72-570: Deconstructing Harry is a 1997 American black comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen , with an ensemble cast , including Caroline Aaron , Kirstie Alley , Bob Balaban , Richard Benjamin , Eric Bogosian , Billy Crystal and Judy Davis , as well as Jennifer Garner in her feature film debut. The film tells the story of a successful writer named Harry Block, played by Allen, who draws inspiration from people who he knows in real life, and from events that happen to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated from him as
144-562: A novel by Bernard Malamud , and Little Murders . ( The Assistant was never produced.) In April 1970, Brodsky and Gould announced plans to make The Dick , from the novel by Bruce Jay Friedman , but it was never made. That same year, Gould reached a new level of prominence playing one of the four leads in Paul Mazursky's zeitgeisty social comedy Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice starring alongside Natalie Wood , Robert Culp , and Dyan Cannon . Gould played Ted Henderson. The film
216-412: A weighted average , assigned the film a score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C" on an A+ to F scale. Writing for Variety , David Stratton stated: " Deconstructing Harry is abrasive, complex, lacerating and self-revelatory. It's also very funny, most of the time. Woody Allen's latest
288-405: A comic manner. Comedians like Lenny Bruce , who since the late 1950s have been labeled as using " sick comedy " by mainstream journalists, have also been labeled with "black comedy". Sigmund Freud , in his 1927 essay Humour ( Der Humor ), although not mentioning 'black humour' specifically, cites a literal instance of gallows humour before going on to write: "The ego refuses to be distressed by
360-523: A cop movie with Robert Blake , directed by Peter Hyams ; and S*P*Y*S (1975), a spy spoof which reunited him with Sutherland. Neither was particularly popular. Returning to comedy, he played the lead in two films for Brut Productions , both comedies: Whiffs (1975) and then opposite Diane Keaton in I Will, I Will... for Now (1976). He and Keaton also starred in Harry and Walter Go to New York (1976) with James Caan and Michael Caine . All flopped at
432-522: A far ridere su un argomento talmente drammatico di cui si ride perché non c'è altra soluzione possibile, si ha quella che nei cabaret di Berlino degli Anni '20 veniva chiamata la "risata verde". È opportuno distinguere una satira ironica, che lavora per sottrazione, da una satira grottesca, che lavora per addizione. Questo secondo tipo di satira genera più spesso la risata verde. Ne erano maestri Kraus e Valentin. Elliott Gould Elliott Gould ( / ɡ uː l d / ; né Goldstein ; born August 29, 1938)
504-424: A genre in which dark humor is a core component. Cartoonist Charles Addams was famous for such humor, e.g. depicting a boy decorating his bedroom with stolen warning signs including "NO DIVING – POOL EMPTY", "STOP – BRIDGE OUT" and "SPRING CONDEMNED." Black comedy differs from both blue comedy —which focuses more on crude topics such as nudity , sex , and body fluids —and from straightforward obscenity . Whereas
576-616: A man who grasped things by reason and never by feeling, and who enclosed himself in skepticism; [...] Swift can rightfully be considered the inventor of "savage" or "gallows" humor. Des termes parents du Galgenhumor sont: : comédie noire, plaisanterie macabre, rire jaune. (J'en offre un autre: gibêtises). humour macabre, humeur de désespéré, (action de) rire jaune Galgenhumor propos guilleret etwas freie, gewagte Äußerung Walter Redfern, discussing puns about death, remarks: 'Related terms to gallows humour are: black comedy, sick humour, rire jaune. In all, pain and pleasure are mixed, perhaps
648-639: A more significant role in Showtime's Ray Donovan from 2013 to 2016. He has loaned his voice to several animated series, including the role of Mr. Stoppable, Ron Stoppable 's dad in the Disney Channel Animated series Kim Possible (2003–2007). He also lent his voice for Hey Arnold! , The Simpsons and American Dad . In 2011, Gould appeared in a supporting role in Soderbergh's ensemble thriller Contagion (2011) about virus outbreak leading to
720-524: A new generation of viewers thanks to a recurring role as Jack Geller, the father of Courtney Cox's and David Schwimmer's characters Monica and Ross, on the NBC sitcom Friends , first appearing in 1994 and in twenty total episodes over the course of the show's run. Around the same time he took a more dramatic role, as the boyfriend of the protagonist's mother, in the controversial drama American History X (1998) starring Edward Norton . While first reading
792-469: A result. The central plot features Block driving to a university from which he was once thrown out, to receive an honorary degree. Three passengers accompany him on the trip: a prostitute, a friend, and his son, who he has kidnapped from his ex-wife. There are many flashbacks , segments taken from Block's writing, and interactions with his own fictional characters. Deconstructing Harry received moderately positive reviews from critics. One night, Lucy takes
