Intro; Dedication; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Figures; Chapter 1: The Fine Line between Stupid and Clever: An Introduction; Spaghetti; Mockumentary Definitions; Early History; Recent History; The Field; Mockumentary and Comedy; Mockumentary and Performance; Structure; References; Part I: Music; Chapter 2: Acting Naturally: Performing The Beatles; Establishing a Viewing Mode; Negotiating Success 1: Parodying Situation; Negotiating Success 2: Comic Self-Performance; Deconstructing the Four-Headed Monster; The Paradox of Self-Performance; References.
Text of Note
Chapter 3: Parodying Performance in This Is Spinal TapDocumentary and Comedy: Competing Registers; Parody and Spinal Tap; Parody and Performance; Spinal Tap: Disrupting the Rockumentary Canon; References; Chapter 4: Best in Show: Christopher Guest as a Mockumentary Auteur; Intertextuality; Character and Tone; Aesthetic Shift; Conclusion; References; Part II: Politics; Chapter 5: 'The Day the PM Joined The Thick of It': The Mockumentary and New Labour; The 2010 UK General Election and the Mockumentary; The Thick of It and the New Labour Government; Satirising Spin; Alison Jackson; References.
Text of Note
Chapter 6: Campaigning for Authenticity in the Post-Truth EraAuthenticity and Politics; Tanner'88: Authenticity in the 'Post-Truth' Age; Veep: A Politics of Ambiguity; The Political Mockumentary in a World of 'Fake News'; References; Chapter 7: Conclusion: Digital Mockumentary; Next Steps; References; Media References; Filmography; Teleography; Radiography; Internet Videos; DVD Documentaries; Index.
0
8
8
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This book is the first to take comedy seriously as an important aspect of the popular mockumentary form of film and television fiction. It examines the ways in which mockumentary films and television programmes make visible--through comedy--the performances that underpin straight documentaries and many of our public figures. Mockumentary Comedy focuses on the rock star and the politician, two figures that regularly feature as mockumentary subjects. These public figures are explored through detailed textual analyses of a range of film and television comedies, including A Hard Day's Night, This is Spinal Tap, The Thick of It, Veep and the works of Christopher Guest and Alison Jackson. This book broadens the scope of existing mockumentary scholarship by taking comedy seriously in a sustained way for the first time. It ultimately argues that the comedic performances--by performers and of documentary conventions--are central to the form's critical significance and popular appeal.
ACQUISITION INFORMATION NOTE
Source for Acquisition/Subscription Address
Springer Nature
Stock Number
com.springer.onix.9783319778488
OTHER EDITION IN ANOTHER MEDIUM
Title
Mockumentary comedy.
International Standard Book Number
9783319778471
TOPICAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Comedy films-- History and criticism.
Documentary-style films-- History and criticism.
Documentary-style television programs-- History and criticism.