Theme: Humor in film -- what makes me laugh:
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| Breaking the fourth wall. |
When a character in George of the Jungle (1997) argues with the narrator, that's breaking the fourth wall, and it cracks me up. (See the short clip.)
I think I first learned about the "fourth wall" while watching Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin. In one sketch (as I recall, and not verbatim), Jerry was in a jail cell. Dean was on the outside, talking to someone when suddenly Jerry was next to him. Dean asks, "How did you get out?" And Jerry responds, "Easy, I went through the fourth wall!"
Filmmakers generally keep the camera, lighting, crew and the process of filmmaking behind the scenes... creating an illusion. But in some comedies, ignoring the imaginary wall between the characters and the audience--breaking the fourth wall--creates a great comedic surprise.
Mel Brooks uses that method in several of his films, but my favorite is High Anxiety (1977) with the hilarious use of the camera making the audience remember this is a movie. For instance, a scene where the camera position begins with an exterior shot where the audience can see from a distance towards glass French doors of a building. The camera moves closer... nothing unusual for a film viewing experience... so the audience gets a better look at a group of people around a dining table. But the camera moves even closer and breaks through the glass of the door! The characters turn to see what happened, and then resume their meal as the camera backs slowly away. Such a funny scene! (Click here for the clip.)
For fun, you can browse through an IMDb list of movies that break the fourth wall (found here). It's not all-inclusive, but it might remind you of those funny moments when the movie reminded you it was just, well... a movie.
Is there a funny breaking-the-fourth-wall scene you'd like to share?
(P.S. ... I wrote an academic essay about the comedic use of the camera in High Anxiety for a Comedy Film class. I shared it on this blog several years ago. You can find it here.)
I don't think I've ever seen High Anxiety. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!
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Those clips are hilarious, thanks for sharing! I had never heard about the fourth wall, and I had to check if we say it in French too. Guess what? yes! It's called to brake the 4th wall. Wow.
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@Janet ... I hope you'll enjoy High Anxiety as much as I do. So much humor!
ReplyDelete@Frederique ... Yay! I'm glad they use that phrase in France too! I never thought about how it might translate to other languages.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard of the fourth wall until you brought it up here. Thanks for bringing it to our attention! Does Ferris Bueller's Day Off fit the fourth wall? Ferris frequently talks to the camera. It is one of my all time feel good films!
ReplyDelete@Sue ... I'm so glad you mentioned Ferris Bueller! I referenced that movie in my first draft of this post, but somehow in all my editing, copying, pasting, I accidentally left it off! *face palm*
ReplyDeleteDefinitely Ferris Bueller! I love it when he's playing the clarinet and looks at the camera and says "Never had one lesson."
ReplyDelete@Dyanne ... That's a great line! I need to watch Ferris Bueller again. I love the closing credits, too, when he tells the audience... You're still here? It's over! Go home...go."
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