100 Years of Comedy (documentary)
Picture: C
Sound: C Extras: D Program: B
With the boom of home video, then of DVD, Comedy has been
one of the most profitable genres of all.
However, there are many vital films in the genre that have never been
issued or feature artists that have been forgotten. 100 Years of Comedy (1997) is a very good documentary that
covers a wide-ranging amount of work that was even better known a generation
ago.
Running nearly two hours, the nearly two-hour program (in
two parts, likely for TV broadcast), starts with the dawn of motion
pictures. It was the 100th
anniversary of motion pictures (roughly) when this show was complied. The newest comedians and comedies are
covered briefly in the end, but the main focus is on the greats of the past,
including rarely heard from talents. If
you have never heard of John Bunny or Zazu Pitts, then you are in for a
surprise with the even more obscure names that made a mark very early and are
virtually forgotten.
The clip are generously offered, as well as rarely seen
trailers, some obscure interview footage, and a chronology that breaks the
program into male leads, the rarity of a Mae West, male comedy teams, rare
female comedy teams, the Hal Roach legacy, Howard Hawks, Preston Sturges, and
many others. This also covers the
phenomenon of “two-reelers” that show up on cable and DVD form back in the day
from comics like Edgar Kennedy and Leon Errol (reviewed under the Two Reeler
name elsewhere on this site), as well as being the launching pad for the like
of Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, and Buster Keaton. They were also the way the world met Our Gang aka The Little
Rascals.
Because of the age of the taping of the program, and the
older analog transfers and equipment, plus the age of the clips themselves, the
mostly full screen presentation is average.
However, there are times the clips look decent. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is the same, on
what are mostly monophonic (and even silent) materials. There are no extras, but the program is so
loaded, that does not seem to be as much of an issue here.
The remainder of the program gives us Woody Allen, Mel
Brooks, and stops before the gross-out comedies of today. This is a rare opportunity to see clips and
hear information you are not likely to catch again. 100 Years of Comedy may be a basic DVD, but it is also an
unexpected gem worth going out of your way for.
- Nicholas Sheffo
