Leticia Neria PhD thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText ...

Other authors consider that in fact, we take a liking to the comic character. As
discussed earlier, Bergson believes that we treat the comic character as a playmate. The
character is not concerned about the rules of society, he abandons social conventions,
and we are amused contemplating his actions. For Purdie, we identify ourselves with
comic heroes because they manipulate conventions to their advantage, they break the
code in the way we would like to, and in fact, ‘in life, by making jokes we imaginatively
supply ourselves the moment of degradation’. 115 In the Mexican film Ahí está el detalle
(1940), the comedy character Cantinflas is wrongly accused of killing a man. It is
impossible to understand Cantinflas’ speech to the jury since the connections of his
different ideas make no sense. He also has no respect for any authority and makes fun of
the judge and the lawyers. At the end of the sequence, all the attendants to the trial end
up speaking in the same manner as Cantinflas, who is released himself. 116 Cantinflas is a
perfect example of the comic character who challenges those in power. Since he does
not recognise authority, he respects no limits on what he says. He challenges –and
humiliates- them, and, as Purdie suggests, we ascribe to ourselves the act of defiance.
We get relief not only from the feeling of being avenged, but also from the feeling of
carrying out the insult without the fear of being punished.
Finally, according to Zupancic, the universe of the comic is indestructible, it
never changes. It does not matter how ominous the situation, the comic character will
always be able to overcome it and continue unaffected with his/her life. 117 This success
helps us avoid feeling sorry for the comic hero, and to understand their tragedy as
something they will be able to overcome. The strip from Los Supermachos, the first
famous comic book by Rius, exemplifies this point. The main character, Calzonzin, is
unjustly jailed, and when his friends try to release him, they are also jailed. They find in
115 Purdie, Comedy. The Mastery..., p. 65.
116 Ahí está el detalle, dir. by Juan Bustillo Oro (Grovas-Oro Films, 1940) [on DVD]
117 Zupancic, ‘The “Concrete Universal”, and…’, p. 181.
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