“The fourth wall” is an expression stemming from the world of theater. In most modern theater design, a room will consist of three physical walls, as well as an imaginary fourth that serves to separate the world of the characters from that of the audience. (urban dictionary.com)

In class on 5/16/16, we discussed the fourth wall. We were shown a video in class, and a few people brought up how Othello and Iago both seem to break the fourth wall by looking  or speaking directly at the camera. I stumbled across the cover photo for the Larry Fishburne version of “Othello”, and my immediate reaction to his face was that he is breaking the fourth wall in this photo. I love how in this picture Desdemona is completely infatuated with Othello, there is no sign of betrayal, or anything that would lead the viewers to believe that she is up to no good. Then there is Othello’s glare. Its almost piercing like he is looking the viewer dead in the eye. It is almost hard to describe, but when I see his face, it is as if he knows that there is treachery to follow. You look at her and think, “well this should be a good romance movie”. Then you look at Othello and immediately know you are in for far more then just a straight forward Romance. I liked how in class Andrew talked about how breaking down the fourth wall is almost like the actor is saying I respect the viewer enough to confide in them and talk to them directly about what is unfolding as what we are watching it. When I see Othello in this photo, it is like he is forewarning us that the events to follow are going to get very real and complicated.

How do you guys feel about the use of a fourth wall in cinema? Did you agree or disagree with how I felt about a fourth wall existing in this photo?