Breaking the fourth wall is one of the most unique thematic devices at the disposal of
a filmmaker. Most cinematic techniques pull us into a story and make us forget we’re
watching a film, but breaking the fourth wall does the opposite. It reminds us we’re actually
an audience member watching what’s happening on screen.
The technique can contribute to
the visual storytelling of a film in many different ways depending on how it’s presented.
To really understand the power of breaking the fourth wall, we have to look at its inception
in theatrical performance.
A formal definition for breaking the fourth
wall would be a dramatic technique in a work of fiction where characters display an awareness
that they are in such a work. The technique goes as far back as Ancient Greece and continued
through Shakespeare’s time and well into postmodern theater, especially musicals. The
term first arose after the use of Box Sets became popular in the 1800’s when sets were
constructed with three walls, the fourth wall being the imaginary wall between the audience
and the performers on stage. So whenever a character acknowledged the audience’s presence,
the fourth wall was broken.
The technique has been used since the silent
era, and Charlie Chaplin played around extensively with fourth wall breaks in his films. With
the introduction of sound and the popularity of the musical genre, fourth wall breaks became
more common to contribute to the spectacle of film, and over the next 70 years, fourth
wall breaks have made their way into a variety of film genres with a variety of thematic effects.
The most popular use of this technique is for comedy
and the comedy stands out by creating some of the most memorable punch lines in cinematic history.
There’s something really surprising and hilarious about reminding us
that we’re in the middle of watching a film. No matter how many times I watch a movie break
the fourth wall, the joke can still catch me by surprise. The joke has to step out of
the film to deliver the punch line, and there’s really no other type of joke like it. Every
other joke is enclosed within the imaginary world of the art form. Taking that step out
of a movie is what makes a good fourth wall joke so satisfying and creative.
I do want to note that breaking the fourth wall doesn’t automatically make you a comedic genius. The
set up and delivery of a fourth wall break has to be at least somewhat surprising or
the joke can come off as kind of lazy.
You can’t talk about breaking the fourth wall without mentioning Mel Brooks. He broke
the fourth wall in the most extreme ways possible. His films go so far as to actually have the
main characters watch themselves within the movie
While his films are funny because of their
ridiculousness, there’s definitely some method to his madness. I like how Blazing
Saddles uses fourth wall breaks to poke fun at the Western genre as a whole. It really
points out how unrealistic Hollywood films were in their portrayal of life in the west.
In reality, western films were nothing but actors in a studio acting in fake towns and
eventually getting into a car to drive off the set. Blazing Saddles is a not so subtle
reminder that film as an art form has its limitations at portraying reality. Mel Brooks
made a statement by pointing out the lack of realism in the Western film. Western films
of the 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s almost completely ignore racism, xenophobia, and other ugly
parts of the west, and Blazing Saddles breaks the fourth wall in an insane way to remind
us we’re watching a dramatized film, not reality.
Perhaps what makes breaking the fourth wall the most intriguing is that, depending on
its context, the act of acknowledging the audience can actually push us into the film
instead of pulling us out. There’s a sort of intimacy to a character speaking directly
to us. In Road to Morocco, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope make lighthearted jokes straight
to the audience and even remind us that they’re going to end up fine on their adventure
We know from the casual and inviting fourth wall breaks that this is a movie that doesn’t
take itself too seriously and will provide light, conservative entertainment. Fourth
wall breaks can be a way to welcome us into the story, and this variation of the technique
is definitely indicative of a more casual movie.
A fourth wall break can make us intimate with a character as well as with a story. There’s
really no stronger way to show a character’s ulterior motives than by having them look
right at us and say them. It’s a great way to show us what’s going on in a character’s
head and is comparable to an aside in theater. Frank Underwood addressing us directly is
the foundation for so much of the energy in House of Cards. I love the scenes where he
says one thing to another character, and then looks at us and reminds us what he’s really after
The final great effect of breaking the fourth
wall is to unsettle. There’s nothing scarier than feeling safe and removed from the villain
in a movie and then having that villain look directly at you.
Yikes.
Comedy, satire, intimacy, and fear can all be accomplished just from a look to the camera.
So don’t forget the great potential a fourth wall break can have, and thanks for wa-