Charlie Chaplin once explained why comedy needs cruelty: “Basic element”
Whether you like watching cheesy, gross-out comedies or prefer your humour served with a little more refinement, it’s a genre we all love to some degree. Comedy is typically present in every genre, and even grotesque horrors or serious dramas usually contain elements of comedic relief – it’s how humans deal with life’s difficulties.
However, comedy has significantly evolved over the years, progressing with society’s natural interests and the development of cinema. During the early days of the medium, cinema didn’t have the capability to convey sound, so filmmakers had to work with what they had—their bodies. Slapstick and visual comedy became the dominant mode of humour during the silent film era, drawing from vaudeville and circus, which were popular at the time.
Two of the biggest silent comedy stars were, of course, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, whose screen presences changed Hollywood forever. Chaplin truly cemented himself in the industry with his recognisable image – a tiny moustache and a bowler hat became his instant signifiers. His character, The Tramp, was iconic, with his charming persona winning over audiences. Whether he was getting into dangerous scrapes or falling in love, Chaplin’s alter-ego has become one of comedy’s most important figures, forever influencing actors and comedians as a result.
Chaplin’s style of comedy has been replicated many times, but he remains cinema’s ultimate comedic hero. He once explained the importance of utilising cruelty within his comedy, calling it a “basic element” of the practice. The actor said, “What appears to be sane is really insane, and if you can make that poignant enough, they love it. The audience recognises it as a farce on life, and they laugh at it in order not to die from it, in order not to weep.”
Here, Chaplin emphasises the need for comedy to act as a release from the hardships of life. Even if the comedy is rooted in cruelty, it helps us to laugh at that which is getting us down or encourages us to take ourselves less seriously. He also noted how our perception of cruelty changes depending on the subject of the joke. “It’s a question of that mysterious thing called candour coming in. An old man slips on a banana and falls slowly and stumbles, and we don’t laugh. But if it’s done with a pompous, well-to-do gentleman who has exaggerated pride, then we laugh.”
Chaplin added, “All embarrassing situations are funny, especially if they’re treated with humour. With clowns, you can expect anything outrageous to happen. But if a man goes into a restaurant, and he thinks he’s very smart but he’s got a big hole in his pants—if that is treated humorously, it’s bound to be funny. Especially if it’s done with dignity and pride.”
The star’s movies often contain moments that we’d find incredibly humiliating if they were to happen to us, but Chaplin reassures us that all we can really do is find the humour in life’s less forgiving moments. As a result, living becomes much more enjoyable.
