Ealing comedies also provide examples of the British fixation on class and community. From 1951-1958, the cinema output was rather banal. A post- war change gave way to a post-change complacency for the lower middle class, so many of the Ealing comedies of the time had to do with the country's wish-fulfillment. Instead of specific comic actors performing their usual character-styles, the movies were based around original screenplays written for the screen, new actors, and new situations. The only things familiar were the settings. [...]

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