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#1732855824580864-474: A role which had previously been played by Humphrey Bogart and Dick Powell . By comparison, Gould's performance was more naturalistic, with the screenplay by Leigh Brackett (who had previously adapted The Big Sleep for Howard Hawks and Bogart) updating the setting to contemporary Los Angeles. Although not a major hit, the film was later regarded as one of Gould's best. Alan R. Howard of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "The eccentric casting of Elliott Gould
936-657: A season 16 (1990–1991) episode hosted by Tom Hanks where Hanks is welcomed into the Five-Timers club, a society for celebrities who have hosted the show five times. He returned in season 47 (2021–2022) in a similar skit welcoming John Mulaney into the club. In 1980, Gould starred in the romantic comedy film Falling in Love Again (1980), alongside Susannah York . Gould also made two films for Disney , The Last Flight of Noah's Ark (1980) and The Devil and Max Devlin (1982). Gould chose to return to Broadway with The Guys in
1008-1304: A spese di chi è più ricco e potente di te. Io sono specialista nella risata verde, quella dei cabaret di Berlino degli anni Venti e Trenta. Nasce dalla disperazione. Esempio: l'Italia è un paese dove la commissione di vigilanza parlamentare Rai si comporta come la commissione stragi e viceversa. Oppure: il mistero di Ustica è irrisolto? Sono contento: il sistema funziona. racconto di satira grottesca [...] L'obiettivo del grottesco è far percepire l'orrore di una vicenda. Non è la satira cui siamo abituati in Italia: la si ritrova nel cabaret degli anni '20 e '30, poi è stata cancellata dal carico di sofferenze della guerra. Aggiungo che io avevo spiegato in apertura di serata che ci sarebbero stati momenti di satira molto diversi. Satira ironica, che fa ridere, e satira grottesca, che può far male. Perché porta alla risata della disperazione, dell'impotenza. La risata verde. Era forte, perché coinvolgeva in un colpo solo tutti i cardini satirici: politica, religione, sesso e morte. Quello che ho fatto è stato accentuare l'interazione tra gli elementi. Non era di buon gusto? Rabelais e Swift, che hanno esplorato questi lati oscuri della nostra personalità, non si sono mai posti il problema del buon gusto. Quando la satira poi riesce
1080-476: A story about a man (based on himself) who journeys to Hell to reclaim his true love (based on Fay) from the Devil (based on Larry). Harry and the Devil engage in a verbal duel regarding who is truly the more evil of the two. Harry argues that he is a kidnapper, but the story is interrupted by the arrival of the police. Harry is arrested for kidnapping Hilliard, for possessing a gun (it was Lucy's), and for having drugs in
1152-451: A success – the only student protest film to make money – and cemented Gould's place as one of the biggest film stars in the country. Also released that year was Move (1970), co-starring Paula Prentiss , which was his first critical and commercial flop. Also unsuccessful was I Love My Wife (1970), with Brenda Vaccaro , for which Gould had turned down a reunion with Altman on McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971). He had also turned down
1224-874: A supporting role to Whoopi Goldberg in The Telephone (1988). Over time, Gould began to act more frequently in supporting roles. He received critical praise for his performance as an aging mobster in Warren Beatty's 1991 film Bugsy and once again performed a cameo as "himself" in Robert Altman's The Player (1992). During the 1990s, Gould continued starring in guest roles in shows such as L.A. Law , Moon Over Miami , Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and Diagnosis: Murder . He co-starred with Michael McKean in Billy Crystal 's 1991 six-part HBO comedy miniseries Sessions . He also became known to
1296-431: A taxi to the home of famous Manhattan author Harry Block. She has just read Harry's latest novel, in which the character Leslie is having an affair with her sister's husband Ken. Lucy is angry because the novel is patently based on her and Harry's own affair; as a result, everyone knows about it. Lucy pulls a gun from her purse, threatening to kill herself. She turns the gun on Harry and begins firing. As she chases him onto
1368-475: A worldwide pandemic. The cast included Matt Damon, Kate Winslet , Jude Law , Marion Cotillard , Laurence Fishburne , and Jennifer Ehle . The film received critical acclaim and was a box office success. The following year he appeared in Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ' romantic comedy-drama film Ruby Sparks (2012) starring Paul Dano , Zoe Kazan . More recently, he co-starred with Jemaine Clement in
