Farce

From ArticleWorld

The term Farce is used to describe a comedy that has been written for film or stage use with the purpose of entertaining an audience. It will contain unusual and extravagant situations that are possible but only in special situations. A farce will have a plot that is fast developing and its speed will constantly increase until the end. Any type of humour can be used and in most such comedies one may find sexual innuendos, absurdity, nonsense and any type of activity that can be appealing. It has been used for centuries in Japan as a form of relaxation during the long Noh plays. Farces are called Kyogen in this case.

Elements

A farce is different from all types of comedies because of the plots being used. Although simple in principle their development is based on extreme situations. In this case a simple action like hiding something can become entertaining because of the limits it is being pushed to. A provoked chain reaction is possible and the evolution of the plot can lead to any outcome. The main difference between a stage farce and a film farce stands in the setting being used. While film provides the possibility to use complex and several scenes, a stage farce is simpler. It will move around one setting with several doors or windows and is usually a family environment. Alternatively one may use offices, hospitals and several other locations. Most farces are built around hiding a secret. There will be one point where the person hiding it will not be able to return and this is why the pace increases. It can be real or not and has to be a topic that is actual. For example, in the 19th century, actors used hidden elements like women lying about their age. Nowadays a popular topic is the hiding of an extra-marital affair. In most cases a happy ending will be present but not necessary. The outcome can be unknown or the hidden “thing” can be discovered and leading to repercussions towards the person that hid it. Farces are very popular in sitcoms, silent film comedies and screwball comedies. Although old in origin (centuries of history are behind farces without a clear time of when such a comedy was first performed) it is always new and contemporary in ideas and popular among the audience.