Was breaking the fourth wall original then?
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IMDB_Vits — 11 years ago(November 15, 2014 02:06 PM)
No:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall
Actually,
Mel Brooks
has already done it in his previous movies. -
🇲🇮🇰🇪🇭🇻🇳🇹 — 11 years ago(February 12, 2015 01:01 AM)
No. It's something that's been around for years, but frowned upon by a lot if critics. There is some documentary out there somewhere where they show the history if it, back when films began. It was around in the silent film days, but not really what you would call breaking the fourth wall till sound synced up Not sure what the documentary was called, but it crapped on about Burt Reynolds being the only one to get away with it According to whoever was directing the thing
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Fletcherj119 — 11 years ago(February 21, 2015 02:39 AM)
What about Eddie Murphy on Trading Places? That seemed to always work.
The Dukes are explaining to him about commodities, and the look Murphy gives the camera when Randolph's explaining the bacon - "like you might find on a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich." -
steelywulf — 11 years ago(February 22, 2015 06:42 AM)
Absolutely spot on, Fletcherj119, John Landis did this in several of his films. The earliest movie from Mel Brooks that I can recall is Young Frankenstein, where Marty Feldman did it quite a few times.
"But, that's just one fellow's opinion." - George Carlin -
ralph_2ndedition — 10 years ago(April 30, 2015 10:43 AM)
Yeah, I remember Marty Feldman doing that a lot in 'Young Frankenstein' Very funny!
I know this is kind of off topic, but one of my favourite films is Peter Bogdanovich's 'What's Up, Doc?' (1972), and in that they break the fourth wall a couple of times, both times it is the character Howard Bannister (Ryan O'Neill) who looks straight into the camera and basically begs for some sympathy (the first time he simply says "Help!", the second time he just looks utterly frustrated and says "I'm having a nightmare!").
It's unexpected and frikken hilarious!
-If made by George Lucas, this would be re-released 3 times - and by now be mostly cgi. -
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huzdaman — 10 years ago(January 04, 2016 11:59 PM)
Not to forget Oliver Hardy's famous resignated frustrated look into the cameras
I like such things very much.
That's a good point; I never thought about it, but the "slow burn" in comedy is a kind of a fourth wall break. Hardy was a master of it, as was Jack Benny and Alan Hale of Gilligan's Island.