From Charlie Chaplin's The Gold Rush to Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, Gehring presents a compelling theory of the black comedy film genre. Placing the movies he discusses in a historical and literary context, Gehring explores the genre's obession with death and the characters' failure to be shocked by it. Movies discussed include: Slaughterhouse Five, Catch-2, Clockwork Orange, Harold and Maude, Heathers, and Natural Born Killers.
Illustrations Foreword by R. Karl Largent Preface Acknowledgments Historical Literary Overview Selected American Dark Comedy Films and Themes Dismantling Dictators: "Marxist" or Otherwise Coming of Age...With a Vengeance When Film Noir Becomes Dark Comedy Conclusions Appendix: Selected Filmography Selected Bibliography
