American Film Comedy exam

		Exam 1 July 15, 2008
	Part I. For each of these 60 questions, write on the answer sheet the letter that corresponds to the best answer. 1. Which of the following is not one of the basic comic movie plots, according to Gerald Mast? A. journey of the picaresque hero B. young lovers wed despite obstacles C. protagonist discovers an error he has been making D. successful accomplishment of a difficult task E. man vs. machine 2. Gerald Mast insists that comedy is mimetic rather than A. realistic B. humanistic C. didactic D. artistic E. explicit 3. In describing how comedy relates to the values of its time, the opposite of apologetic (according to Gerald Mast) is: A. sarcastic B. vituperative C. iconoclastic D. sardonic E. ironic 4. Sprezzatura is characterized by A. slapstick humor B. uproarious, uncontrolled laughter C. humor that does not produce laughter D. humor that calls attention to its comic devices E. humor that does not reveal an intention to be funny 5. Gerald Mast uses which term to describe “miscellaneous bits of gaggery”? A. riffing B. sprezzatura C. iconoclasm D. didactic E. reduction ad absurdum 6. When Chaplin’s tramp finally used his voice, what the audience heard was A. singing in gibberish B. a riddle C. whistling sounds D. “thank you thank you thank you” E. “goodbye” 7. Virginia Cherrill suggested that Chaplin didn’t like her because she was A. too young B. too old C. blonde D. not experienced as an actress E. divorced 8. 39:1 is a ratio describing: A. profits to cost of City Lights B. film shot to film actually used in the final version of City Lights C. actresses auditioned before Cherill for the role of the blind girl D. the correct frame-rate speed for projecting Chaplin’s movies E. the salary Chaplin paid himself vs. what he paid anyone else 9. Which of the following was not a part of the “aesthetic contract” that Charles Maland says Chaplin had established with his audience prior to City Lights: A. a love story B. pathos C. no political message D. contrasting sets of values E. visual comedy 10. Charles Maland compares City Lights to two important novels of the same era: An American Tragedy and: A. The Idle Class B. Birth of a Nation C. The Great Gatsby D. The Sun Also Rises E. The Grapes of Wrath 11. Which occurrence near the start of City Lights reflects an earlier, cruder form of silent comedy? A. a sword goes through the seat of the tramp’s pants B. the tramp drops his pants in front of the crowd C. the tramp gives the finger to the police captain D. the tramp wipes his nose on a flag E. the tramp makes a suggestive sexual gesture toward the lady 12. Near the start of City Lights, how does Chaplin make a joke about the coming of sound to movies? A. characters speak but nothing comes out B. characters speak but the sound is just noise C. characters speak but their words are out of synch with their lip movements D. traditional title cards appear at the same time as we hear characters’ voices E. music drowns out every attempt to speak 13. According to Maland, the courtyard outside the blind girl’s apartment represents A. community and the possibility of love B. isolation and deprivation C. barriers to human interaction D. mechanization of the modern world E. the pre-commercial world of peddling and barter 14. In a scene shot for City Lights but not used, the blind girl’s vision of her benefactor depicts him: A. in uniform B. in top hat and tails C. in an artist’s smock and beret D. haloed in bright light E. as a florist 15. At the end of City Lights, before she recognizes him, the flower girl offers the tramp his choice of a rose or A. a lily B. a coin C. her photograph D. her grandmother to wait on him E. a movie ticket 16. The flower girl recognizes her benefactor through A. looking into his eyes B. hearing his voice C. feeling the fabric of his coat D. touching his hands E. observing him being tormented by the newsboys 17. Charles Maland believes that the theme of a man rescuing an ill or handicapped woman appealed to Chaplin because A. studio executives demanded more pathos B. Virginia Cherrill’s blue eyes didn’t photograph clearly C. Chaplin’s mother was mentally ill D. Chaplin’s first wife had died tragically E. Chaplin needed to disguise his sexual attraction to teenage girls 18. Although this proved impossible, Chaplin at one point decided to reshoot almost the entire film City Lights in order to: A. direct the movie himself B. add spoken dialog C. play both the tramp