The Representation of Tragic Elements in Comedy Films

-- A Case Study of Mahua FunAge's Creations

Abstract

Mahua FunAge's comedy films have forged a distinctive artistic aesthetic through the "comedy +" hybrid narrative strategy, emerging as a leading exponent of Chinese domestic comedy film production. This paper first traces the origins and intrinsic characteristics of comedy and tragedy, clarifies the connotative hierarchy and logical relationship of "tragic elements", "tragicity" and "tragic core" in comedy films, and sorts out the development context of the fusion of comedy and tragedy as well as the evolution of tragic representation in Chinese domestic comedy films. Taking Mahua FunAge's classic comedy film works as the research object, the paper systematically analyzes the specific expression forms of tragic elements from four dimensions: character shaping, plot setting, theme expression and scene design, and reveals the stage characteristics of Mahua FunAge's tragic representation from human nature excavation to social issue discussion. Furthermore, from the multiple perspectives of text creation, reception aesthetics and film industry, this paper explores the creative value of integrating tragic elements into comedy films, including promoting plot development, revealing social phenomena, enhancing emotional resonance, highlighting character traits, upgrading aesthetic experience and driving industrial innovation. Finally, the paper reflects on the practical dilemmas in Mahua FunAge's creative process, such as the lack of tragic core in individual works, and points out that the deep integration of comedy and tragedy based on real life and local culture is the core path for the innovation and development of Chinese domestic comedy films. This research enriches the academic research dimension of comedy film tragedy representation, and provides practical reference for the creation of domestic comedy films with both entertainment value and artistic depth.