The king of comedy
The sensible side of insanity (Alert! spoilers!)
By Viviana Benfenati.
The King of Comedy, http://www.ourgoldenage.com.au
The first step to solving our problems is to laugh at them. A 1982 satirical black comedy drama film, tells the story of an apparently senseless man, obsessed with the biggest dream of his life, who is willing to do everything it takes to make it come true.
The movie welcomes us to the world of Rupert Pupkin, an aspiring stand-up comedian, who has successfully achieved international fame in a place no bigger than his mind, on a stage that is as wide as his mom’s basement, and bows every night to the sound of applause triggered by his savage imagination. Could Rupert be the perfect metaphor for modern society, and the struggle of the people who are part of its system?
This movie has interpretations as deep as the realms of imagination, and the character of Rupert is as mysterious as the recipe for true success in life. The plot will guide you through its multiple levels of understanding. One thing is what you see and another is what you hear, for in this movie everything speaks, especially those messages that are not told through dialogue. That which the naked eye automatically judges as ‘insane’, is it really so?
The movie delves into many topics, each of them as bittersweet as reality itself. This is a story about the aspirational person, the dreams that will never come true, the opportunities that require drastic measures or will never be granted. How many of us keep dreaming about a future that will never materialize unless we are willing to go that extra mile? How many people keep betting over measures that, as promising as they sound, will never get them to where they really want to be. I mean, do we even know what this extra mile really is?
Rupert Pupkin does. He got what he always wanted. In the end, he got to be a renowned, world-wide famous comedian. Did he need to commit a crime for it? No, of course, that would be ruled out as crazy. But, was there really an alternative? Which one?
Seems like on his ticket to showbusiness it was stated as necessary to abduct the host of his favorite show in order to take his place. Yes, he was marked as completely irrational, he did get a six-year prison sentence, but there was no book more awaited than his autobiography after that. And, after serving time in prison, his personal audience was waiting for him with more enthusiasm than his own mom.
The dark side of imagination can be the most powerful one, especially when it loosens boundaries. How far can an intrepid mind take a desperate human being?
The purpose of this movie (and of this review) is certainly not to encourage us to hop on poor Rupert’s train of thought, but to take us on a wider perspective of understanding. It is, indeed, the metaphor for modern society; one that grandly favors some at the expense of many others. So many people are left with nothing but the deceptive illusion of hope in matters far more serious than a frustrated comedian’s thirst for fame.
So many out there live every day stretching the scrunchie between sheer desperation over a situation they cannot control and alternatives they feel betray their personal values. Stealing, for example, is frowned upon of course, but -and I’m appealing to a really open mind here- how far can we really judge a person who steals? Were they given the same opportunities as we did? Do we know how many times and by how many means they tried to get out of the gutter? How many times will they have seen the door of failure close on their nose, shutting them back into the room of disappointment and despair.
As far as symbolism goes, Rupert comes to be the representation of the struggling class; that forceful mass of people who rise with each dawn to try again. Jerry Langford is society and people of power who falsely encourage them while truly laughing at their backs, for they know they will never achieve what they truly want. A whole class that is laughed at every day. The funny side of tragedy.
Aside from this deep and reflexive interpretation, this movie is filled with extraordinary acting and a witty script. Not only is The King of Comedy an icon in the history of cinema, but a movie that fosters endless topics for discussion and analysis, all of which are timeless, for they remain relevant today and will continue to be tomorrow.
What do you think? Is it truly “better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime”?
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