Satire

A film in which the point is to send up or skewer an aspect of society, a type of person, or established, often sacred beliefs. Satires rely on precision timing, from both actors and directors, while utilizing irony, cynicism and sarcasm as a primary tool. In the best examples of the form, deadpan humor, in which the characters take themselves and their situations very seriously, is favored while the director or screenwriter winks knowingly at the audience. An all-encompassing movie type, satire essentially divides up into several categories, depending on what topic is being tackled. Political and social satire has long been a favorite weapon of foreign filmmakers, with seminal films like La Dolce Vita, The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover, If..., WR: Mysteries of the Organism, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie being prime examples. Under governments with strict artistic restrictions concerning political commentary, satire became the only tool with which to covertly criticize society, leading to films like France's L'Age d'Or, Spain's Viridiana, Yugoslavia's Underground and Cuba's Memories of Underdevelopment. In America, political and social satire can be traced back to the silent era, with the films of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. The style was utilized most often during times of duress. For example, Dr. Strangelove, M.A.S.H, and Catch-22 savagely trounced the jingoism of the ‘60s, while post-Watergate turmoil spawned The Candidate and Nashville. Political candidates have been the largest target of Hollywood in the latter quarter of the century with films such as Bob Roberts, Tanner ‘88, Wag the Dog and Bulworth showing America's disillusionment with the government. Other sub-types of satire include entertainment satire (This is Spinal Tap and The Player, for example) and religious satire (Monty Python's Life of Brian, Leap of Faith).

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