◄ IMDb Polls
Poll: Breaking the Fourth Wall
Imagine you’re sitting in a theater. There are three walls that surround the stage: on the left, on the right, and in the back. Between the audience and the stage exists this imaginary fourth wall, which separates the real world from the fictional world of the stage. So when a film breaks the fourth wall, that means the line has been crossed, there is no longer a boundary between what is real and what is fiction. The spectator is now taken out of the film world - they are purposely being made aware that they are watching a movie.
What are some of the ways that a filmmaker breaks the fourth wall? The most common device is when a character turns to the camera and directly addresses the spectator. A film can also be meta, which means it is referencing itself. For example, a film within a film about filmmaking is another way to break the fourth wall.
Which of the following movies that break the fourth wall did you like the most? After voting, discuss here.
Make Your Choice
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Spaceballs (1987)
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Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
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Blazing Saddles (1974)
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Wayne's World (1992)
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Fight Club (1999)
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The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
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Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
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Goodfellas (1990)
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Psycho (1960)
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The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
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Scream (1996)
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American Psycho (2000)
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High Fidelity (2000)
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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
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This Is the End (2013)
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Stranger Than Fiction (2006)
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Sunset Blvd. (1950)
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Annie Hall (1977)
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The Player (1992)
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The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
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8½ (1963)
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Adaptation. (2002)
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The Big Short (2015)
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Do the Right Thing (1989)
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Amélie (2001)
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24 Hour Party People (2002)
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Cape Fear (1991)
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Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
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Man on the Moon (1999)
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Sixteen Candles (1984)
