Reelblack
Presents
Reelblack Presents promotes
discoveries and rediscoveries in African-American film.
Tuesday,
April 20, 2010
Why
We Laugh: Black Comedians on Comedy
dir. Robert Townsend, US, 2009, DVD, 95 mins, color
Timely, insightful, and downright funny, Why We Laugh: Black
Comedians on Black Comedy is a sweeping account of the
evolution of black comedy in America. Inspired by comedian Darryl
Littleton’s book, director Robert Townsend crafted a no-holds-barred
documentary that is both an insider’s take and a critical examination
of the cultural influence of black comedy. Townsend and Newell
enrich this hilarious and spectacularly archived film by including
interviews with prominent scholars, politicians, cultural critics,
and a host of notable comics, including Bill Cosby, Chris Rock,
Keenan Ivory Wayans and Eddie Griffin.
Why
We Laugh tracks the way black comedy has evolved from Stepin
Fetchit and minstrels in blackface to the politically tinged
humor of Dick Gregory, and from the television success of Good
Times and The Jeffersons to the big-screen accomplishments
of stars like Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg. Townsend turns
a perceptive eye on the controversial career of Dave Chapelle
and the implications of corporate efforts to capitalize on the
massive successes of Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam
and Spike Lee’s The Original Kings of Comedy. A major
historical contribution to American culture —
and a hoot to watch — Why We Laugh is a tribute to
the way individuals can change history, as well as a cautionary
tale about how tenuous that change can be. Official Selection
2009 Sundance and Roxbury Film Festivals.
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