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Johnny English© James C. Hess
Justified anarchy.
Very entertaining. The instigator of the workshop--he refused to be called 'teacher' or 'instructor'--was a lively fellow who, despite his buttoned-down appearance, was given to being impish. At a certain point in the proceedings the discussion, quite passionate and heated, turned to the topic of humor and comedy. What, the head jokester asked. Are humor and comedy? A few answers were offered, with none of them being what was desired. Finally, to keep the discussion from waining, the head jester said: Humor and comedy are justified anarchy. He was right. He is right. Why are we attracted to humor and comedy? What is it about humor and comedy that makes them so appealing? Superficially it goes to such things as universal truths, but beyond that, all given, what is it about humor and comedy that draws us in and finally holds us until we cannot breathe, until our sides and faces hurt from laughing? Justified anarchy. Although Sir Charles Chaplin passed away more than twenty years ago and his beloved character, The Little Tramp, has not been seen in original material in twice that time, he remains enduring in our collective consciousness. Why? Justified anarchy. The Little Tramp was among the original anarchists when it came to making us laugh and cry with joy, providing us the means to transcend the humdrum of daily grind life. But not to worry. His successors do well to perpetuate his legacy of laughter, humor, and comedy, with the heir apparent being Rowan Atkinson. Atkinson, throughout his career, first as a fringe member of the Monty Python troupe, then as a character actor--The Blackadder and Mr. Bean--has done well to perpetuate what Chaplin, through the character of The Little Tramp, suggested: Humor and comedy, the execution of them, is justified anarchy. Of late Atkinson has taken this to a new level: The spy genre. In the wake of September 11, 2001, one might find such things in poor or bad taste, and they could be, if done incorrectly. But I suspect Atkinson knows this and instead goes for the gentle spoof: Bond meets Bean. In "Johnny English" Atkinson plays a character named, of course, Johnny English, who is a low-level drudge in the British Secret Service, who is pressed into active service when a bomb destroys all of the other agents. The apparently competent agents. Go To Page: 1 2
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