Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2017 February 2

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February 2

Movie Trivia

Which movie's logo featured a hand in a V for victory sign of the upturned index and forefinger. An army helmet was mounted on one of the digits and the hand grafted onto a pair of female legs? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 150.107.175.2 (talk) 03:55, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

MASH. Omidinist (talk) 04:33, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Talking to the camera

It's the first episode of a TV comedy. The action is suddenly halted, the main character looks directly to the camera, and provides an explanation of who are the other characters around, their relations and motivations. Is that some type of metafiction? Cambalachero (talk) 17:05, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

See breaking the fourth wall. StuRat (talk) 17:10, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

That's what it's called, and it's an old plot device. Groucho talked to the movie theatre's audience in his early films, and a number of silent film actors faced the camera also - for example, W.C. Fields in Pool Sharks, which was from around 1915. And Warner cartoon characters in the classic era, at least, often did so. And George Burns did that on his 1950s TV series. Note that all my examples are in comedies. Doing that in dramas could be unsettling. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 17:38, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Yes, that's it. I knew there was a name for this thing, but I had forgotten it. Cambalachero (talk) 17:44, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

I can't resist citing W.C. Fields doing it in a non-silent movie: in Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. One scene takes place in a soda fountain. Fields faces the camera and explains: "This scene's supposed to be in a saloon, but the censor cut it out. It'll play just as well this way." It was, they did, and it does. --76.71.6.254 (talk) 04:21, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

Ah, yes! I don't think Fields talked to the camera very often, but I can think of one other instance, though I can't recall which film. He's reading a letter or something, and at the end where a normal name is supposed to be, he ad-libs "Sneed Hurn" while looking into the camera impishly. Another thing Fields did a lot was talk to himself, in a tone that only the audience would be likely to hear. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 07:58, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

It's occasionally done in dramas as a sort of in-place narration. (Some noir films experimented with this. And later season Twilight Zone episodes sort-of did this, with the announcer standing on-stage, unacknowledged by the cast.) Or sometimes at the end of a flashback to tie the narration into the onscreen action. (Goodfellas for example.) ApLundell (talk) 18:13, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Fight Club is a drama has some fourth wall breaking scenes. Edward Norton's unnamed character narrates mostly through overdub, but there are times when he directly addresses the camera, for example, the sequence where Edward Norton tell's the story of Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) (which open's with the line "Let me tell you about Tyler Durden") has Norton on camera, directly addressing the audience, as the scenes of Durden's exploits go on behind him. Brad Pitt also addresses the audience at points during this sequence. --Jayron32 18:48, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

It is actually quite common in Shakespeare. For example, Puck addresses the audience at the end of A Midsummer Night's Dream:

If we shadows have offended,

Think but this, and all is mended,

That you have but slumber'd here

While these visions did appear.

And this weak and idle theme,

No more yielding but a dream,

Gentles, do not reprehend:

If you pardon, we will mend:

And, as I am an honest Puck,

If we have unearned luck

Now to 'scape the serpent's tongue,

We will make amends ere long;

Else the Puck a liar call;

So, good night unto you all.

Give me your hands, if we be friends,

And Robin shall restore amends. Wymspen (talk) 18:20, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

Lots of examples from different media: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BreakingTheFourthWall. PrimeHunter (talk) 18:58, 2 February 2017 (UTC)

In stage productions, especially, a bit of speech directed at the audience is known as an aside. Textorus (talk) 03:10, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

This device was used to good effect in the first series of Lovejoy. MarnetteD|Talk 03:22, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

I had forgotten Lovejoy! House of Cards (UK TV series) is the best I know at this. Gråbergs Gråa Sång (talk) 08:51, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

Back in the day (way before Shakespeare, and maybe even Puck), the chorus was the thing. I think I may have seen one once on TV, but only ironically. All about the voice-over now. Much more efficient, in hindsight. InedibleHulk (talk) 01:40, 7 February 2017 (UTC)

The OP sounds like Malcolm in the Middle to me. Lugnuts ^{Precious bodily fluids} 10:12, 3 February 2017 (UTC)