Where is Harvey?

         There is something about a movie that is able to pull off the main focus character be something that is not visible.  Harvey is able to do just that.  The way James Stewart was able to interact with Harvey even though there was nothing there is very impressive to say the least.  This uncanny interaction between Elwood and Harvey adds to the film and allows the viewer to really wonder if Elwood is crazy, or if he really does see this six foot three and a half inch tall rabbit.  A common theme that this seems to bring up is that ignorance is bliss.  Not to say that the character Elwood is ignorant, but it is to say that his character is blissful even when he is unaware that everyone around him views him as crazy.
        What is another recurring theme in the movie is to think about what is truly important.  What the film tries to point out is truly important are friends and family.  In addition to those it is to be extremely happy, blissful and not uptight about the little things that do not matter.  The line that makes the movie is when Elwood is speaking with the head doctor toward the end of the film.  James Stewart says the following so eloquently: "'in this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."  This is the line that makes the movie simply because that is exactly the character that Elwood is.  He aims to be pleasant to everyone in every situation at any chance he can get.  These are the things that are worth pursuing either being smart or pleasant, but according to the film, being pleasant contains much more worth.

Spark of genius

Young Frankenstein is a really hilarious movie that also has a lot to teach us as well.  For instance, the movie has a lot to say about finding one’s purpose, happiness, and fulfillment in life.  Dr. Frankenstein in the beginning is constantly trying to find his identity and separate himself from the infamy of the name Frankenstein, he even “washes his hands” of the name as he expresses his disdain for it.  As the story progresses our Fredrick Frankenstein comes to embrace the name and its reputation.  At this point the notoriety and the prestige of being a scientist means nothing to him.  Fredrick completes his grandfather’s experiment and even comes to perfect it.  This brings point to the old time proverb, “you cannot know where you are going until you know where you have been.” 

Another recurring theme is the difference between lust and love.  This is not only prevalent in the obvious situation of Fredrick’s fiancé and his lab assistant, but also in the in the line of work.  He lusts after making a name for himself, he craves and desires it; that is until he finds his “love” in this case, his grandfather’s work.  This is paralleled in Fredrick’s feelings first for his fiancé, and then later the assistant.  The first was what he desires, it is for show and for prestige, but it is not what he loves.  She will not even let him kiss her at the risk of smearing her lipstick for a party she is attending later.

Each of the main support characters has recurring jokes throughout the film giving them each their own style.  Through out the movie, the sexual jokes and innuendos are plenty throughout the movie, but most of which come from the ditzy assistant.  Through out the movie Inga is either makes a sexual joke without noticing it, or mistakes something someone else says as being sexual.  The next one is fairly obvious, but must be stated.  Frau Blucher has a name that whenever said causes lightning and the horses to become frightened.  Igor is special in that he has two recurring jokes.  The fist of which is the hump moving from side to side on his back.  This becomes more and more comical with each instance as he appears to not even be aware that it is even there in the first place so bringing it to his attention is out of the question.  Igor also frequently breaks the fourth wall and talking to the viewers. 

All these elements contribute to making the film a true comedy that truly has more to offer than meets the eye.

M*A*S*H

In the film M*A*S*H, there were a few things that struck me about the movie. One of which was that it reminded me of the book “The Things They Carried”.  I was reminded of this because it is as if the main characters are scarred from their experiences and are looking for an outlet anyway that they can.  The beginning sets the stage for this feeling after showing the evacuation helicopters carrying wounded soldiers and showing the wounded at the hospital camps.  This would be a scarring sight for anybody, but it is even more scaring for those that were actually there and cannot just simply look away.  This scarring is what reminded me of the book, as “the things that they carry” are the memories and experiences of the battle.  There is a difference in how the burden of war is handled in film and in the book, but the premise is still very much the same.  That premise is to do whatever it takes to try and remove the images that are imprinted on their memory, and if they cannot remove it, then try to create a stimulus that is large enough to avert their attention away from the gruesome images imprinted on their minds.  In the M*A*S*H, this was done through the way of practical jokes, this is why we laugh at this movie, not because it is inherently funny, but because after making that connection with the characters, it is an outlet for us as viewers, in the same way it is an outlet for the characters.

