High Comedy in American Movies

Steve Vineberg is professor in the theatre department at College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts and author of Method Actors and No Surprises, Please. His movie reviews and articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Phoenix, the Threepenny Review, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and the Christian Century, as well as many other publications.

• Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 1 Europe in Hollywood Chapter 3 2 High Comedy, American Style Chapter 4 3 High Comedy and Social Satire Chapter 5 4 The Poison in the Champagne: What It's Really Like to Be Rich and Famous Chapter 6 5 The Aristocracy of the Hip Chapter 7 6 The Eighties and Beyond Chapter 8 Filmography Chapter 9 Bibliography

In looking at the various subgenres of comedy, the author zeroes in on comedy of manners, the high comedy that privileges elegance, wit, and sophisticated banter among its iridescent, pedigreed characters. Vineberg smartly connects stage and screen. . . . He looks at the ways in which the more egalitarian U.S. movies handle the class-conscious lives of the rich and elite through comic twists and tweaks. Vineberg's work illumines the stylish, genteel, and buoyant narratives of the film comedy of manners, from glossy hijinks to poisoned champagne, with its own polished intelligence. Recommended.