Carnival in Bananas

Bananas (1971) a film by Woody Allen contains aspects of both carnival and humor as defined by Umberto Eco. In this film an uneducated man, Fielding Mellish, accidentally becomes the leader of the Republic of San Marcos, a small Latin American country, after taking a vacation there and being taken hostage by rebels. The carnival aspects come in the upside down world created by Mellish’s position as president of San Marcos, and the laws he implements. The barbarism of San Marcos and the condescension towards its people provide the distance necessary for an audience to relish in its demise in the hands of an idiot.

In Eco’s essay he writes about rules and norms as a necessary factor of comic effect, especially that of carnival. He writes, “Carnival, in order to be enjoyed, requires that rules and rituals be parodied, and that these rules and rituals already be recognized and respected. One must know to what degree certain behaviors are forbidden, and must feel the majesty of the forbidding norm, to appreciate their transgression.” (Eco 6) In the context of Bananas, these rules are rituals are those of the United States’ involvement in coup d’etats in other countries as well as the elections of new leaders. In the beginning of the film, the former leader of the Republic of San Marcos is assassinated in favor of a military dictatorship to be implemented by the US. This action is broadcast on live television with a whimsical tone and seems to be played out as if normal if not advantageous. The transgression from normalcy in this scene allows for the audience to distance themselves from the tragedy of corrupt involvement in international government and instead laugh at the absurdity. Eco writes about the “comic pleasure” of viewing a crime as long as it is done by those “less human than ourselves.” (Eco 2) This relates to this specific scene as citizens of the republic of San Marcos as condescended and barbarianized, making the murder of their president comical in its execution. (no pun intended) 

Another carnivalistic aspect of this film is the empowerment of a subordinated being. Eco states “animals and animal-like beings take over the power and become the masters.” (Eco 3) This is evident in Bananas through the initial scenes of Mellish doing his job as a product tester. This scene animalizes him, putting him in a situation to be manipulated by inanimate objects and commanded by superiors. When he becomes the leader of the Republic of San Marcos, the audience acknowledges the absurdity of a man of his original low value becoming powerful. His executive orders appear ridiculous to the viewer but hold weight in the film and his disguise of a fake beard fools the US officials. Through these aspects of monde renversé, the film achieves comic success.