What I loved most about this movie is that they present humor in a way that is not expected or overly done.  The perfect example of this is the football game.  The football game is presented with the assumption that we know the rules of football, and with this assumption the film makes this scene humorous by having things happen that would never be allowed in a “real” football game.  They rely on “legal cheating” to win.  They also use center eligible plays and the lot in order to outsmart their opponents.  This is a great moment in the movie as it would have been very easy and simple to go for the physical comedy and have some people get ran over, but instead this film gets its comedy from the way the game is played.  This movie glorifies brains over brawn in the aspect of comedy.  What makes this scene so great is that it does not go for the physical humor that is all too easy to obtain, but wants us to use our minds and think about the situation and in there is where the comedy lies.

All is fair in strange love and war?

During the movie Dr. Strangelove, there were a few things that I found particularly interesting.  One of which was the names of the characters, particularly General Jack Ripper.  This is a name of interest to me because it bears a striking resemblance to notorious mass murderer known as Jack the Ripper.  Jack the Ripper is known for killing a plethora of prostitutes in England and mangling their bodies thus earning him the nickname “The Ripper”.  This is a very poetic choice of names in that General Ripper in the movie has essentially ordered the killing of countless lives in Russia and consequently the whole world.  Mass murderer Jack The Ripper is known for being mentally unstable and having a precise way of dealing with things.  To put it short, he was mentally insane, but in no way was he stupid.  General Ripper is depicted in the same way in the film.  It is clear that General Ripper has lost his mind and has become more than paranoid with the idea of Russian sabotage from inside the base.  However, we can tell that he is not stupid because he does a very effective job of sealing the base from the “intruders”. 

There is one scene in particular in the film that shows perfectly both how General Jack Ripper is not stupid, and his mental insanity all at the same time.  That scene is where General Ripper kills himself to protect the transmission codes for the bombers.  General Ripper is the only person that knows the codes that can stop the strike on Russia, and we have already seen the great lengths that he would go to in order to keep them safe including firing on any and all figures that come within 200 yards.  It is at this point in the film where it has become apparent that General Ripper’s defenses will not hold up and what he does next is a stroke of brilliance and insanity all at the same time.  He puts a towel around his neck and shoots himself.  How is this a brilliant act? Well, it not only keeps the codes safe indefinitely, but it also appears that he was shot while shaving.  This is important, as it would cause anyone walking in to the room at that moment think that Captain Mandrake was the one that shot General Ripper, or at least put some form of that idea into their mind. The brilliance of this move goes even further as anyone entering would then not immediately trust anything that Captain Mandrake had to say until they gathered all or more of the facts.  With is in mind, General Rippers feels that this distrust would be able to buy his bombers enough time to strike their targets.  Though insane, it cannot be said of General Ripper that he is stupid.

One of the most telling scenes in the film is the final where instead of finding ways to survive, they are more preoccupied with finding ways to keep the Russians from taking over after the imminent nuclear holocaust. Also, at the same time this is happening, the Russian ambassador is taking pictures of the United States war room.  It is amazing how even in the face of death that neither side can come to work together even for the sake of survival. 

Important to be earnest, not Earnest

            One aspect of the film “The Importance of Being Earnest” that really stood out to me was the amount of lying that they did in an attempt to gain the favor of the women they fancy.  Both men in the movie tell these women that their name is Earnest.  In this movie this is not necessarily the name itself that is important, but what the meaning of the name bears with it.  Jack Worthing presents his name as Earnest because the Ms. Fairfax believes the name Earnest to be more than just a name, but that the person that bears the name will in some way be the perfect person for her to marry. 

