This installment of the Rule of Three features scenes of great slapstick, those moments that make you recoil in vicarious pain even as you laugh. The lowest form of comedy? Sure. But when done well, slapstick can deliver a succinct jab of sublime human misery. These are moments that stick with you and elicit a wincing smile even when you know they’re coming.
I’m introducing a new semi-regular feature here at the Gateway Cinephiles site: The Rule of Three. The premise is simple. Contributors from the Cinephiles will be tasked to select three films that fit a designated criterion. For each film, each contributor will write no more than one hundred words: why we love it, why it is noteworthy, or why everyone should see it at least once. It’s a short and simple formula for sharing our film recommendations, and I hope to do several of these features in the coming year.
We’re kicking the feature off with a tribute to Valentine’s Day, that crassest of crass commercial holidays. Our contributors were asked to pick three films about romantic love. You won’t find the usual rom-com staleness in here, but you will find a lot of tear-jerking cinematic goodness, occasionally in some unexpected places.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
