We have created this blog to provide our own film notes for each of the "Cruel and Unusual Comedy" film programs to supplement the spoken introductions at each program and because there will not be printed film notes distributed at the shows. We chose to post these as a blog to give people who've seen the films at the shows at MoMA to post reactions to them. We do not work at MoMA (although Ben has been accompanying silent films there for the last 25 years) and these independent film notes are our own initiative.
The MoMA Film Department's archive contains hundreds of these rare comedy shorts. Many are complete, and many are incomplete, and a majority of them lack original titles. We have been screening these since 2003, when we began looking at MoMA's Arbuckle film holdings for the retrospective we co-curated with Ron Magliozzi (who does work for the film dept) in 2006. The three of us have continued screening these shorts, along with Eileen Bowser who is largely responsible for MoMA's preserving so many slapstick films.
After the success of the 2-month Arbuckle retro, we decided to create a series out of the many, many rare comedy shorts we'd screened over the years, and came up with the device of grouping them by different aspects of society that the comedians drew on for material: drinking, violence, treatment of animals, ethnic humor, et al. There is enough material to continue this series for many months, and we hope the success of this series in May 2009 will encourage the department to give us some more show dates in the future.
The MoMA Film Department's archive contains hundreds of these rare comedy shorts. Many are complete, and many are incomplete, and a majority of them lack original titles. We have been screening these since 2003, when we began looking at MoMA's Arbuckle film holdings for the retrospective we co-curated with Ron Magliozzi (who does work for the film dept) in 2006. The three of us have continued screening these shorts, along with Eileen Bowser who is largely responsible for MoMA's preserving so many slapstick films.
After the success of the 2-month Arbuckle retro, we decided to create a series out of the many, many rare comedy shorts we'd screened over the years, and came up with the device of grouping them by different aspects of society that the comedians drew on for material: drinking, violence, treatment of animals, ethnic humor, et al. There is enough material to continue this series for many months, and we hope the success of this series in May 2009 will encourage the department to give us some more show dates in the future.
Enjoy!
-- Steve Massa and Ben Model
May 2009, NYC
Eileen Bowser, Ronald Magliozzi, Steve Massa and Ben Model
at the class version of "Cruel and Unusual Comedy", Nov 2008
listen to Steve and Ben on "The Speakeasy with Dorian" with Dorian Devins
and co-host Bruce Bennett on WFMU on May 18, 2009 (approx 1 hour)
listen to Steve and Ben on "The Leonard Lopate Show"
on WNYC on May 19, 2009 (about 20 mins)
May 2009, NYC
Eileen Bowser, Ronald Magliozzi, Steve Massa and Ben Modelat the class version of "Cruel and Unusual Comedy", Nov 2008
listen to Steve and Ben on "The Speakeasy with Dorian" with Dorian Devins
and co-host Bruce Bennett on WFMU on May 18, 2009 (approx 1 hour)
listen to Steve and Ben on "The Leonard Lopate Show"
on WNYC on May 19, 2009 (about 20 mins)
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