what always impresses me about 'The Bellboy' even more than it's considerable sense of humour, is what a outstanding work of cinema it is. personally i think jerry Lewis is actually a better filmmaker than he even is a comedian. and he's very funny.
there is so much about Lewis that was ahead of his time. not only did he pre-date comics like Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, and Rowan Atkinson, his view of comedy as a cinematic art form is timelessly contemporary. at the time he made 'The Bellboy', really only the french thought of comedy in truly cinematic terms like with art-house films like 'Mr. Hulot's Holiday'. there is a lot in 'Bellboy' that is inspired by the french comedy and does it better and is better entertainment.
Lewis's 'The Bellboy' really isn't all that commercial. it's actually very experimental and even consciously artsy in conception. it's low budget decision to film in in B&W only gives it the feeling of serious filmmaking.
not only does Lewis toy and experiment with physical humour much the way Chaplin did, he also takes his photography very seriously and manages to elevate the film to a level of technical sophistication with numerous long and overhead shots.
everything about 'The Bellboy' is taken to a higher level of sophistication and subtlety that goes far beyond it's appearance of silly goofiness. it's only seems dumb on the surface, what you really have is a film of great cleverness and intelligence. only you don't really have to think about it if you don't want to, which is part of the genius of it.
comedy is rarely better than this. art-house cinema is rarely better than this. all brilliantly conceived under the guise of a "knuckle head" comedy. pure genius in action.
there is so much about Lewis that was ahead of his time. not only did he pre-date comics like Jim Carrey, Steve Martin, and Rowan Atkinson, his view of comedy as a cinematic art form is timelessly contemporary. at the time he made 'The Bellboy', really only the french thought of comedy in truly cinematic terms like with art-house films like 'Mr. Hulot's Holiday'. there is a lot in 'Bellboy' that is inspired by the french comedy and does it better and is better entertainment.
Lewis's 'The Bellboy' really isn't all that commercial. it's actually very experimental and even consciously artsy in conception. it's low budget decision to film in in B&W only gives it the feeling of serious filmmaking.
not only does Lewis toy and experiment with physical humour much the way Chaplin did, he also takes his photography very seriously and manages to elevate the film to a level of technical sophistication with numerous long and overhead shots.
everything about 'The Bellboy' is taken to a higher level of sophistication and subtlety that goes far beyond it's appearance of silly goofiness. it's only seems dumb on the surface, what you really have is a film of great cleverness and intelligence. only you don't really have to think about it if you don't want to, which is part of the genius of it.
comedy is rarely better than this. art-house cinema is rarely better than this. all brilliantly conceived under the guise of a "knuckle head" comedy. pure genius in action.