Originating from the theater, the term ‘the fourth wall’ relates to the imaginary fourth wall that would mark the boundary of any on-stage action. It seeps into movie-making to refer to the imaginary wall that exists between the audience and the action on screen. Sometimes movies will choose to break the fourth wall to help with creating a more immersive experience for the audience.
Breaking thefourth wallcan result in a variety of different effects for a movie. By using this technique, you can, for example, disrupt fantasy to inject a moment of reality, elevate comedic scenes to add in some fund, or even use it as a moment to help the audience better understand the story that unfolds before them. When executed correctly, this technique really can add another level of enjoyment to a movie and help encourage the audience to better engage with everything the movie has to offer.
10Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)
InFerris Bueller’s Day Offit’s only a month to go until graduation and high school student Ferris makes an elaborate plan to take just one day off from school. His principal isn’t convinced though and is on a mission to catch Ferris out. However, Ferris has planned for such an occurrence and his principal has a mammoth task on his hands.
Ferris keeps constant communication with the audience throughout the movie. He’s chummy and full of advice on how to trick your parents into getting a day off school. Rather than disassociating the audience from the movie, when this movie breaks the fourth wall it successfully creates an invitation for viewers to join in on all the fun of Ferris’ grand day out. Feeling a part of the comedic action unfolding before their eyes, viewer engagement is elevated, and the story is made far more engaging.
9Wayne’s World (1992)
Wayne hasn’t quite flown the nest yet inWayne’s World. He’s not quite managed to find the right job just yet but does run a TV show from his parent’s basement. His luck seems to turn around when a local station hires Wayne and his friend, Garth, to turn their TV show professional. Once working with the station however both Wayne and Garth find that things aren’t really the same anymore and the story unfolds.
8Lord of War (2005)
InLord of War,illegal arms dealer Yuri starts off small by selling weapons to local mobsters. Eventually, he enters the big leagues and enters into a questionable partnership with an African warlord alongside his psychotic son. The movie follows his somewhat chaotic story as he continuously dodges INTERPOL while dealing with his guilty conscience.
Yuri opens the eyes of viewers when addressing them directly; with a cigarette in hand, he says it as it is and opens the world of illicit arms dealing wide open. He’s almost inviting viewers in on a secret as he shares his views on how people in general, unlike weapons dealers, are too busy fighting with each other to ever inherit the spoils of the Earth. It’s more thought-provoking to have Yuri address the audience in this manner and it helps you better understand both the events of the movie and Yuri, just a little bit better.
7Amélie (2001)
Due to mistaken health concerns her father held for her, Amélie lives a sheltered and limited childhoodinAmélie. She falls into her own mind and makes up a fantasy world full of dreams. Once grown up she moves to Paris and eventually decides to devote her life to the people around her. She manages to form the connections she was missing as a child but still doesn’t find love; after a while, she realizes that in devoting her life to others, she has been disregarding her own. She takes the reins to live life to the fullest.
It’s a quirky kind of movie that wholeheartedly focuses on Amélie. Whenever this movie breaks the fourth wall it does a brilliant job of giving the opportunity to understand Amélie further and form a connection to her character. You get to follow her on her journey to happiness and in reaching her dreams.
Related:Best Movies Set in Paris, Ranked
6Annie Hall (1977)
InAnnie Hall, twice-divorced comedian Alvy reflects on his latest relationship with Annie and wonders what went wrong. He reviews their ups and downs and looks introspectively at his own issues and characteristics that not only led him dating Annie but led to the demise of their relationship.
In this movie, director Woody Allen really made good use of breaking the fourth wall alongside some great writing to create an overall lovely watch. Considered one of Allen’s best movies, the audience is kept fully invested in the story when characters break out of the movie to converse with views in an authentic way during well-placed moments. Much like when Alvy shares his annoyance at an irritatingly loud man in the audience of a movie theatre and then has this annoying man joining in on the break.
5Fight Club (1999)
Fight Clubfollows the main character, a nameless narrator, as he attends a support group to help with the emotional issues he’s been struggling with. He meets Marla at the support group and his life seems to get back on track. However, this all seems threatened when he meets Tyler and falls into becoming part of an underground fight club. You’re taken on quite the journey in this movie and are met with a spectacularly shocking conclusion.
The unnamed main man of the movie is consistently speaking directly to the audience throughout the entire movie, keeping them in the loop with what’s going on. In addition to this, Tyler also addresses the audience multiple times. There’s a large amount of information for the audience to process to truly understand the complexities associated with the nameless narrator, so breaking the fourth wall helps the movie maintain clarity to help the audience stay engaged with the movie and better understand its message.
4A Clockwork Orange (1971)
A Clockwork Orangeis a dystopian crime movie that takes you to the future and follows the exploits of Alex DeLarge. While in prison following a conviction of murder, he enters into a rather interesting experimental programme. The aim of the programme is to make convicts hate violence. He manages to complete the programme, reducing his sentence and getting back out into the streets of Britain sooner than expected. However, it’s not smooth sailing once he gets out.
This movie is incredibly disturbing and full of violence in a dystopian Britain rife with violence, juvenile delinquency, and youth gangs. The audience is given a perfect opportunity to prepare themselves for the disturbing nature of the movie right from the beginning. You’re greeted with the unwavering stare of Alex; his unblinking eyes piercing through the lens. It’s unnerving but only a snippet of what follows.
Related:Why A Clockwork Orange is More Relevant Now Than When it First Released
3Psycho (1960)
Marion Crane is fed up with her life inPsychoand finds an opportunistic moment to turn things around. One day her employer trusts her to bank forty thousand dollars, and she takes off with the money instead. However, her bad decisions don’t end there and stopping by the motel managed by the shy motel manager Norman was probably one of her worst ones to make.
This movie is incredibly tense and by breaking the fourth wall, Hitchcock gives the audience a glimpse into the mind of a psychopath. There’s an immensely creepy feeling throughout, but especially near the end. When Norman gazes at the screen from under his eyebrows holding a disturbing glimmer of a smile while ‘mother’ provides the voice-over chills are sent down your spine, and it rounds up the disturbing events of the movie flawlessly.
2Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Monty Python and the Holy Grailis a laugh-a-minute movie set in tenth-century England and detailing the travels of King Arthur. Alongside his Knights of the round table, he’s sent on a quest to find the Holy Grail and a hilarious endeavour ensues.
Regularly breaking the fourth wall mid-scene in this movie helps add to the humour of the movie; it’s just a bit of fun, and you can see the creators of the movie took all liberties in pushing any boundaries they pleased. It doesn’t take itself seriously and in one notable moment, Dingo addresses the audience directly when speaking with Sir Galahad. He openly discusses the movie-making process, questioning whether or not they should have cut the scene. He speaks casually as he delves into the behind-the-scenes movie-making process in such a way that helps maintain the fun of the movie while still keeping audiences engaged with the story.
1Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
Austin Powers: International Man of Mysteryfeatures the 60s spy who awakens in the ’90s after being cryogenically frozen for 30 years. He’s thrown into a completely different world to the one he remembers however what hasn’t changed is his mission. Dr. Evil was also frozen in the past, and he’s back with more evil plotting afoot. Austin Powers needs to stop Dr. Evil in his tracks and save the day.
The Austin Powers franchise is riddled with cleverly executed moments of breaking the fourth wall.Austin Powers: International Man of Mysteryis riddled with comedic moments that are beautifully elevated through this movie-making technique. Whenever Austin addresses the audience, it’s always implemented so seamlessly as to not throw the scene off and instead pulls you into the action effortlessly.
