The Politics and Sociology of Silent Comedy Films

Comedies were among the first films ever made, and comedy played a critical and often overlooked role in the early development of cinema. This original book holistically examines the political and sociological dimensions of silent comedy films and the motion picture industry at the turn of the 20th century. Richard Waterman takes a unique social science approach to the cinematic ecosystem and its development during this era, studying the wider context – the interconnected social, political, econ