[HN Gopher] Rowan Atkinson: Visual Comedy (1992) [video]
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Rowan Atkinson: Visual Comedy (1992) [video]
Author : swarmy
Score : 81 points
Date : 2022-07-17 21:18 UTC (1 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
| boberoni wrote:
| Visual comedy transcends language barriers. I have fond memories
| of enjoying hours of Mr. Bean with my Chinese relatives who
| didn't speak any English, but could still enjoy the skits because
| there was almost no dialogue. The story was conveyed physically.
| silisili wrote:
| The is one thing I really appreciate about Just For Laughs
| Gags. No words or languages to understand, just silly harmless
| situations and pranks. AFAICT it's mostly done somewhere in
| French Canada, but there's a few from Singapore I believe.
|
| Here's an example I remember that made me laugh, a good example
| - it's all about facial expressions and reactions rather than
| words -
|
| https://youtu.be/2Zs6mi5bvic
| sedatk wrote:
| Benny Hill, similarly.
| ternaryoperator wrote:
| Not so sure about Benny Hill. As an American, I couldn't
| see what the Brits found so funny about him. The keystone
| cop sequences of naked women chasing him, etc. and the
| silly situations he concocted (which required spoken
| language). Whereas Mr. Bean was truly universal situations
| and effectively no spoken words.
| agumonkey wrote:
| It transcends but some is lost in translation. There are
| youtube videos of people showing Mr Bean to tribs in middle
| east and they struggle to grasp some ideas due to different
| social norms.
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| Love him (I suspect this won't last long on the HN front page,
| alas).
|
| He does both physical and verbal. If you ever watch Mr. Bean,
| it's entirely physical, and, in Blackadder, he almost never shuts
| up (but there's still plenty of physical humor).
| gonzus wrote:
| He is the best ever, IMHO, at throwing witty, smart, clever
| insults that completely destroy the target.
| laumars wrote:
| He's one of the all time best comics for verbal delivery in my
| opinion. He's second to none in the way he accentuates
| syllables to make even mundane words have a striking impact.
| maest wrote:
| I find his Smut routine hilarious
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyoyLl0_a2M
|
| I really like the idea that he's just sitting on stage saying
| rude words - it's quit a silly concept, but elevated by the
| execution.
| dazdaz wrote:
| Bob
| unfunco wrote:
| Rowan Atkinson demonstrating how funny "Bob" can be:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOdfNwD9cEA
| timothya wrote:
| See also Rowan Atkinson's standup routine from the early 90s:
| https://youtu.be/uw8dW9Hyno0
| sph wrote:
| Haven't watched the video but I wanted to say I am a huge fan of
| him. His work outside of Mr. Bean and Blackadder (haven't seen it
| yet!) is hilariously funny to me, and him along with Monty Python
| were instrumental in my becoming very fond of the English humour
| and culture and eventually deciding to move here.
|
| I got all of this sketches memorised. There's some kind of deep
| social intelligence behind his comedy, that's apparent when he's
| not in character, i.e. during an interview, where it's impossible
| not to be charmed by his eloquence and demeanour.
|
| I recommend: the "beatings" and the Shakespearean actor sketches.
| smcl wrote:
| Definitely check out Blackadder but I would _highly_ recommend
| skipping the first series. They tried something, it _really_
| didn't work and then they switched it up for the second series
| and absolutely nailed it.
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| _> Blackadder (haven 't seen it yet!)_
|
| You'll see a few familiar faces. Stephen Fry, Miranda
| Richardson, and Hugh Laurie were regulars.
| 8bitsrule wrote:
| Atkinson's very good. Laurel and Hardy, however, still rule.
| ransom1538 wrote:
| Sorry maybe I am the only one here, but British "comedy" is truly
| terrible. Sticking a cracker in your nose, having a comedian not
| speak, etc. The BBC is a horrible network that I wish would just
| die. The golf network or watching paint dry is more entertaining.
| Let's have Germans make cars and the British stay away from
| cameras.
| NikolaNovak wrote:
| I'm not gonna say you're the only one,but all of my nerdy
| friends and myself would vehemently disagree :-). Let British
| keep making humour, from Mitchell and Webb to fry and Laurie to
| Monty Python to British Office to Darling Buds of May to As
| Time Goes By, and long live bbc the original home Top Gear :-)
| spaceman_2020 wrote:
| You are the only one here.
| zichy wrote:
| Trying to be edgy is truly terrible as well.
| cyberferret wrote:
| Someone once told me - "British comedy is about making fun of
| yourself, whereas American comedy is about making fun of other
| people", and I have found it to be true in a lot of shows I've
| witnessed. Probably why I personally tend to prefer British
| comedies over American ones. I have a thing against people
| having a laugh at the expense of others.
