Compare And Contrast The Codes And Conventions Of Comedy

The genre of comedy is one of the most entertaining, and fascinating film genres. One can note the different subgenres within comedy include, slapstick comedy, parody, deadpan, and satire. Throughout the history of film cinema comedy has been at the forefront since the start with actors such as, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. Then as time progressed the Marx Brothers, and the Three Stooges rose to fame as group comedy acts. Mel Brooks perfected the parody genre with his films, Young Frankenstein, Spaceballs, and Blazing Saddles. This particular paper will look at a more modernistic take on the parody subgenre of comedy, with a more in depth look at a spy genre parody film Austin Powers and its interpretation of James Bond.
Most parody films are overlooked due to the fact that they fall under the comedy genre, and some viewers may feel that not much original thought was put into the film. As in all genres there are both good and bad films. In the case of parody though one is more likely to see the difference between a quality parody and a terrible parody. Author Wes Gehrig writes that there are seven factors to parody films, “…parody should be funny,…an educational tool,…is not satire,…broad and obvious,…or comic deflation,…is a genre of indeterminate time and space,…compounding phenomenon,…films about moviemaking” (Gehrig 2-15). As one can see these seven factors help make a quality parody film, and is the formula for a successful
The first theme that is clear to the audience within a spy film is the battle of good versus evil. Generally the protagonist of the film is the spy fighting for Western ideals, while the villain of the film can be a mixture of rogue spies, evil scientist, or just greedy businessman. The villains have changed with each decade in the 1960s it was all about combating the Communists from Western ideology. In more modern films the villains seem to be more terrorist related or they deal with computer hacker villains. Another underlying theme that is often found within the spy genre is the love story between the protagonist and a female lead that may be a villain, damsel in distress, or a spy that has to work with the protagonist. Regardless, there is a love component generally found within the spy genre. One running theme throughout the spy genre film is that the action keeps the audience on edge. Throughout the whole film the audience is wondering what the protagonist will run into next on his mission. Which henchman will the protagonist have to fight, or what clue will the protagonist find that will lead him closer to the villain? Throughout the film the audience waits for these questions to be answered, and then at the climax of the film the protagonist meets the villain. These are some of the most important themes found throughout a spy genre