Although books on the comedies of the silent era abound, few have attempted to survey film comedy as a whole--its history and evolution, how the philosophical visions of its greatest artists and directors have shaped its traditions, and how these visions have informed both the meaning and manner of their work.

Blending information with interpretation, description with analysis, Mast traces the development of screen comedy from the first crude efforts of Edison and Lumiere to the subtlety and psychological complexity of Annie Hall. As he guides the reader through detailed...