A wide-ranging survey of the subject that celebrates the variety and complexity of film comedy from the 'silent' days to the present, this authoritative guide offers an international perspective on the popular genre that explores all facets of its formative social, cultural and political context * A wide-ranging collection of 24 essays exploring film comedy from the silent era to the present * International in scope, the collection embraces not just American cinema, including Native American and African American, but also comic films from Europe, the Middle East, and Korea * Essays explore sub-genres, performers, and cultural perspectives such as gender, politics, and history in addition to individual works * Engages with different strands of comedy including slapstick, romantic, satirical and ironic * Features original entries from a diverse group of multidisciplinary international contributors