Introduction

Abstract

Since comedy is often considered a universal and transnational genre on a cinematic level, many comic films belong to a specific cultural space influenced primarily by national traditions and shared cultural references. French comedies are no exception. Regardless of their artistic format, French comedies have always been difficult to classify. Often a combination of several genres, they can be described as a hybrid art form, incorporating daring, even delicate subjects, with exceptional actors delivering literary dialogues or, on the contrary, using popular slang known to millions of French spectators, with a savoir faire equal in quality to the best comedies made in Hollywood.