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Humor Analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

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Humor Analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Passage2020, 8(3), 73-88 Humor analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) Fauzan Romdhoni Kusnandi, Isti Siti Saleha Gandana, Nia Nafisah English Language and Literature Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia ABSTRACT This study entitled Humor analysis of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) aims to analyzes humor that exists in a British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), which is directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones, to understand the humor and what the humor implied. Employing textual analysis, this study uses Vandaele's (2002) humor mechanism and film form proposed by Bordwell, Thompson, and Smith (2017) as the tools of analysis. The study indicates that the humor is constructed based on the four contexts as described by Vandaele (2002): (1) (De-) normalization, (2) solution, (3) conditioning, and (4) evaluation. Furthermore, the humor signifies the film author’s credibility to deliver humor that is enjoyable to many people, especially those who have been exposed to western culture. Keywords: film, humor, humor mechanism, incongruity, Monty Python and The Holy Grail. 73 INTRODUCTION & Smith, 2017). In just a century, film has exploded into something big and Every day, people from all over the sought after by a lot of people that it globe are exposed to humor in their turns itself into one of modern day’s lives, whether at school, in their source of entertainment. Humor and workplaces, their social activities, and film often go hand-in-hand, and this is even on the internet. Humor is proven with many genres of film that universally recognized by many integrates humor, as a part of its cultures, as humor is a universal narrative. To name a few, take action- phenomenon that occurred almost comedy, romantic-comedy, sitcom, everywhere (Sen, 2012). Humor itself parody movie, and satirical movies. is one of the topics that is widely Humor in films is quite popular, one discussed in many fields of study example of this statement is Thor: across the history of mankind. As Ragnarok (Waititi, 2017). This Billig (2005) describes, humor has action-adventure comedy film has a been discussed since the time of total revenue of USD 853,977,126 Aristotle and beyond until the present worldwide, according to Internet day; humor also has a lot of important Movie Database (n.d) with an roles in society. One such example is estimated film budget of USD described by Meyer (2000) who said 180,000,000. Through this film that humor is a powerful revenue, one can assume that the film communication tool, especially for has achieved some degree of success. politicians who can use humor as a Humor in this film is one of the tool for rallying people into reasons why this film is commercially supporting their cause, Nevertheless, successful. The humor of this film is humor can have a ‘double-edged described by one reviewer as sword’ because if it is used too much “sublimely silly, saucy, and refuse to and too aggressive, it may drive take themselves seriously.” people away from joining a cause (O'Sullivan, 2017). Humor in film is (Meyer, 2000). Furthermore, Meyer also nothing new. Thousands of also believes that humor can also be comedy films have emerged into used as a form of attack against social cinema for generations. From misbehavior to drive society back to L'arroseur arrosé (1895) to Jojo what it considers itself ‘normal’ Rabbit (2019), humor in film has been which Billig (2005) also believed in. around for a long time. Along with Humor also has its uses in the health time, the classics of comedy films sector, workplaces, and even start to appear, one such case is a film education (Raskin, 2008). However, made by Monty Python. people often overlook the deeper According to their official meaning and the use of humor, and website, Monty python is a comedy consider it merely as a form of troupe originated from England. They amusement, especially if the humor are famous for their unique style of lies within a form of entertainment, comedy. Their style of comedy often namely, a film. deconstructs its viewers’ perception Film, also known as motion of everything and anything, even how pictures, is one of the youngest forms comedy sketches work (Gent, 2014). of art medium (Bordwell, Thompson Monty Python is known for its TV series, Monty Python’s Flying Circus theory violates the common (1969-1974) which is popular in assumption that people have in their England. Monty python also won mind to provoke humor (Meyer, several awards such as BAFTA 2000). However, the problem with awards for Outstanding British humor studies is that there is no Contribution to Cinema (1988), AFI agreement between researchers about star award (1998), and European Film which theories that is viable as the Award Lifetime Achievement Award answer for humor theory as most of (2001). these theories proponent