The French expression “Du rire aux larmes” means “from laughter to tears”. Removing the “L” letter, it becomes “Du rire aux armes”, meaning literally “from laughter to weapons”. The army and military life are an inspiration for comedians of all kinds. It...
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The French expression “Du rire aux larmes” means “from laughter to tears”. Removing the “L” letter, it becomes “Du rire aux armes”, meaning literally “from laughter to weapons”. The army and military life are an inspiration for comedians of all kinds. It was particularly true in France between 1872 and 1997. Because of compulsory conscription, the army was omnipresent in society: it concerned all men, from all social classes, and not just in times of war. Throughout its history, military humour has explored two tendencies: on the one hand, gentle mockery in the tradition of ‘vaudeville’, patriotic and conformist, that does not challenge the military order; on the other hand, a more subversive, critical and even anti-militarist humour. From trooper comedy to trench humour, from the familiar figure of the ‘bidasse’(private soldier) to protest irony, military humour takes many forms: press cartoons, caricatures, theatre and cinema – all widely exploited in times of both peace and war by j
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