Jazzy Black Humor

摘要

Since the 1970s, genre-crossing dark comedies frequently have masqueraded behind other categories, such as the nominal Western "Little Big Man" (1970), or the titular neo-film noir "Chinatown" (1974). That is, while these movies embrace the twisted trio of black humor themes-the omnipresence of death, the absurdity of the world, and man as beast-one's knee-jerk response is to categorize them elsewhere. Moreover, even these genre cloaks break their own category conventions, adding to the attraction of dark comedy. For instance, in the Cavalry vs. the Indian world of "Little Big Man," one now roots for the Native Americans. The token femme fatale in "Chinatown" (Faye Dunaway) actually is an innocent victim, and Jack Nicholson's prerequisite gumshoe is a prosperous detective whose metier involves divorce cases in stunning California sunlight. Where is the down-and-out Philip Marlowe, or Sam Spade, who lives in those murderous German Expressionistic nights come to Los Angeles?