I was trying to think of the best comedies to recommend to a friend who can't speak English and the only one I could think of were Mr. Bean, Trigger Happy TV and World Shut Your Mouth.
Can anyone think of anymore good candidates?
Best purely visual comedies?
Old silent Laurel and Hardy, Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton.
Benny Hill's wishing well sketch has no dialogue http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCYpk0ivqjo
The Baldy Man was very good, but not sure if it's on DVD yet. But The Plank and Rhubarb Rhubarb are, as are all Tati's films, which inspired Eric Sykes to make the previous two. And many old sketches like Benny Hill's, Q6, Monty Pthyon etc. were silent parodies, yes. I love a good visual comedy.
The Plank and Rhubarb Rhubarb are excellent, didn't Sykes make another one years later? I'm not sure if it was even broadcast anywhere, it may have had Spike Milligan in it.
Thanks. Good suggestions.
I guess The Two Ronnies also did some silent stuff as well if memory serves.
He might've done. Did he write Simon, Simon, starring Peter Sellers? I still haven't seen that though it is out on DVD.
And Cannon & Ball starred in a late 70s remake of either The Plank or RR.
A Home Of Your Own is on DVD.
Is that the later Sykes film I was asking about?
No, I think it's 'It's Your Move.'
Best visual gags are probably the old silent movies, Keaton, Lloyd, Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy etc. Simple gags and storylines and simply hilarious.
For a one off moment I seem to recall Buster Keaton grabbing a passing bus and taking off horizontally. Paul Merton replayed it in slow motion and it's extraordinary - it was a wonder it didn't break his arm.
About Eric Skyes. From Wikipedia...
The Plank (1979 film)
Rhubarb (1969)
Rhubarb Rhubarb (1980, a television remake of Rhubarb)
It's Your Move (1982)
Mr. H Is Late (1988)
The Big Freeze (1993)
Hope that helps. Also, Ronnie Barker wrote and starred in Futtocks End, The Picnic and By The Sea.
Best woman: Dawn French
Best man: Rowan Atkinson
Quote: hotzappa11 @ January 9 2012, 9:04 PM GMTFrom Wikipedia...
The Plank (1979 film)
Just as you'd expect from Wikipedia, so delightfully misleading!