1440-401: Is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo , particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discuss. Writers and comedians often use it as a tool for exploring vulgar issues by provoking discomfort, serious thought, and amusement for their audience. Thus, in fiction , for example, the term black comedy can also refer to
1512-490: Is acknowledged by some critics that Allen based the name of Harry Block on Antonius Block ( Max von Sydow ), the protagonist from Bergman's The Seventh Seal . Some critics, including Roger Ebert , have suggested that the character of Harry Block is based on real-life author Philip Roth , and not on Allen. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film holds an approval rating of 74%, based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. Metacritic , which uses
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#17328558245801584-720: Is also known for his recurring role as Jack Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends (1994–2004), his recurring roles in the Fox sitcom Mulaney (2014–2015), and the Showtime series Ray Donovan (2013–2016). Additionally, he appeared on the Netflix shows Grace and Frankie , Lincoln Lawyer , and The Kominsky Method . Gould was born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn , New York City. His mother, Lucille ( née Raver), sold artificial flowers to beauty shops, and his father, Bernard Goldstein, worked in
1656-544: Is altogether successful and allows the filmmakers to embrace the detective genre affectionately, transforming it into a dreamlike excursion through modern Los Angeles." The following year, Gould reunited with Robert Altman for the film, California Split (1974), an acclaimed gambling dramedy that co-starred George Segal . Additionally, Gould made a brief cameo appearance as himself in the Altman film Nashville (1975). He soon made two more "buddy" movies: Busting (1974),
1728-888: Is an American actor. Gould's breakthrough role was in the film Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor . The following year, he starred as Capt. Trapper John McIntyre in the Robert Altman film M*A*S*H (1970), for which he received BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. Gould continued working with Altman in The Long Goodbye (1973) and California Split (1974). Other notable film roles include Alan Arkin's Little Murders (1971), Ingmar Bergman's The Touch (1971), Richard Attenborough's A Bridge Too Far (1977), Capricorn One (1978), The Silent Partner (1978), Over
1800-620: Is an acknowledged coping mechanism. It has been encouraged within these professions to make note of the context in which these jokes are told, as outsiders may not react the way that those with mutual knowledge do. A 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing concludes that people who appreciate dark humor "may have higher IQs, show lower aggression, and resist negative feelings more effectively than people who turn up their noses at it." Examples of black comedy in film include: Examples of black comedy in television include: Examples of gallows speeches include: Military life
1872-429: Is full of gallows humor, as those in the services continuously live in the danger of being killed, especially in wartime. For example: Workers in the emergency services are also known for using black comedy: There are several titles such as It Only Hurts When I Laugh and Only When I Laugh , which allude to the punch line of a joke which exists in numerous versions since at least the 19th century. A typical setup
1944-411: Is her husband. During the trip, Harry encounters his fictional creations Ken and Helen, who force him to confront some painful truths about his life. Before arriving at the university, Richard dies peacefully in the car. While filming, Harry's fictional alter ego Mel literally slides out of focus, becoming blurred. The university's staffers gush over Harry, asking what he plans to write next. He describes
2016-512: Is one of his most provocative and challenging films." Allen was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen . The film was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical . Black comedy Black comedy , also known as black humor , bleak comedy , dark comedy , dark humor , gallows humor or morbid humor ,
2088-439: Is that someone badly hurt is asked "Does it hurt?" – "I am fine; it only hurts when I laugh." The term was part of the language before Freud wrote an essay on it—'gallows humor.' This is middle European humor, a response to hopeless situations. It's what a man says faced with a perfectly hopeless situation and he still manages to say something funny. Freud gives examples: A man being led out to be hanged at dawn says, 'Well,
2160-787: The Betty Comden and Adolph Green musical Say, Darling (1958–59) featuring Robert Morse , David Wayne , and Vivian Blaine . He also appeared in the French musical Irma La Douce (1960–61) with Elizabeth Seal and Clive Revill . In 1962, he had a starring role in the Broadway production of I Can Get It for You Wholesale , which ran for 300 performances and where he met future wife Barbra Streisand . Following that, he landed prominent roles in Drat! The Cat! (1965) and in Little Murders (1971). He
