Analysis of Waiting for Guffman - Essay Example

Critique Outline: Waiting For Guffman Introduction “Waiting for Guffman” is one of Guest’s most revered films during the nineties. “Waiting for Guffman” is a film about recreational theatrics in a small township. Guest cautiously tread on a line of documentary filming style, while occasionally ridiculing their pretentions and still managing to make the film seem like an actual documentary. The film involves the preparations made in a town of Blaine, Missouri while celebrating its 150th anniversary. The local folks of Blaine town claim to be a self-proclaimed home of the initial UFO landing in the United States, contradicting the Roswell story. Through all difficulties characters face in the film, the director portrays a series of principles, techniques, natural laws and social orders that define the film’s style (Waiting for Guffman 1997). Principles of the suspension of natural laws are used in the movie The first and foremost natural that is bent in the film is the causal documentary style of filming. Taking its place as a “mockumentary” film, the main aspects that are supposed to be defined by the film have been replaced by intense humor from the characters and plot of the film. The film is largely unprepared, causing less realistic diction because actors are paying attention to each other’s crazy ideas and talents, while regularly improvising speeches and scripts. Natural law, or human law, involves truths about personality and character openly revealed in the film. “Waiting for Guffman” lacks character development, even though it has been argued that there is no need of character development. Natural law requires us to take action in harmony with logic. Under this assumption is the first principle of natural law hat states that "Good is what all things seek after." Corky “works hard” to get best presentation of talents and performances by town residents, in order to create a favorable impression for producer Mort Guffman. Non-realistic elements suspend this law with the creation of ultra thin qualities of characters who make their enclosure in a comedy documentary (Waiting for Guffman 1997). "Good is to be done and promoted, and evil is to be avoided" is another principle of natural extremely shelved in the film. Characters are depicted being taught steps, lines and dance moves, lyrics in an incompetent manner. The fact that these characters lack talent for performing the performances they seek is what makes the film become short of innate laws. Corky deeply makes the impression that the town is full of talent after selecting characters from all occupations. Corky also tolerates Ron, Sheila, Edward’s and Allan Pearl inept abilities and develops them in a humorous manner. Contrary to authenticity, such talents are supposed to be set aside or ignored with the aim of capturing more mature and fluent abilities from other people. There is no “evil” aspect portrayed in the film. However, backstabbing is a trait portrayed in the film, hence suspending this law. This is evident as characters face a financing issue and the play appears to be retrogressive since Corky is unable to fund a funder for the play. At the same time, the characters promote the good that Corky sees in their abilities, through open mouths and fantasies of the show being promoted to New York production (Waiting for Guffman 1997). How these techniques are used to illustrate the contrast between social orders and the individual to support comedy Natural laws in the film have portrayed post-modernist anthropologies that have turned out to be immensely popular amongst filmmakers. In “Waiting for Guffman,” there is repressed practice within the documentary similar to all other documentaries. These include individual and independent interviews of the characters where they address issues such as their feelings and impression of their director, Corky, and other characters they work with. Another mechanism used is the regular and direct facing of the camera by characters during monologues. The humorous aspect of the film kicks in delightfully ignorant but delightful structural-functionalist study of the talents of the characters (Waiting for Guffman 1997). Corky manages to embrace and envision the fruits of the hard work he puts into Ron, Sheila, Edward’s and Allan Pearl’s talents. This technique reinvents the normal trend followed by other documentaries with the use of parody. The film at this point mimics an almost shrewd, insightful and humorous lampoon of spinal tap. The gradually play is cheap but enjoyable. This is due to reinvention of occupations and other social orders of the characters that Corky selected for the film. For instance, the dentist-turned leading-man of the play, Allan Pearl, is delusional because he regards himself a great humorist. In fact, humor is created from the embarrassment he causes himself while entertaining others. Such a character uses oblivious portrayal to create comedy, a method illustrated in the majority of mockumentaries (Waiting for Guffman 1997). The style that best describes the comic form of the movie Similar to the spinal tap, “Waiting for Guffman” is filmed in a documentary style. This is evident because the film begins with the introduction of the most significant players, and their reasons for being in the show. Nevertheless, categorizing the film as a documentary would be rather indecisive since the players are interviewed in a mockumentary style, with certain levels of notoriety, and extreme humor. Two characters: How and why they support your choices above 1. Corky St. Clair Corky is a migrant from the acting life of Broadway, but the film does not indulge much into what he used to do in Broadway (Waiting for Guffman 1997). This character supports the comic of the film’s style because Corky uses scraps of talent he finds while walking down the streets of Blaine, to compile a community-acting homage for the anniversary play. A combination of a belly dancer, "The Lunts of Blaine," a dentist humorist, and Edward is enough wit portrayed by this Corky. Corky sees abilities in the rest of the characters who seem talentless to the viewers. Therefore, Corky suspends disbelief to give strong reason for non-realistic components of the film that the director anticipates. 2. Allan Pearl Allan pearl is a disastrously square dentist focused at discovering his inner entertainer. A comic nature of his entrance and opportunity embraced by Corky as Allan states that he was not the “class clown in high school but did sit next to him.” I have chosen this character because he leads a quiet and desperate life that sharply reveals pragmatic scenes and monologues. As a result, the embarrassment he causes to himself is only viewed by the rest of the town, creating a terrifically funny atmosphere. For instance, Allan performs a humorous presentation of a certain song to folks in an elderly home. The folks do not find Allan’s performance appealing, creating humor in the embarrassment, response and reaction of the folks he is presenting (Waiting for Guffman 1997). Conclusion “Waiting for Guffman” not only overstates the quirks and narrow-mindedness of a small urban neighborhood, the film takes delight in them. As a result, characters are portrayed as extremely enthusiastic about the town’s celebrations, making it its first showpiece musical production, entitling it as "Red, White and Blaine.” Through all difficulties characters face in the film, the director portrays a series of principles, techniques, natural laws and social orders that define the film’s style. Guest cautiously treads on a line of documentary filming style, while occasionally ridiculing their pretentions and still managing to make the film seem like an actual documentary. Works cited Guest, Christopher and Levy, Eugene, “Waiting for Guffman (Film)” California: Castle Rock Entertainment, 1997 Read More