Blog #4 Theory

In the horror genre it is common for producers to break the 4^th wall, which alters the audience’s place in the film. Over the years Brechtian theories have become more common in films, such as jump cuts, direct addresses to the camera, and open ended endings. These aspects of film are said to remove and confuse the audience, however over time they have become more prominent in films that the viewers often don’t even realize. Brechtian tools are the  “destruction of theatrical illusion for the purpose of eliciting an intellectual response” (Pramaggiore & Wallis [2008] 99).  Brecht believed the viewers should be flies on the wall so when producers have the characters speak directly at the camera it takes this illusion out of the film. The Brechtian theory is prominently found in The Funny Games.

The 1997 film Funny games is known for several jump cuts, and filled with many narratives, which speak directly to the audience/camera. This idea of reflexive narration puts the viewers into the film rather than just watching the film. It often leads the viewers to feel certain ways, and to root for certain characters in horror films. Many instances in the film Funny Games Paul often address the camera in the middle of torturing George, Ana, their dog, and their son. These pauses in the film create more suspense for the audience because they feel as if they are in the film, and feel in a sense they should do something to stop the torturing.

Another feature audience experiences a lot during the Funny Games are jump cuts. The audience does not witness any of the murders in the film; rather they always just cut to a shot of the character dead, leaving viewers with multiple questions.  The audience in horror films, normally are meant to relate to the characters as they die, however in Funny Games this reflexive narratives and jump cuts lead to the audience to mourn the character with the family rather than die with the character.

In the scene when Paul and Peter are torturing the three members of the family in their vacation homes living room, they ask the family if they would like to bet on their lives. Immediately after asking the family the film pauses and Paul turns to the camera to address the audience and ask if the would like to bet on the families lives. As an audience we are typically in control of pausing, fast forwarding, and rewinding the film, but in many times of Funny Games using the Brechtian tools our privileges are taken away. The jump cuts mislead us into thinking we have missed the death, the pauses when they narrate directly at us make us want to click play, and lastly the scene when Ana kills Peter and Paul rewinds the film until just before she shoots him, make the audience furious. Although as an audience we are more familiar with Brechtian theories of reflexive narration, jump cuts, and open-ended final scenes than we used to be they still lead to some confusion. In theory, breaking the 4^th wall in film should not be done.

Works Cited 

Pramaggiore, Maria, and Tom Wallis. Film: A Critical Introduction. 2nd ed. The University of California:Laurence King, 2008.