All three are what one would call geeks (or, if you happen to be French, intellectuals) with a comedy zang to them (or, in the case of the first two, you could argue vice versa). I`ve been familiar with Jones and Burke since my teenage days, being a big fan of their documentaries and most of all, of their delivery of their program`s material. To this day, I can watch Connections or Crusades, Medieval Lives of The Day the Universe Changed and still be captivated by the style and the elegance through which often complex and controversial material is being delivered. Of course, when it comes to pointing out a guy who doesn`t pull a punch, Maher is the man for you. Although he has produced a film, Religulous, which has made him known to a wider public than your small group of politics geeks, I think the best of the comedian is to be found in his scattered material in TV shows, interviews, books and stand-up routines.
Sure, they are not really the most obvious choice for a moving image/audio-visual student. Although Jones has directed several films, it is not their directorial skill that puts them in the spotlight. And I suppose that would be the case for me too. Considering my background and my interests besides the actual course, I have always been drawn to ideas, more than stories, to language and the power of word plays in comedy, the ability of laughter and of irony to generate a response for change within people. I love the fact that these are people who are interested in different things, make connections, are irreverent without being (c)rude. So, I believe I have my practitioners for the essay, now I`ll have to start researching properly...
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