The comedy of silent films is still hailed by film critics and aficionados as the funniest works in the history of motion pictures. Lacking sound, film comedians and clowns created a world of physical humor that sometimes achieved the sublime. This course examines the individual artists of the ”˜golden age of comedy’ and considers the more general question, why is the funny so funny? We will look at some of the early progenitors of silent comedy such as Mack Sennett and the Keystone Cops and pay special attention to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Instructor: Ira Konigsberg