and the millionaire himself D. replace Virginia Cherrill with another actress E. subtly change the persona of the tramp 19. The English equivalent of American vaudeville was called: A. palladium B. light opera C. varieties D. vagaries E. music hall 20. Which of the following was a member of Chaplin’s comedy troupe when it came from England to America? A. Buster Keaton B. Harold Lloyd C. Mack Sennett D. Stan Laurel E. Oliver Hardy 21. Which of the following is not true of Mack Sennett? A. produced slapstick comedies B. invented the Keystone Cops C. first featured Chaplin’s tramp persona D. produced early W. C. Fields shorts E. paired Laurel and Hardy as a comedy team 22. In Aristotle’s theory, the Greek word mimesis is usually translated A. comedy B. imitation C. laughter D. mirror E. form or structure 23. For Aristotle, the most important element in creating a comedy is A. plot B. character C. theme D. style E. realism of background 24. Persona originally meant A. opposite B. mouthpiece C. mask D. protagonist E. author 25. Schadenfreude is best defined as A. absurd comedy B. didactic comedy C. pleasure in the misfortune of others D. comedy combined with pathos E. the comic equivalent of catharsis 26. Plato believes that the comic character is, above all, “ignorant of himself.” The three most common areas where comic characters shows this ignorance are, according to Plato, finances, personal appearance, and: A. social status B. intellect C. sexual success D. political influence E. virtue 27. According to Aristotle, the comic character will be A. above us in status B. equal to us in status C. below us in status D. any status provided it is different from ours E. an outcast from our community 28. Aristotle says that the attitude of the comic creator toward the characters he creates should be: A. ‘not vituperative but ludicuous’ B. ‘not ludicrous but vituperative’ C. ‘both vituperative and ludicrous’ D. ‘neither vituperative or ludicrous’ 29. Katastasis is A. heightened awareness of our humanity B. explosive release of emotional tension C. overflowing of vital rhythm D. freedom from desires and emotions E. pity and fear 30. Elder Olsen says that, in order to create katastasis, the subject of comedy must be treated as if it A. is more important that we usually believe it to be B. is potentially tragic C. is valueless D. happens in a world immune from the usual actions and reactions E. belongs only to the work, not actuality 31. Groundhog Day falls on the same date as A. the Christian festival of Candlemas B. the Christian feast of St. Philip C. the St. Thomas Aquinas mass D. the traditional blessing of the animals E. presidential inaugurations 32. Ryan Gilbey says that Groundhog Day has two primary intertextual references: one to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, the other to: A. the movie It’s a Wonderful Life B. the movie Ghostbusters C. the novel Great Expectations D. the novel The Great Gatsby E. Chaplin’s Modern Times 33. Gilbey compares Bill Murray’s “sour charisma” to the earlier comedy star: A. Buster Keaton B. W. C. Fields C. Groucho Marx D. Jerry Lewis E. Johnny Carson 34. Which is not true of the original script for Groundhog Day?: A. It provided a rational explanation for the time loop B. The movie began after the time loop had already started C. Phil was younger than in the final movie D. There was a voiceover narration by Phil Connors E. There was no female love interest 35. According to Gilbey, the bedroom wallpaper and the décor of the café set up what visual motif in Groundhog Day? A. entrapment and imprisonment B. strong primary colors C. encircling femininity D. family E. over-indulgence in physical pleasure 36. Ned Ryerson tries to sell Phil: A. his overcoat B. a house in the town C. a wager on whether the groundhog will see his shadow D. a Bible E. life insurance 37. The original script’s climax of Groundhog Day occurred at a A. birth B. wedding C. auction D. piano recital E. television broadcast 38. The background of the opening credits of Groundhog Day sets up a motif that is continued later. This background is A. blue sky and clouds B. ice and snow C. the weather map D. clocks E. the song “I’ve Got You Babe” 39. The screenwriter of Groundhog Day has said that his initial interest was not the time loop but the theme of: A. ‘love conquers all’ B. ‘be careful what you wish for’ C. redemption D. immortality E. sour charisma 40. Gilbey says that the most likely reason for Phil’s punishment