2232-714: The HBO television film Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 (1987) playing criminal defense lawyer Leonard Weinglass . The film was directed and written by Jeremy Kagan and starred Carl Lumbly , Peter Boyle , Robert Loggia , Martin Sheen , and Billy Zane . He also continued acting in guest star roles on shows such as Murder, She Wrote . He continued to act in film, though his roles tended to be less impactful than those from preceding decades: he had leading roles in films such as Inside Out (1986) and Dangerous Love (1988) and he played
Deconstructing Harry - Misplaced Pages Continue
2304-613: The garment business as a textiles buyer. His family is Jewish , with his grandparents migrating from Ukraine , Poland , and Russia . He was graduated from the Professional Children's School . Gould began acting on Broadway in the late 1950s, making his professional debut in a minor role in the musical Rumple (1957). The musical starred Eddie Foy Jr. , Gretchen Wyler , and Stephen Douglass with music and lyrics by Ernest G. Schweikert and Frank Reardon. He followed this with small parts in successful productions such as
2376-515: The Brooklyn Bridge (1984), Barry Levinson's Bugsy (1991), American History X (1998), Steven Soderbergh's Contagion (2011), and Ruby Sparks (2012). He also starred as Reuben Tishkoff in the Ocean's film series (2001, 2004, 2007, and 2018). Gould is known for his work in television. He is a member of SNL ' s Five Timers' Club , having hosted six times from 1976 to 1980. He
2448-545: The French humour noir ) was coined by the Surrealist theorist André Breton in 1935 while interpreting the writings of Jonathan Swift . Breton's preference was to identify some of Swift's writings as a subgenre of comedy and satire in which laughter arises from cynicism and skepticism , often relying on topics such as death. Breton coined the term for his 1940 book Anthology of Black Humor ( Anthologie de l'humour noir ), in which he credited Jonathan Swift as
2520-498: The Truck in 1983 but left the production after the first week of previews, replaced by Harris Laskawy. The play closed on opening night. Gould transitioned to television acting. From 1984 to 1985 Gould appeared on the CBS medical sitcom E/R playing the role of Dr. Howard Sheinfeld for 23 episodes. He appeared in 1986 The Twilight Zone episode: " The Misfortune Cookie ". He also starred in
2592-448: The birth of their son. Harry runs into an acquaintance, Richard, who is worried about his health. After accompanying Richard to the hospital, Harry invites him to the university ceremony; Richard claims that he will be busy that day. Harry meets with his ex-girlfriend Fay, who reveals that she is now engaged. Harry begs Fay to get back together with him. He asks Fay to accompany him to his ceremony, but it clashes with her wedding, scheduled
2664-595: The box office. He joined the ensemble cast of Richard Attenborough's World War II drama film A Bridge Too Far (1977). Gould played Col. Robert Stout, a role based on Robert Sink . The ensemble cast included Robert Redford , James Caan , Michael Caine , Sean Connery , Anthony Hopkins , Gene Hackman , Liv Ullmann , and Laurence Olivier . The film was a financial and critical success. The following year Gould returned to mainstream success with Capricorn One (1978), directed by Peter Hyams and starring James Brolin , Sam Waterston , and O. J. Simpson . The film
2736-585: The car (belonging to Cookie). Larry and Fay come from their wedding to bail out Harry from jail. Harry reluctantly gives them his blessings. At his apartment, a miserable Harry fantasizes that the university's ceremony is taking place. He eventually overcomes his writer's block by starting to write a book about a man who, like him, can function only in art, not in life. Woody Allen offered the role of Harry Block to Elliott Gould , Dustin Hoffman , Dennis Hopper and Albert Brooks , all of whom turned it down. Allen took
2808-445: The comedy is used to mock the victim. In the last cases, the victim's suffering is trivialized, which leads to sympathizing with the victimizer, as analogously found in the social commentary and social criticism of the writings of (for instance) Sade . Among the first American writers who employed black comedy in their works were Nathanael West and Vladimir Nabokov . The concept of black humor first came to nationwide attention after
2880-473: The cover of Time magazine that year, where he was described as a "star for an uptight age". Gould's other films of 1970 included the Richard Rush directed comedy-drama film Getting Straight , where he played a Vietnam veteran who gets involved in student protests. Candice Bergen also stars as his girlfriend. The film was not as popular as the other two movies, but it was nonetheless still considered