| missedthecue wrote:
| 98% of the jokes in Blackadder are making fun of other
| people. I really don't find that axiom to be true
| Joeboy wrote:
| I don't either. Eg. Curb Your Enthusiasm and The Show About
| the Show are both American, and are both basically
| demolition jobs on their stars and writers. I actually feel
| a bit embarrassed about Americans seeing these self-serving
| British explanations about why we're better than them.
| orf wrote:
| Everyone's entitled to their opinions, but that doesn't make
| them correct ;)
|
| What about it don't you like, specifically? And what comedy do
| you prefer?
| ransom1538 wrote:
| Just take "Eddie Murphy Raw 1987" - which is near the same
| time frame. Just compare the talent.
| smcl wrote:
| Comparing stand-up to a sitcom is a little bit of an
| apples/oranges comparison. There's plenty of talented
| standup comics from Britain, though. I'm normally not a
| huge fan of standup generally but I do really like Stewart
| Lee for example
| orf wrote:
| I'm not a fan of mr bean. I don't get it, it vaguely seems
| like laughing at someone with learning disabilities to me.
| But there's definitely skill and talent in creating the
| character without words.
|
| It's also clever - the lack of language makes it universal.
| Most of the people I've met who profess their love for the
| character are not native English speakers.
|
| There's a culture-spanning appeal there, and fame, that
| Eddie Murphy (with all his undeniable standup skill and
| wit) will never, ever achieve.
|
| To say crafting that lacks talent does Rowan Atkinson a big
| disservice.
| laumars wrote:
| > Just take "Eddie Murphy Raw is a 1987" - which is near
| the same time frame. Just compare the talent. Mr Bean
| quietly sticks crackers in his nose - Eddie Murphy on the
| other hand ...
|
| You do realise that the comedy scene in Britain is hugely
| varied? So you don't like Mr Bean. That's fine. But there's
| plenty of comics at the other extreme end of the spectrum
| here too. And a plethora of stuff in between too.
| golergka wrote:
| This makes as much sense as saying that British can't make rock
| music.
| ransom1538 wrote:
| It's ok for a culture to suck at something. British bands are
| amazing. Italian food is amazing. German cars are amazing.
| American comedy is amazing. British comedy and French cars
| are terrible. That is ok.
| cgrealy wrote:
| Some American comedy (Parks and Rec, Brooklyn 99, Cheers,
| Community, etc) is amazing. Most of it is crap (2 1/2 Men,
| Big Bang, 90% of SNL, 100% of "middle aged dude with a
| family and a wife that's way too good looking" sitcoms).
|
| Some British comedy (Fawlty Towers, Black Books, Fleabag)
| is amazing. Most of it is crap (Mr Bean, Keeping Up
| Appearances, One Foot in the grave).
|
| There are some terrible British bands, and some great
| French cars.
|
| Generalising about culture is pointless.
| Bayart wrote:
| French cars are fine (and German cars aren't what they used
| to be, I wouldn't buy a recent BMW) !
| tuyiown wrote:
| No it's not ok. You really should throw all those
| preconception out of the window, it helps you for nothing
| except missing interesting things in your life
| sph wrote:
| You must be a fan of American comedy then.
|
| Stephen Fry explains the difference here:
| https://youtu.be/8k2AbqTBxao
|
| Actually very insightful, and explains why I have never been
| fond of the cool guy that gets all the girls US comedy loves to
| represent.
| etataetaet wrote:
| I haven't watched Mr. Bean but Yes Minister is a British show
| and had me laughing all the time! Much different than any
| American comedy I've ever seen but quite interesting and a
| really fun watch.
| pessimizer wrote:
| Try The New Statesman for a hilarious sitcom that sits right
| between Mr. Bean and Yes, Minister.
| jfk13 wrote:
| But we like to claim that _Yes, Minister_ isn 't a comedy at
| all, it's a documentary. ;-)
| ChrisMarshallNY wrote:
| My fave _Yes, Prime Minister_ snippet:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZZJXw4MTA
| Nition wrote:
| Another good one:
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4
| camtarn wrote:
| So don't watch it.
|
| I'm not a big fan of comedy in general, but I am an adult human
| who is capable of hitting the channel change button if it comes
| on, or leaving a conversation about it.
| ransom1538 wrote:
| I don't. Unless I am visiting someone at a nursing home. BBC
| programing seems to be popular there.
| rubicon33 wrote:
| If it's okay for someone to express, and comment on how they
| enjoy something... Why is it not okay for someone to do the
| same when they don't enjoy it?
|
| Truly have never understood this knee jerk reaction people
| have to criticism. It's a healthy part of civil discourse.
| I'm not only interested in seeing everyone's praise.
| camtarn wrote:
| > It's a healthy part of civil discourse
|
| 'I wish this thing that other people enjoy would die, even
| though it doesn't impact my life at all' is not a healthy
| part of civil discourse.
|
| [edit] The thing is that I actually agree with the parent:
| I can't _stand_ Mr Bean - it makes me physically cringe.
| But I recognise that other people are fans, so I 'm happy
| to just shut up and let them have their fun.
