Wednesday, September 12, 2007

THE MATTER OF COMEDY


“Good comedy confronts, it embarrasses, it hurts, bewilders, delights, teases and provokes… Comedy matters, even when we never take it seriously.”

Peet Gelderblom has created a fine new short film for Comedy Central, a montage manifesto for the network that, as a labor of love intended only for internal use at the network, is far more circumspect, measured and thought-provoking than what we usually get from a promo department used to selling South Park and Reno 911! in 30-second burps and farts. This is the kind of work that looks simpler to manage than it actually is, if it is to feel cohesive and relevant, anyway (just ask Chuck Workman). Peet pulls off this feat, a summation of why comedy matters, like an extended feather-light dance through some hilarious (and decidedly not-so-hilarious) moments in world history as well as that of cinema— his vivid illustration of the familiar equation “comedy = tragedy + time” will test even the most iconoclastic view of the limits of laughter. Have a giggle.

Thanks, Peet!

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6 comments:

  1. The Wrong BoxSeptember 13, 2007 9:41 PM

    Good clip. It's funny - I used that same piece of music (from Phillip Glass' soundtrack to The Hours, right?) in one of my student films at USC.

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 13, 2007 11:17 PM

    Yes, that's the track, although I heavily edited it. I wanted to use something minimal and classic, yet it needed to have a clear dramatic arc. Other tracks by Glass proved simply too repetitive.

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  3. GregSeptember 15, 2007 4:59 PM

    Hey Omar,

    Here's one of my favorite lines from the movies:

    "You can have any kind of a home you want. You can even get stucco. Oh, how you can get stucco."

    Groucho Marx, The Cocoanuts

    Dennis,

    I smell Spam a'cooking. Do you?

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 15, 2007 5:51 PM

    But, Jonathan, these articles (and Peet's video) really are fantastic. Have we become so cynical...?

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  5. GregSeptember 15, 2007 8:04 PM

    Bob,

    I'm referring to Omar's Costa Rican real estate spam, not the post itself. The video itself is terrific.

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  6. Dennis CozzalioSeptember 15, 2007 11:52 PM

    That Spam is definitely off the griddle. Omar was kind enough to leave another heartfelt message on the Joe Zawinul post, but I just as heartlessly tore it asunder too.

    Jonathan, thanks for the laugh. I've needed as many as I can get this week!

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