2952-499: The day is certainly starting well.' It's generally called Jewish humor in this country. Actually it's humor from the peasants' revolt, the forty years' war, and from the Napoleonic wars. It's small people being pushed this way and that way, enormous armies and plagues and so forth, and still hanging on in the face of hopelessness. Jewish jokes are middle European jokes and the black humorists are gallows humorists, as they try to be funny in
Deconstructing Harry - Misplaced Pages Continue
3024-890: The definitive recipe for all punning' (Puns, p. 127). En français on dit « rire jaune », en flamand « groen lachen » Les termes jaune, vert, bleu évoquent en français un certain nombre d'idées qui sont différentes de celles que suscitent les mots holandais correspondants geel, groen, blauw. Nous disons : rire jaune, le Hollandais dit : rire vert ( groen lachen ); ce que le Néerlandais appelle un vert (een groentje), c'est ce qu'en français on désigne du nom de bleu (un jeune soldat inexpéribenté)... On voit que des confrontations de ce genre permettent de concevoir une étude de la psychologie des peuples fondée sur les associations d'idées que révèlent les variations de sens (sémantique), les expressions figurées, les proverbes et les dictions. Q: Critiche feroci, interrogazioni parlamentari: momenti duri per la satira. A: Satira è far ridere
3096-399: The face of situations which they see as just horrible. At least, Swift's text is preserved, and so is a prefatory note by the French writer André Breton, which emphasizes Swift's importance as the originator of black humor, of laughter that arises from cynicism and scepticism. When it comes to black humor, everything designates him as the true initiator. In fact, it is impossible to coordinate
3168-465: The following day. That night, Harry sleeps with a prostitute, Cookie, who agrees to accompany him to his ceremony. In the morning, Richard unexpectedly arrives to join Harry and Cookie on the trip. On a whim, Harry decides to "kidnap" his son Hilliard. Along the way, they stop at a carnival, then at Harry's half-sister Doris's. Doris, a devoted Jew , is upset by Harry's portrayals of Judaism in his stories, as
3240-540: The fugitive traces of this kind of humor before him, not even in Heraclitus and the Cynics or in the works of Elizabethan dramatic poets. [...] historically justify his being presented as the first black humorist. Contrary to what Voltaire might have said, Swift was in no sense a "perfected Rabelais." He shared to the smallest possible degree Rabelais's taste for innocent, heavy-handed jokes and his constant drunken good humor. [...]
3312-538: The hottest thing in Hollywood right now," he said in October 1969. In March 1969, Gould signed a non-exclusive, four-picture contract with 20th Century Fox , the first of which was to be Robert Altman's M*A*S*H and the second Move both released in 1970. His first film released after Bob & Carol was the wartime satire M*A*S*H (1970), directed by Robert Altman , where Gould played Trapper John McIntyre . It
3384-508: The human comedy Humor Me (2017). In 2018, Gould reprised his role of Reuben in Ocean's 8 . He appeared in 2020's Dangerous Lies . Gould appeared in guest starring roles in detective shows such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2010) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2012). He also appeared in a recurring role as Ezra Goldman in the Showtime crime series Ray Donovan (2013–2016) starring Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight . Gould also played John Mulaney's neighbor in
3456-439: The joke: whether the joke is being told by the threatened person themselves or by someone else. Black comedy has the social effect of strengthening the morale of the oppressed and undermines the morale of the oppressors. According to Wylie Sypher , "to be able to laugh at evil and error means we have surmounted them." Black comedy is a natural human instinct and examples of it can be found in stories from antiquity. Its use
3528-455: The lead in Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs (1971). Gould's next efforts would turn mixed results, including his decision to buy the rights for Little Murders with an eye to producing and reprising his lead role in a film adaptation. Directed by Alan Arkin , and released in 1971, it was another commercial disappointment, but has since earned a cult following. Gould went to Sweden to play
3600-519: The lead role in Ingmar Bergman's English-language debut The Touch (1971). He was the first Hollywood star to appear in a Bergman film. The Touch received mixed reviews and was not one of Bergman's more successful films commercially. Gould and his producing partner helped make Woody Allen's satirical slapstick comedy Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972), later selling it to United Artists . He