| Joeboy wrote:
| Right, I feel quite defensive of British comedy in
| general but there's no denying we produce a lot of
| godawful shite. I've never watched much Mr Bean but I've
| always mentally put it in the same category as Mrs
| Brown's Boys or The Benny Hill Show.
| smcl wrote:
| I'm in the same boat. There's some truly top quality
| stuff that I'll defend to the death, and some utter
| rubbish. The US has the same though - they've got
| excellent stuff like Eddie Murphy and Arrested
| Development, and awful unfunny shit like Greg Gutfeld and
| Big Bang Theory
| rubicon33 wrote:
| I agree his choice of words was not helpful, so if that's
| the sticking point then we agree.
|
| I interpreted your post though to be a general sentiment
| that we shouldn't even voice negative opinions, even if
| they are done so politely. I certainly wouldn't agree
| with that perspective. As someone who is rather neutral
| to British humor, I enjoy seeing both positive and
| negative conversation around the subject.
| hgazx wrote:
| The bbc costs everybody money. Asking for it to disappear is
| reasonable.
| camtarn wrote:
| The BBC does a lot of things that aren't just comedy. If
| you think that everything the BBC does is useless, or that
| it should be paid for with a better model, or that it
| should spend less money on comedy, then that is absolutely
| a fair criticism. Asking for it to disappear just because
| you don't like one particular brand of comedy is not.
| timthorn wrote:
| But they didn't make Mr Bean, which came from ITV
| O__________O wrote:
| Reminds me of the video series called Pingu, which uses no
| natural language, though it does use a fictional language based
| on honks and context; basically it's for kids in regardless of
| the language they speak.
|
| https://m.youtube.com/user/pingu/videos?view=0&sort=p&flow=l...
| cyberferret wrote:
| Pingu was a favourite to watch with the kids when they were
| younger - so much going on with no words. Also loved "The
| Flying Adrenallini Brothers" which was an animation with a made
| up language but so many visual gag laughs.
| cyberferret wrote:
| I am a long time fan of Rowan Atkinson - though I must say, not
| of his 'visual comedy' characters like Mr. Bean or Man vs Bee
| etc. I lean more towards his 'Blackadder' characters
| (specifically Blackadder 2, 3 and 4. Series 1 was more a 'visual
| comedy' lead character than the latter, which relied more on a
| dour character with a sharp verbal wit).
|
| Blackadder 4 in particular added in a darkness to the humour that
| was really compelling - that last scene in the last episode (when
| they charge out of the trenches into no mans land) was absolutely
| haunting and moving. As were the final lines given by the
| secondary characters (especially Capt. Darling)
|
| EDIT: For those who want to see what I am talking about, here is
| the final scene (4 minute footage), though I'd highly recommend
| watching the whole series to really understand the interplay
| between the characters (especially the pathos of Cpt. Darling vs
| Cpt. Blackadder) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgyB6lwE8E0
| mrwh wrote:
| I still remember watching the final episode at school, in the
| early 90s, as part of a history lesson on the First World War.
| The way it turns from a comedy into something that couldn't be
| more serious! - except, that seriousness was always there. The
| tone doesn't so much change as reveal itself. Unforgettable.
| cyberferret wrote:
| You are so right about how the seriousness was always there
| and revealed itself at the end. I too was fairly young when I
| first watched it, and I think it really framed my propensity
| for adding humour to otherwise serious situations as a coping
| mechanism.
| highwaylights wrote:
| I find Blackadder to be one of the greatest achievements in the
| history of television.
|
| I'm still moved by just how wonderfully subversive it is. There
| was no need for that show to have anything close to the quality
| of writing it had over it's run, especially when you watch the
| first couple of episodes. It could _easily_ have run for years
| as a simple, meandering medieval sitcom that went nowhere. I'm
| so glad it ultimately went to so many places, across so many
| time periods, without it being an excuse for reusing the same
| old stories.
| olivermarks wrote:
| IMO the king of visual comedy is Jacques Tati
|
| I like some of Atkinson's work a lot but interesting to see where
| he built on his key influencer and particularly the Monsieur
| Hulot character.
| tuyiown wrote:
| Tati is great because he wrapped beautiful poetry into visual
| comedy.
|
| Hulot is pure innocence, to make him exist solely for the
| visual sketches and actually unnecessary as demonstrated in
| playtime.
|
| Tati really was there for the bliss he brought to audience,
| comedy was merely a way to achieve that.
|
| The social commentary is also pretty strong, but not forced,
| only merely there for the ones the wishes to see it.
|
| Atkinson touched this times to times, though.
| omega3 wrote:
| Benjamin P Hill memorial library is a reference to Benny Hill I
| assume.
| thrill wrote:
| well spotted!
| moviewise wrote:
| Here is another article on visual and other comedy: What Is
| Funny? The Rules Of (Punching Up) Comedy According To The Movies
| https://moviewise.substack.com/p/what-is-funny
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