← Back to Reviews
in
To Be or Not to Be- Ernst Lubitsch 1942
Black comedy, also known as black humor, dark comedy or gallows humor, is a comic style that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss.
The term black humor (from the French humour noir) was coined by the Surrealist theorist André Breton in 1935 while interpreting the writings of Jonathan Swift.[9][10] Breton's preference was to identify some of Swift's writings as a subgenre of comedy and satire[11][12] in which laughter arises from cynicism and skepticism,[9][13] often relying on topics such as death.[14][15]
Black comedy has the social effect of strengthening the morale of the oppressed and undermines the morale of the oppressors.[20][21] According to Wylie Sypher, "to be able to laugh at evil and error means we have surmounted them."[22]
Black comedy is a natural human instinct and examples of it can be found in stories from antiquity. Its use was widespread in middle Europe, from where it was imported to the United States.[23] It is rendered with the German expression Galgenhumor. The concept of gallows humor is comparable to the French expression rire jaune (lit. yellow laughing),[24][25][26] which also has a Germanic equivalent in the Belgian Dutch expression groen lachen (lit. green laughing).[27][28][29][30]
Italian comedian Daniele Luttazzi discussed gallows humour focusing on the particular type of laughter that it arouses (risata verde or groen lachen), and said that grotesque satire, as opposed to ironic satire, is the one that most often arouses this kind of laughter.[31][32][33] In the Weimar era Kabaretts, this genre was particularly common, and according to Luttazzi, Karl Valentin and Karl Kraus were the major masters of it.[33]
A 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing[34] concludes that people who appreciate dark humor "may have higher IQs, show lower aggression, and resist negative feelings more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it."[35]
If the definition of Black humor found in the dictionary was accompanied by a see also note or a picture, it could easily be see To Be or Not to Be (by Lubitsch not the one by Mel Brooks) There are many fine examples of Black humor in the movies. Films such as “The Life of Brian” by Monty Python or” Brazil” by Terry Gilliam other examples might include “Dr. Strangelove” or many scenes in the TV Series “Twin Peaks”. The reason I believe that “To Be or Not to Be” is the best example is because of when it was released. Lubitsch was an expatriate living in the United States before it entered the war.
What’s even more astonishing is that “To Be or Not to Be” was released only three months after Pearl Harbor. It was a precarious time in the world, with uncertainty and terror dominating the national sentiment, and it wasn’t exactly the “appropriate” time to poke fun at the great evil lurking right around the corner. But Lubitsch and screenwriter Edwin Justus Mayer (adapting a story by Melchior Lengyel) realized something profound: The best time to mock the most ruthless, vile force the world had ever seen was when it seemed the least appropriate. Lubitsch designed “To Be or Not to Be” to be shocking, but only because the best satire is meant to shake you to your core. It’s not in poor taste, but rather necessary, powerful, and hilarious over 70 years later.
Lubitsch and Jack Benny faced fierce criticism for making the film. Many thought it was the most inappropriate time to create a farce of the Reich, especially when what was happening was very serious. (remember the definition of black comedy). It is now 2019, and the movie has had the honor of being included in the Criterion Film collection.
The film is set in Poland where a small theatre is rehearsing a comedy that roasts the Nazi’s. The play is postponed, but the actors find that they have a use for their well-rehearsed farce. They have discovered a spy and they must thwart his plans or face the retribution of the Nazi’s against the families of the Polish Air squadron who have been bombing Nazi targets. The film is much more than a comedy, and in the end I believe most people would agree that the play was more of an act of defiance against the Nazi’s than making light of a terrible situation. I recommend this film for all audiences.
To Be or Not to Be- Ernst Lubitsch 1942
Black comedy, also known as black humor, dark comedy or gallows humor, is a comic style that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss.
The term black humor (from the French humour noir) was coined by the Surrealist theorist André Breton in 1935 while interpreting the writings of Jonathan Swift.[9][10] Breton's preference was to identify some of Swift's writings as a subgenre of comedy and satire[11][12] in which laughter arises from cynicism and skepticism,[9][13] often relying on topics such as death.[14][15]
Black comedy has the social effect of strengthening the morale of the oppressed and undermines the morale of the oppressors.[20][21] According to Wylie Sypher, "to be able to laugh at evil and error means we have surmounted them."[22]
Black comedy is a natural human instinct and examples of it can be found in stories from antiquity. Its use was widespread in middle Europe, from where it was imported to the United States.[23] It is rendered with the German expression Galgenhumor. The concept of gallows humor is comparable to the French expression rire jaune (lit. yellow laughing),[24][25][26] which also has a Germanic equivalent in the Belgian Dutch expression groen lachen (lit. green laughing).[27][28][29][30]
Italian comedian Daniele Luttazzi discussed gallows humour focusing on the particular type of laughter that it arouses (risata verde or groen lachen), and said that grotesque satire, as opposed to ironic satire, is the one that most often arouses this kind of laughter.[31][32][33] In the Weimar era Kabaretts, this genre was particularly common, and according to Luttazzi, Karl Valentin and Karl Kraus were the major masters of it.[33]
A 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing[34] concludes that people who appreciate dark humor "may have higher IQs, show lower aggression, and resist negative feelings more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it."[35]
If the definition of Black humor found in the dictionary was accompanied by a see also note or a picture, it could easily be see To Be or Not to Be (by Lubitsch not the one by Mel Brooks) There are many fine examples of Black humor in the movies. Films such as “The Life of Brian” by Monty Python or” Brazil” by Terry Gilliam other examples might include “Dr. Strangelove” or many scenes in the TV Series “Twin Peaks”. The reason I believe that “To Be or Not to Be” is the best example is because of when it was released. Lubitsch was an expatriate living in the United States before it entered the war.
What’s even more astonishing is that “To Be or Not to Be” was released only three months after Pearl Harbor. It was a precarious time in the world, with uncertainty and terror dominating the national sentiment, and it wasn’t exactly the “appropriate” time to poke fun at the great evil lurking right around the corner. But Lubitsch and screenwriter Edwin Justus Mayer (adapting a story by Melchior Lengyel) realized something profound: The best time to mock the most ruthless, vile force the world had ever seen was when it seemed the least appropriate. Lubitsch designed “To Be or Not to Be” to be shocking, but only because the best satire is meant to shake you to your core. It’s not in poor taste, but rather necessary, powerful, and hilarious over 70 years later.
Lubitsch and Jack Benny faced fierce criticism for making the film. Many thought it was the most inappropriate time to create a farce of the Reich, especially when what was happening was very serious. (remember the definition of black comedy). It is now 2019, and the movie has had the honor of being included in the Criterion Film collection.
The film is set in Poland where a small theatre is rehearsing a comedy that roasts the Nazi’s. The play is postponed, but the actors find that they have a use for their well-rehearsed farce. They have discovered a spy and they must thwart his plans or face the retribution of the Nazi’s against the families of the Polish Air squadron who have been bombing Nazi targets. The film is much more than a comedy, and in the end I believe most people would agree that the play was more of an act of defiance against the Nazi’s than making light of a terrible situation. I recommend this film for all audiences.