3672-579: The much-maligned remake of The Lady Vanishes (1979). Also in 1979, Gould appeared as Cher's dance partner at the end of the music video for her Top 10 disco hit "Take Me Home". During this period Gould hosted Saturday Night Live six times, his final time being the first episode of the disastrous Jean Doumanian season (season 6) in November 1980, where he was shocked to find that the original cast and producer Lorne Michaels were gone and had been replaced. Although he never hosted SNL again, he did appear in
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#17328558245803744-427: The next day; he is particularly unhappy that he has nobody with whom to share the occasion. After the session, Harry asks his ex-wife and former therapist Joan if he can take their son Hilliard to the ceremony. She refuses, stating that Harry is a bad influence on Hilliard. She is also furious at Harry for the novel he wrote. In it, the character Epstein marries his therapist Helen, but the marriage begins to crumble after
3816-450: The originator of black humor and gallows humor (particularly in his pieces Directions to Servants (1731), A Modest Proposal (1729), Meditation Upon a Broomstick (1710), and in a few aphorisms ). In his book, Breton also included excerpts from 45 other writers, including both examples in which the wit arises from a victim with which the audience empathizes, as is more typical in the tradition of gallows humor, and examples in which
3888-691: The particular type of laughter that it arouses ( risata verde or groen lachen ), and said that grotesque satire , as opposed to ironic satire, is the one that most often arouses this kind of laughter. In the Weimar era Kabaretts , this genre was particularly common, and according to Luttazzi, Karl Valentin and Karl Kraus were the major masters of it. Black comedy is common in professions and environments where workers routinely have to deal with dark subject matter. This includes police officers , firefighters , ambulance crews, military personnel, journalists, lawyers, and funeral directors , where it
3960-469: The plot of Deconstructing Harry , that of an academic on a long drive to receive an honorary award from his old university while reflecting on his life's experiences, essentially mirrors that of Bergman's Wild Strawberries . Additionally, the film is similar to Fellini's 8½ , in being about an artist struggling with his current relationships and remembering his old ones, interspersed with dream sequences, as well as works based on events from his life. It
4032-399: The provocations of reality, to let itself be compelled to suffer. It insists that it cannot be affected by the traumas of the external world; it shows, in fact, that such traumas are no more than occasions for it to gain pleasure." Some other sociologists elaborated this concept further. At the same time, Paul Lewis warns that this "relieving" aspect of gallows jokes depends on the context of
4104-476: The publication of a 1965 mass-market paperback titled Black Humor , edited by Bruce Jay Friedman . The paperback was one of the first American anthologies devoted to the concept of black humor as a literary genre. With the paperback, Friedman labeled as "black humorists" a variety of authors, such as J. P. Donleavy , Edward Albee , Joseph Heller , Thomas Pynchon , John Barth , Vladimir Nabokov, Bruce Jay Friedman himself, and Louis-Ferdinand Céline . Among
4176-504: The recent writers suggested as black humorists by journalists and literary critics are Roald Dahl , Kurt Vonnegut , Warren Zevon , Christopher Durang , Philip Roth , and Veikko Huovinen . Evelyn Waugh has been called "the first contemporary writer to produce the sustained black comic novel." The motive for applying the label black humorist to the writers cited above is that they have written novels, poems, stories, plays, and songs in which profound or horrific events were portrayed in
4248-419: The role himself. The film is a general reworking of Allen's 1980 film Stardust Memories , which also had an artist attend a ceremony in his honor, while reminiscing over past relationships and trying to fix and stabilize current ones. Allen is an admirer of several renowned European directors, and his films in particular often draw on the works of Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini . The rough outline of
4320-516: The roof, he insists that he has already been punished: his latest girlfriend Fay has left him for his best friend Larry. To distract Lucy, Harry tells her a story that he is currently writing: a semi-autobiographical story of a sex-obsessed young man named Harvey who is mistakenly claimed by Death during an encounter with a prostitute. In therapy, Harry realizes that he has not changed since his sex-obsessed youth. He discusses his honoring ceremony at his old university in upstate New York , taking place
4392-533: The script, he believed the movie was a comedy similar to The Great Dictator , until he read the part where Norton's character curb stomps a black man. In 2001, Gould co-starred in Steven Soderbergh's heist film Ocean's Eleven , a 2001 remake of the classic Rat Pack caper film. The film starred George Clooney , Brad Pitt , Matt Damon , Julia Roberts , Andy Garcia , Don Cheadle , Bernie Mac , and Carl Reiner . The film earned positive reviews and
