Gags

Thought provoking article article about some specific comedy techniques throughout film history. I clash with some points like "Flatness is good" but The Gag Reflex by David Cairns is good read:

"I decided to short-circuit expectation and try to make the audience (a bunch of foreign strangers whose tastes I don't know) laugh good-naturedly at the death of a child. Surprise is the weapon that allows me to do this...Larry David argues that you get extra points by being funny about difficult, painful subjects. The risk if you fail is greater. I'm really glad I pulled off this joke. You probably hate me right now, but trust me, if you saw this film I think you'd laugh too. When Nietzsche said that a joke was an elegy for the death of an emotion, he was possibly thinking of me."