French+Humour

= = =**France’s Most Popular Humor Genres **= toc  Like any country that values humor, France has many different types of comedy. France is more famous for sarcastic humor, and their coined term “humour noir” or black comedy, which often mocks morbidity or death. French comedians are often known for their political humor, as well as their play on words, and while not all French humor can be defined by its sarcastic and often offending nature, much of their humor stems from these genres. They also enjoy prankster humor, slapstick humor, anecdotes (funny stories) and more. =**Humour Noir **=

Humour noir (or black humor) is a type of dark humour, that has been mastered by the French. This humour is typically used for coping with tragedy, such as with a death. This type of humour is common found in an Irish Wake, in which the deceased is roasted (ridiculed). This type of humour however is more common than most people think, an example of this is the infamous “dead baby jokes”. Humour noir is a slap in the face for the seriousness of life, what humour noir is a statement of “lighten up” to the to the world, that horrible events are going to happen, and that it is far better to laugh than it is to cry.

=**The Most Famous French Comics of All Time **=

Guy Bedos was born on June 15, 1934 in Algeria. He went to Paris when he was 15 and later joined the White Street School, which later became the National College of Arts and Technical Theatre. He is a political comic that uses satire. His “victims” are mostly those of the right-wing although he occasionally poked fun on the left-wing as well. He is famous in French speaking countries as a writer and an actor.

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Raymond Devos was born in the town of Mouscron, Belgium in 1922. During World War II, Devos was sent to work in Germany, and once the war ended, he returned to France and upon arrival began training to become a mime. After this training, Devos went on to play in his first shows, which had some involvement of his mime/clown acting. It was these shows that showed his true talent, and his general mastery of the French language, and his ability to come up with sophisticated puns on the spot. It was his puns that Devos became most famous for his quick wit and his sarcastic humour, which will be remembered in France for years to come.

 Literally “The Unknowns”, Les Inconnus is a French comedy trio that stands out among other comedy groups, as it was successful throughout all its “rearranging”. Formed in 1984, Les Inconnus was originally titled “Le Cinq” (as they had five members at the time), the group started off as the collection of comedians Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, Pascal Légitimus, Seymour Brussel, and Smaïn and featured a parody/political/witty type of humour. The five starred in the movie //"Le Téléphone Sonne Toujours Deux Fois// " ("The Telephone Always Rings Twice") before comedian Smaïn left to pursue solo work. The group then became “Les Quatre Quarts” or “The Four Quarters” (also the word for pound cake) and went on to do small comedy gigs. In 1986, the groups slimmed down one more member, leaving Didier Bourdon, Bernard Campan, and Pascal Légitimus, taking on the new name “Les Inconnus”.  As Les Inconnus, the group conquered French media. They were featured on a radio show, had their own television show promptly named //"La Télé des Inconnus//" or “The Television of the Unknown”. The show featured parody humor sketches and slapstick comedy that swept France by storm. They made their own film in 1995 called //Les "Trois Frères// "which was a smash hit in Europe. Though the group disbanded soon after the movie due to managerial issues, the group came together again to produce, " //Les Rois Mages// " (The Magi) in 2001. Bourdon and Campan will still get together to perform on some stages, but it does not seem like the group will come back together anytime soon. However, they will always be known as Les Inconnus in the history books.

=**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Rising Stars **= <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Remi Gaillard- Rémi Gaiilard became famous for his videos where he displays an “outrageous” style of humor. Gaiilard’s motto is" <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//C’est en faisant n’importe quoi qu’on devient n’importe qui”// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(“ It’s by doing anything that we become anyone”), which he uses to explain and justify his behavior. The majority of Gaiilard’s sketches are of the hidden camera type, in which the antagonist performs an unexpected or suprising action to elicit humorous responses from the bewildered witnesses. Gaiilard often disguises himself for these sketches. Rémi shot his first sketch in 1999, with a friend in Montpellier. In 2001 he created an internet website, nomportequi.com. He gained notoriety in 2002 at the finals of the Coupe de France. Disguised as a Lorient player, he celebrated the team’s victory with the players, shook the hand of the then French President Jacques Chirac and signed autographs, without anyone realizing he wasn’t a player on the team.

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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Jamel Debbouze- Jamel’s mentor Alain Degois and his troupe toured Quebec and Morocco. In 1992 Debbouze got his first part in a film called" <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Les Pierres Bleues du Désert ".// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After the film Debbouze wanted to work as an actor and create his own film. This happened in 1995 with the show " <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//C’est Tout Neuf "// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">which was enjoyed a lot. In March 1999, Jamel started his new show" <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Jamel en Scène ".// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> In this show Jamel talked about his beginnings, his childhood and show life. In 2002 Jamel returned with his new show <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//100% Debbouze// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. For three years this show played in the top Parisian theaters: The Casino de Paris, The Bataclan, the Zenith, and The Olympia. He then toured France, Morocco, Tunisia, Switzerland and Belgium. In 2006, Jamel became the presenter of a new program, <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">//Jamel Comedy Club// <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, which featured a half an hour of the new generation of French humorists each week. media type="youtube" key="8WBIWcdkwnY" height="156" width="192"

=**<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">French humor vs American Humor **= <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> While comedy is a language spoken nearly everywhere, America and France both value their humor and even feature their own comedy specific channels. So what’s the difference? One of the biggest differences is the heavy sarcastic and what may be viewed as offensive humor the French enjoy, while Americans may prefer a more crude or “blue humor” approach to comedy. The French also indulge in some of the more wit based comedy such as puns, switching and political humor. Americans tend to stray away from one line wonders, and go for a build up approach, such as an anecdote, or sketch comedy. While each comedian will pick his own style, they will more than often stick to their countries general styles.

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