VIII.

Film Comedy

The Griffith style of filming was applied to comedy by Mack Sennett, and combined with the French comedy approach to produce something purely American. The comedy effect was intensified by speeding up the action at the climaxes by turning the camera at a slower rate when the shots were filmed (undercranking). In Europe, the most popular comics had been music-hall clowns such as Boireau (André Deed), also known as Cretinetti and Foolshead, but from 1909 comedians who created a developed character in a more naturalistic style had begun to appear, led by Max Linder. Charlie Chaplin followed the approach of Max Linder within a Sennett-type framework.