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#17328558245804464-568: The sitcom Mulaney (2014–2015). He also appeared in guest roles in Maron (2015), The Kominsky Method (2018), and Grace and Frankie (2020). He also briefly appeared in Friends: The Reunion along with Christina Pickles and the rest of the Friends cast. Gould has said that he has a "very deep Jewish identity". He has been married three times, twice to the same woman: Gould serves on
4536-454: The term black comedy is a relatively broad term covering humour relating to many serious subjects, gallows humor tends to be used more specifically in relation to death, or situations that are reminiscent of dying. Black humour can occasionally be related to the grotesque genre. Literary critics have associated black comedy and black humour with authors as early as the ancient Greeks with Aristophanes . The term black humour (from
4608-416: Was a huge hit at the box office and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture . The Hollywood Reporter film critic John Mahoney wrote in his review "If Elliott Gould keeps selecting and performing in films the way he has thus far, people may start going to pictures just because he is in them." With significant successes of Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice and M*A*S*H , Gould appeared on
4680-485: Was addicted to drugs, something the actor has strenuously denied. In 1972, he was among the guests in David Winters ' musical television special The Special London Bridge Special , starring Tom Jones , and Jennifer O'Neill . Gould reemerged with one of his most iconic roles in 1973's The Long Goodbye , Robert Altman's adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel . Gould starred as detective Philip Marlowe ,
4752-548: Was also cast in A Way of Life by Murray Schisgal but walked out prior to the play making it to Broadway. Gould made his feature film debut in the William Dieterle comedy Quick, Let's Get Married (1964) starring Ginger Rogers , Ray Milland , and Barbara Eden . The film was an attempt to revitalize Rogers' career, but did not get a full release until 1971. In the film Gould plays a mute character. He received star billing for his performance. Gould's next film appearance
4824-467: Was an immense financial success. Gould played their wealthy friend, a former casino owner Reuben Tishkoff. He reprised the role for its sequels, Ocean's Twelve in 2004 and Ocean's Thirteen in 2007. In 2005 he guest starred in a feature-length episode of the UK TV series Poirot , subsequently appearing in similar one-off or small roles in television series including Law & Order and CSI , and
4896-543: Was financed by producer Lew Grade , who later arranged Gould's guest appearances in The Muppets and its movie spin-offs. After making Capricorn One Gould was announced to direct A New Life from a novel by Bernard Malamud with Robert Altman producing but the film was not made. Gould went to Canada to star in the highly regarded thriller The Silent Partner (1978) starring Christopher Plummer before working again with Grade on Escape to Athena (1979). He starred in
4968-542: Was in William Friedkin's musical comedy film The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968) produced by Norman Lear . The film gives a fictional account of the invention of the striptease at Minsky's Burlesque in 1925. The film also starred Jason Robards , Denholm Elliott , and Jack Burns . In January 1969, Gould announced he had formed his own film production company with Jack Brodsky, Brodsky-Gould Productions. The company would make two films: The Assistant , based on
5040-545: Was released in September 1969. The film was a critical and financial success. In Roger Ebert's review in the Chicago Sun-Times , he wrote that "Gould emerges, not so much a star, more of a "personality," like Severn Darden or Estelle Parsons . He's very funny." For his performance, Gould earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor losing to Gig Young for They Shoot Horses, Don't They? "I'm
5112-460: Was reportedly offered the lead role in Pocket Money (1972), but turned it down because he did not want to work with director Stuart Rosenberg again after his experience making Move . Gould continued developing projects in a behind-the-scenes capacity, including a failed adaptation of the novel A Glimpse of Tiger . Filming was abandoned after four days of shooting, following rumours that Gould
5184-648: Was widespread in middle Europe , from where it was imported to the United States. It is rendered with the German expression Galgenhumor (cynical last words before getting hanged ). The concept of gallows humor is comparable to the French expression rire jaune (lit. yellow laughing ), which also has a Germanic equivalent in the Belgian Dutch expression groen lachen (lit. green laughing ). Italian comedian Daniele Luttazzi discussed gallows humour focusing on
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