            In addition to lying in order to gain the favor of women, both Algernon and Jack lie to get out of situations. Jack would lie and say that his brother Earnest lived a life that is frowned upon and so that he must leave to be with Earnest in order to attempt to set him straight.  Jack would do this in order to go into the city to see Ms. Fairfax where he would tell her that his name was Earnest.  Earnest is only an extension of Jack so that Jack does not have to conform to the societal expectations that Jack has.  He lives as Earnest to live in a way where Jack will not bare the consequences, but it will be taken down as another of Earnest’s short comings.

Algernon would tell a similar lie stating that his good friend Bunbury was ill and needed his attention right away.  He would tell this lie mainly as an escape from outings and events with his aunt.  It is at this point in the movie that Algernon meets Cicily and he tells her that his name is Earnest so that he can appear as Jack’s brother.  His timing of this is terrible as this was the exact moment that Jack returned with an urn said to contain the ashes of the recently deceased Earnest.  I also found it curious that Jack attempted to kill off Earnest in order to put to rest that kind of lifestyle.  The death to Earnest in this portion, relates to a death to that side of Jack.

As the web of lies for both Jack and Algernon grow, so does their attraction to the girls who of course eventually discover the truth that neither of them are “Earnest”.  As the men attempt to win back the favor of the ladies, they are asked to state their intentions for lying to women.  Algernon gives an answer that, let’s face it, is not the best answer.  However, Cicily is eager to eat up and believe this answer.  As it is Jack’s turn to answer the question, he gives no answer at all!  Ms. Fairfax must state the answer for him.  Immediately after, in private conference with Cicily, Ms. Fairfax states that she found his answer more than satisfactory.  I found this part of the movie very interesting and funny at the same time. I look forward to any discussion of the scene.

Life of Brian

The whole movie takes place during 33 AD and opens with what appears to be Jesus in a manger. We soon discover that it is not Jesus, but a boy named Brian.  It will appear from the very beginning that Brian will live in the shadow of Jesus his whole life.

Within the first twenty minutes, the movie pokes fun at some very touchy subjects for a lot of people, including rape.  Whether rape should ever be used in a joking manner is a very controversial subject topic.  However, in the life of Brian the placement and the timing of the joke is used in such a way that it does not describe the horrific event, but instead implies that the victim eventually gives consent and reminisces that she enjoyed the experience.  Is this in bad taste? Well, looking at the entire movie as a whole, the movie does not hold anything back and pulls no punches on plenty of other controversial topics. This movie is not intended to be watched by the feint of heart, but everything that is experienced in this movie should be taken with a grain of salt.

One of the most comedic moments in the movie is when the roman soldier gives Brian a grammar lesson on the graffiti.  The roman guard is about to kill him for what he is writing, not because of the meaning of what he is writing, but because he is not using the correct conjugation of the words he is writing on the walls. After a short, but forceful grammar lesson, the soldier does not kill Brian for what he has written on the walls, but instead tells him to write it one hundred times so that Brian can correctly learn to use the proper grammar.  Immediately after that scene is a showcase of irony at its finest.  They intend to give Pilot demands that he cannot possibly fill.  They threaten to kill his wife if he does not meet their demands, which include that they will not submit to blackmail. They are doing to Pilot exactly what they just expressed that they did not want to happen to them. This is a perfect example of the play on words that occurs throughout the entire movie.

Probably my favorite scene in the whole movie was the bit about the two factions there to kidnap Pilot’s wife at the same time.  I found this incredibly hilarious because they want the same things, but refuse to work together and instead of accomplishing their joint goals against a common enemy, they kill each other and end up dying for nothing.  

The entire movie is based off of the hilarity of stupid decisions on everyone’s part through out.  From stupid decisions to stupid remarks and gestures, the movie brings a different kind of humor than we have yet to see from any of the previous movies discussed on the blog.  Whether it is in bad taste or not, “Life of Brian” brings a completely different aspect of humor than seen in “Modern Times” or “Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?”.