“Carry On” Abroad
Abstract
Films from the Carry On series are imbued with such a peculiar sense of humour that even abroad they are promoted as the quintessence of Britishness. They are not, however, examples of „esoteric” texts that are understood and popular only in Great Britain. It’s quite the opposite; the series has enjoyed huge popularity all over the world. Bannister ponders on the phenomenon of Carry On. He unveils the simple mechanism of the series humour: it is based on two elements: visual buffoonery and verbally childish obscenity. Bannister also examines its social aspect - the way in which it reflects frustrations and views of the working class. He goes even further to say that if the origin of Carry On comedies reaches beyond the spirit of McGill’s seaside-postcards to Mennippean satire, and if the tradition of Carry On heroes reaches beyond the genre of modern caricature to the world of Middle Age carnival jesters, then a social sense behind the films’ humour is not purely British but is part of other cultures, too.
Keywords:
British cinema, humour, working classReferences
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Authors
John Bannisterkwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
University of Central Lancashire United Kingdom
Ukończył studia na kierunku filmu i mediów na University of Central Lancashire.
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Copyright (c) 2006 John Bannister
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