Awhile back I wrote an article detailing my love for what I call the "excessively long repetitive comedy scene gag" otherwise known simply as the Overly Long Gag comedy trope. September/October 2012 has seen a viral video of monstrous proportions that is based on the concept of humor being mined from a gag that goes on way longer than the comfort level of the average person allows. If you haven't seen the video being virally marketed as either the worst or best death scene ever (depending on your love or hate for the excessively long repetitive comedy scene gag), then here you go.
The scene is from a Turkish film titled "Karateci Kiz" with the English translation boiled down to "Karate Girl." The original upload of this massively entertaining death scene that started the wave of interest is not, it turns out, the way the film was originally edited. The death scene does go on just as long in the original cut of "Karateci Kiz" but minus the scream.
Which has led to debate, naturally. Not debate about the copyright infringement of adding the scream and all the multiple levels of mucking about with artistic integrity, mind you, though I'm sure there are some debates raging over that element. The real debate boils down to whether the scene is funniest with or without the scream added.
Seems a no-brainer to me. If something is funny by virtue of visual repetition that goes on way past the point of its original sense of comedic potential, then surely the humor doubles with the addition of a funny scream. Yes, I also wrote an article that looks at how screaming can be just as effective at producing laughter as it is at heightening the sense of fear and dread in a horror film.
Some people just seem to have an aversion to the excessively long repetitive comedy scene gag. I know one of those people very well. Those who do not find the humor cannot stand to sit through the entirety of the infamous scene from "The Simpsons" in which Sideshow Bob steps on a series of rakes that snap up and slap him in the face. That type of person likely cannot fully appreciate the comedy of watching that little scene from "Karateci Kiz" either with or without the scream added.
If you watched that footage either with or without the scream and find yourself thinking, like me, that the clip would be even funnier if it went on for at least another 30 seconds more, then you are one lucky person. Because a whole host of scenes that derive their comedy from going on past the point of patience of the majority of people are out there waiting for you.
I suggest you start off with the scene where Austin Powers is trying to turn his little car around before working your way up to the deleted scene from "Borat" showing him touring the cheese section inside a typical American supermarket.This amazing scene that unfortunately did not make it into the final cut is pure Valhalla for lovers of the excessively long repetitive comedy gag. It is the cinematic equivalent of Andy Kaufman reading the entirety of "The Great Gatsby" on stage.
For more from Timothy Sexton, check out:
The Excessively Long Repetitive Comedy Gag
The Various Ways in Which Screaming Produces Laughter in Comedy Movies
