Simon Critchley wrote that “A sense of humour is often what connects us most strongly to a specific place”. This got me thinking about films about films that are set where I am from, Scotland, and whether or not they fit into Critchley’s ideas of place being intrinsically linked to humour. The film that came to mind after considering this idea was Trainspotting.
Critchley argues that whilst laughing may be universal, “Humour is local and a sense of humour is usually highly context-specific.” I don’t believe this is the case for Trainspotting as whilst the film is very grounded in Scottish culture and customs, the film’s humour reaches audiences other than Scottish people. In the scene I have chosen, after Begbie gives a falsified account of what had happened when he was at the pub days prior, the scene cuts away to a couple of days later where Tommy tells Mark the real version of events. The comedy of the scene comes from the physical humour of Tommy and Begbie playing pool. Tommy, sensing Begbie is in a bad mood, tries his very best to lose but every time he deliberately misses a shot, the cue ball comically bounces around the pool table until it hits in one of his balls. This physical humour being used here supports Critchley’s idea that “various forms of non-verbal humour can travel”.
This physical humour continues when Begbie goes to take his final shot and messes it up so badly that his pool cue goes through the baize fabric of the pool table. The fact that Begbie had been bragging about how well he was playing adds to the humour, as it creates a stark contrast from his story and the reality of what happened.
In conclusion, Critchley’s findings may be applicable to some countries comedy not translating from place to place, however, after looking at Trainspotting, I’d argue that universal aspects can be found in all comedic scenarios. Here, the universal aspect come not only from the physical comedy (which does not need language and therefore can not be translate) but also through the concept of a friend who always lies (something that is most definitely not just a Scottish thing). Because of this, it is easy to see how the film is can be enjoyed by more than just Scottish people.