Skip to main content
2015-2016 Season

A Visual Comedy Video Timeline

by Spencer Duncan, dramaturg

Those who read my post last week may remember that Water Sings Blue engages with visual comedy. What is visual comedy? Well, for an excellent in-depth look, I recommend Julian Dutton’s book Keeping Quiet: Visual Comedy In the Age of Sound.

For a brief understanding, I invite you to watch this video timeline based in part on Dutton’s book.

Visual comedy is also known as silent comedy. While its existence dates back to the Italian Renaissance’s commedia dell’arte (and likely beyond that) it was the era of silent films which brought visual comedy into the 20th century, with greats such as Charlie Chaplin and the duo Laurel & Hardy.

The Adventurer (1917) Charlie Chaplin--The Opening Chase

With the introduction of the “talkies” (movies with sound), the era of silent film and silent comedy started to die out. While physical gags and slapstick humor didn’t disappear, it wasn’t until the 1950’s that visual comedy was revamped.

French director and actor Jacques Tati created his character, the bumbling Monsieur Hulot. Water Sings Blue takes much of its humor from M. Hulot’s debut 1953 film, Mr. Hulot’s Holiday.

"M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY"

And we’re not the only ones. Rowan Atkinson, known for his Mr. Bean, claims M. Hulot to be inspiration for his work.

Getting Up Late For The Dentist | Mr. Bean Official

What are the latest visual comedy shows? If we were to dive into animation, we could likely say Aardman Studios’ Shaun the Sheep.

Shaun the Sheep - Championsheeps - Diving (OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Or, if we wanted to stick with live actors, we could easily point to the BBC’s new sitcom, Pompidou, co-created by Dutton himself.

Pompidou: Trailer - BBC Two

Either way, it’s all very visual, if you know what I mean.

Related Articles

data-content-type="article"

Behind the Scenes of Adapting Swan Lake

June 15, 2023 08:24 PM
With a show as universal as Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Ballet, one would think that there wouldn’t be many unknowns to staging a production. However, director Ashley Parov had a vision to make this classic ballet more accessible to ballerinas of all ages. Instead of producing a typical 3-hour-long ballet, Ashley imagined an hour-long family-friendly piece. How then, do you fill in the gaps of the story?
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

The Jesus Christ of Godspell: Forums with BYU Religious Scholars

March 13, 2023 09:58 PM
Dramaturgs Darci Ramirez and Andrew Elijah Schindler invited scholars from the BYU Region Department to join us in discussions about the Jesus Christ of Godspell. Multiple similar forums will be held in connection with this production.
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=
data-content-type="article"

Godspell Graffiti

March 13, 2023 08:25 PM
I used to vandalize property now I evangelize properly.- Gospel Graffiti
overrideBackgroundColorOrImage= overrideTextColor= overrideTextAlignment= overrideCardHideSection= overrideCardHideByline= overrideCardHideDescription= overridebuttonBgColor= overrideButtonText= overrideTextAlignment=