in Groundhog Day is A. egotism B. sprezzatura C. urban sophistication D. complacency E. lack of faith in anything outside himself 41. What is the response of Gus and Ralph when Phil asks them “What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing you did mattered?” A. “Has life been like that?” B. “Like in that movie?” C. “Like in heaven?” D. “Like being married?” E. “That about sums it up for me.” 42. Susanne Langer says that humor in comedy does not come out of “our actual surroundings,” but out of A. the world as we falsely imagine it to be B. the world of liminality C. the world of ritualized behavior D. the two-world condition E. the total action of the comic work 43. Which of the following is not, according to Bakhtin, a characteristic of carnival A. parody B. equality C. liminality D. revolution E. logic of the inside-out 44. Clowns and fools, according to Bakhtin, occupy the borderline between worlds. The term describing this borderline condition is A. sacerdotal B. incongruous C. gestalt D. cathartic E. liminal 45. “Carnival laughter,” according to Bakhtin, is A. different from satiric laughter B. identical to satiric laughter C. laughter based on inferiority D. laughter based on hostility E. out-of-control laughter 46. In the “two-world condition” described by Bakhtin, carnival represents one world, and the other world is best represented by A. clowns and fools B. people below us in status C. political and religious officials D. artistic creativity E. the feminine principle 47. According to T.G.A. Nelson’s discussion of laughter, the three main theories of laughter emphasize: incongruity; psychic release; and A. superiority B. perversity C. sexual confusion D. animal spirits E. satire 48. Like almost all his movies, Sherlock Jr. depicts Buster Keaton’s particular fascination with: A. technology and machines B. making money C. childlike women D. conventional movie genres E. father figures 49. The Keaton short The Playhouse depicts A. a parody of Shakespeare B. a minstrel show C. a billiard game D. children’s games E. newlyweds 50. The actors onscreen in Hearts and Pearls turn into: A. characters seen earlier in Sherlock Jr. B. characters seen earlier in City Lights C. Buster Keaton and his assistant, both in dresses D. Laurel & Hardy E. the tramp and the millionaire 51. “Two-reeler” refers to: A. a double feature of two comedies B. a double feature of one comedy and one drama C. a non-comedy feature film D. a film lasting about 20 minutes E. a feature-length film longer than an hour 52. In Sherlock Jr. the mystery of the missing money is finally solved not by the detective but by A. the detective’s assistant B. the projectionist C. the victim D. the girl’s father E. the girl 53. At the end of Sherlock Jr., the projectionist is confused when he sees what on the movie screen? A. himself as Sherlock Jr. B. himself as the projectionist C. the opening credits for the movie Sherlock Jr. D. hearts and pearls E. babies 54. Which motif appears in almost all W. C. Fields movies? A. unemployment B. poverty C. oppressed husband and father D. children but no wife E. inflicting physical pain on a woman 55. How many Marx Brothers appear in Duck Soup? A. five B. four C. three D. two E. none 56. How many Stooges appear in Disorder in the Court? A. four B. three C. two D. one E. none 57. The silent comedian whose persona of a child-like man often encounters “vamp” women is: A. Harry Langdon B. Harold Lloyd C. Andy Clyde D. Billy Bevan E. Hal Roach 58. The Laurel & Hardy short Big Business is an example of the comedy form that Mast calls A. reductio ad absurdum B. picaresque C. implied D. morphing E. iconoclastic 59. In Duck Soup, Rufus T. Firefly becomes leader of A. The United States of Marx B. Utopia C. Freedonia D. Sylvania E. Ultima Thule 60. Perhaps the single most famous shot in silent comedy shows who precariously dangling from a clock on a building high above the street? A. Buster Keaton B. Charlie Chaplin C. Harold Lloyd D. Harry Langdon E. Hal Roach Part II. Choose two of the topics below and write on each for approximately 20 minutes. Your short essays should describe several examples and comment on their significance in relation to the topic. A. presentation of women in comedy B. cruelty in comedy C. Silent comedy emphasizes body and personality; sound comedy emphasizes structure and style (Gerald Mast) D. No comedy can be free of ideas, even if characters are unaware of the values implied in the work. (Gerald Mast)