believed that However, studying humor is not their theory could explain all forms of as simple as assuming a film's success humor (Buijzen & Valkenburg, through its revenue, award, and 2004). Although many researchers prestige. Humor is an agree that these theories are interdisciplinary theory that spans complementary, researchers believe across multiple bodies of academics, that both theories can complement such as psychology, anthropology, each other to explain humorous philosophy, medicine, occurrences (Veatch, 1998; Meyer, communication, education, 2000; Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2004). linguistics, literature, and so on Vandaele (2002) combines both (Veatch, 1998). Three theories always incongruity and superiority theory, to emerge in many articles regarding constructs a framework called Humor humor, which are Superiority theory, Mechanism, and this framework will incongruity theory, and relief theory be used to answer the research (Berger, 1993 Buijzen & Valkenburg, questions in this study. 2004; Meyer, 2000). According to Previous studies on humor in film are Superiority theory, people laugh quite plentiful these days. One of the because they feel some kind of Studies of film and humor is triumph over others or feel superior to conducted by Fink (2013). In his them (Meyer, 2000 as cited by study, Fink made a case study on an Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2004). The American animated sitcom The theory suggests that people are Simpson (1989-present) and analyzed amused and joyous when they see the film based on its comic approach. themselves as superior to others Similarly, Juckel, Bellman, and Varan (Buijzen & Valkenburg, 2004). Then, (2016) analyzed other US-based relief theory theorizes that humor and sitcoms to find an approach to laughter are evoked because of the identify its style of humor using a reduction of stress and the release of topology of humor. Coincidentally, nervous energy (Meyer, 2000). This the framework of the study also uses reduction of stress may reveal film as a subject of analysis. repressed desire and the overcome of However, most of the studies social inhibitors (Buijzen & mentioned before mainly focus on the Valkenburg, 2004). narrative aspect of a film as its Lastly, incongruity theory primary source of humor analysis. suggests that people are laughing at Thus, studies that incorporate film things they find surprising or elements and humor theories remain unexpected (Berger, 1976; Deckers & scarce. Divine, 1981; McGhee, 1979 as cited This study aims to investigate by Meyer, 2000). Moreover, the how humor operates in one of Monty Passage2020, 8(3), 73-88 python’s feature films, Monty Python and since the Monty Python group and the Holy Grail (1975) using the directly directs, writes, and acts on framework of Vandaele's (2002) this film themselves. Monty python’s humor mechanism, and Bordwell, works are chosen specifically due to Thompson, and Smith Film Form the troupe's tendency to write and act (2017). This particular film is selected their sketches themselves and also due to the humorous content this film due to their cult-like popularity. provides, the absurdity of the humor, narrative aspects consist of the remark METHODOLOGY of the sequences, which explained what happened in the sequence and This study is a text-based what does made the sequence analysis. According to McKee humorous. Then the humor aspects (2002), textual analysis is a method include a listing of contexts of humor that is used when researchers want to in each sequence and its make sense of a text by making an superiority/incongruity stimuli. “educated guess” (p. 1) to make After the data was collected, the meaning to the said text. In this study, collected data were interpreted and a textual analysis was used to analyzed using Vandaele’s Humor examine the humor that exists in the Mechanism Framework (2002) to film’s narrative and cinematographic categorize the context of humor in aspects to uncover how humor each sequence and its stimuli, and operates in the film. Bordwell, Thompson, and Smith’s Film Form (2017) to elaborate the The data in this study is film aspect in each sequence. collected in the form of a humorous Furthermore, both theories were used scene represented with screenshots, to uncover the relationship between which include humor that presents the film elements and the narrative from both narrative aspects and elements with humor. cinematic aspects. The film itself, Monty Python and the Holy Grail FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION (1975) is specifically chosen as this film is one of Monty Python's works Based on the analysis, it is found that received the most positive that the context of (De-) response among people. In collecting normalization appears the most the data, the film was first watched often in comparison to any other closely to understand the film humor contexts, appearing fifteen thoroughly and to provide a better times. The second most frequent contextual understanding of the film context that appeared is itself.
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