The Comic Mind: Comedy and the Movies

by Gerald Mast

Although books on the comedies of the silent era abound, few have attempted to survey film comedy as a whole—its history and evolution, how the philosophical visions of its greatest artists and directors have shaped its traditions, and how these visions have informed both the meaning and manner of their work.

Blending information with interpretation, description with analysis, Mast traces the development of screen comedy from the first crude efforts of Edison and Lumière to the subtlety and psychological complexity of Annie Hall . As he guides the reader through detailed discussions of specific films, Mast reveals the structures, the values, and the cinematic techniques which have appeared and reappeared in comic cinema.

The second edition of The Comic Mind treats the comic developments of the 1970s in terms of the traditions of film comedy set forth in the first edition, including a discussion of the evolution of Jacques Tati and the emergence of Mel Brooks and Woody Allen as the two greatest American comic stylists of the seventies.

"The most comprehensive study of film comedy yet written in English. . . .The book's extensive index with references to companies from which 16mm prints of many of the cited films may be rented will be of great value to the film teacher and audiovisual librarian."— Choice

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Comedy, Humor, School

369 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Professor of English and Humanities at the University of Chicago

Reviews

[Chester Lampman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gets a little heavy with the film theory at times, but all in all a good read for film enthusiasts. I liked the way Mast structured the book with a significant portion dedicated to the silent era and its prominent clowns. The sound era study is where Mast leans heavy into the theory but it's still enjoyable.

[David Kalat]

There is a lot here to digest, and while at times Mast veers into the realm of pointy-headed film buff orthodoxy, by and large I agree with his analysis and insights. The attempt to throw a broad net over ALL of screen comedy is too ambitious--and he ends up over-praising Woody Allen, to my tastes. I'm kind of tickled by a blurb on the book jacket that marvels at "how many movies Mast has seen." Really? That's so impressive? Maybe back when you had to rent 16mm prints to see any of these, it would have been. By DVD era standards, he'd have to up his game.

[Michael Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by Gerald Mast on the art of comedy, the history of comedic actors and films. This is a must read for any film major, director or filmmaker looking to work in the genre of comedy. Plus its just a darn good read.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I use in my film comedy course. Although heavily weighted towards older films (the book itself came out in the 1970s), the late Gerald Mast offers a way to sort comedies that I find immensely useful.