On Tuesday night, the usually quiet second floor of the Penn Bookstore was alive with giggles.
Students and community members turned out to hear author and film critic Saul Austerlitz present his book Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy.
Although he said he was mildly depressed that he couldn’t tell his audience to “stay classy,” as he had in San Diego the week before, Austerlitz presented clips from comedies of yesteryear and paid homage to, as he says, “the bastard stepchild of American film.”
He started his presentation by showing a clip from the 1930s comedy She Done Him Wrong, noting the brilliance of its mega-stars Mae West and Cary Grant in an accompanying portion from the text.
Austerlitz then read of a “Golden Age” of cinema when, he said, sex was secondary to wit, body language and even vocal inflection.
Another Fine Mess: A History of American Film Comedy breaks down the American comedy through the lens of significant figures in film. Each chapter highlights one comedic genius, starting with Charlie Chaplin, ending with current sensation Judd Apatow and covering the brilliant minds of Woody Allen and Bill Murray in between.
When asked his favorite comedy of all time, Austerlitz quickly decided on The Shop Around The Corner, the predecessor to You’ve Got Mail.
“It’s a wonderful, witty, kinda sad, bittersweet, perfect movie about two people struggling to fall in love,” he said.
He specifically warned the audience to steer clear of The Love Guru. Of another movie, he said, “It’s like watching your dad breakdance.”
College freshman Dan Riband said he could not have been happier that he attended the event. “In 20 minutes of my life, I learned something completely new. It was a really quirky, interesting 20 minutes.”
